The wild lives of artistes. [Composers by DK]

“The only love affair I have ever had was with music.” Maurice Ravel

A compelling celebration of more than 90 of the world’s most influential composers from the medieval period to the present day, Composers reveals the fascinating stories of their lives, loves, and works. Biographical entries – introduced with a stunning portrait of each featured composer – trace the friendships, loves, and rivalries that inspired each musical genius. 

Profiles offer revealing insights into what drove each individual to create the musical masterpieces – symphonies, concertos, and operatic scores – that changed the direction of classical music and are still celebrated and treasured today.

Lavishly illustrated with paintings or photographs of each composer, alongside original musical scores and personal correspondence, images of their homes and where they worked, and personal effects and other important artifacts, the book introduces the key influences, themes, and working methods of each individual, setting their works within a wider historical and cultural context. 

Charting the development of classical music and music movements across the centuries, Composers provides a compelling glimpse into the personal lives, loves, and influences of the giants of the classical music canon.

I own a copy of DK's Opera, so this requesting a read of DK's Composers was kind of a no-brainer. Quick highlights of the lives of some of the most influential composers of the past five or so centuries were presented in a contemporaneous and linear fashion, giving the reader a comprehensive grasp of the overlapping lives and lasting influences of some music greats on music practice and theory. The choice of composers highlighted and the degree to which their background were explored was interested, but not unexpected. Many composers I knew, many more I was introduced to.

I imagine this wouldn't be the book for the hardcore classical music fan, music school graduate, or historian as they'd likely be already familiar. But for just about anyone else this is a solid read. Even for anyone looking to quickly reference key moments, players, or influences in a given composer's life and/or work, this is also a solid read. There were a lot of personal tragedies and horrible truths I learned about composers I favored so now I'm also walking away conflicted, but informed, about how to approach their music going forward.

I did end up listening to Gerald Finley singing Batter My Heart (though the composer was not referenced), so that was fun. There was an obvious (predictably) European slant to the text, but not to a detrimental degree. Least familiar with contemporary composers, that chapter was one of first encounters. At the same time it didn't hold the same weight as others, presumably due to the fact that many mentioned are still living. 4 stars from me.

DK's Composers is set for publication September 2020.