Examines the life of the eighteenth-century Austrian composer, from his acclaim as a child prodigy through his prolific musical career to his early death in 1791 at age thirty-five.

'What am I, bologna?' Mary Rodgers (1931–2014) often said. She was referring to being stuck in the middle of a talent sandwich: the daughter of one composer and the mother of another. And not just any composers. Her father was Richard Rodgers, perhaps the greatest American melodist; her son, Adam Guettel, a worthy successor. What that leaves out is Mary herself, also a composer, whose musical Once Upon a Mattress remains one of the rare revivable...

Presents the life and work of Antonio Vivaldi, one of the most popular Italian composers of the early eighteenth century, whose work was forgotten for almost two hundred years.

Discusses the life and works of Beethoven and provides activities to highlight the time period in which he lived.

Describes the life of the eighteenth-century Austrian composer, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, a musical prodigy who learned to write music before he could write letters and grew up to become Imperial Court Composer to Emperor Joseph.

Describes the life of the famous composer, who immigrated to the United States at age five and became inspired by the rhythms of jazz and blues in his new home.

In this book from the critically acclaimed, multimillion-copy bestselling Little People, BIG DREAMS series, discover the life of Prince, one of the most iconic performers in music history. From a young age, Prince was obsessed with music. Even though he couldn't read it, his talent - whether on piano, drums, guitar or vocals - turned him into an icon. Combining funk, disco, soul and almost every other genre out there, his songs are some of the best-loved...

Dylan, who began working on the book in 2010, offers a master class on the art and craft of songwriting. He writes over sixty essays focusing on songs by other artists, spanning from Stephen Foster to Elvis Costello, and in between ranging from Hank Williams to Nina Simone. He analyzes what he calls the trap of easy rhymes, breaks down how the addition of a single syllable can diminish a song, and even explains how bluegrass relates to heavy metal....

Donald Fagen will forever be associated with Steely Dan, the band he formed with Walter Becker and four other musicians in 1972. The smooth, radio-friendly veneer of the duo's songs made Steely Dan internationally popular and famous in the 1970s, but the polish glossed over the underlying layers of anger, disappointment, sleaze, and often downright weirdness lurking just beneath the surface. The elliptical lyrics were-and continue to be-an endless...

"For the first time ever, legendary singer-songwriter Dolly Parton brings you behind the lyrics of 175 of her songs to reveal the personal stories and vibrant memories that have inspired sixty years of songwriting. Lushly illustrated and told in Dolly's inimitable voice, this rich collection offers an intimate, exclusive look at the colorful life, prolific career, and rags-to-rhinestones journey of one of the most revered entertainers of our time"--...