This is probably the first time I've read a reference book straight through. The publisher (and here the given author) Dorling Kindersley is well known for glossy, heavily illustrated reference works for both adult and juvenile consumption. Reading or browsing through one of these is quite enjoyable because in addition to the full-color photos and portraits, there are numerous sideboxes with facts about related people, places, instruments, and events. These books are not meant to be complete treatments but to capture the reader's interest.

The book is arranged by time period between about 900 and 2100, and each section includes maybe 6-8 pages plus illustrations for each primary composer and an end section with 1-page-or-so entries for secondary names. I had a few quibbles about how composers were divided between primary or secondary, but that's probably a matter of preference. The most interesting aspect for me was seeing the progressions of complexity and notation, examples of which are shown for many of the composers.

I read this on the Kindle app on a 10" tablet, and it was beautiful. It would be frustrating to read it on a b&w Kindle. ( )

Composers: Their Lives and Works from DK Publishing is a beautiful and informative book that will look great on display.

In its own way this is a history of western music told through highlighting important composers. It is also interesting as mini-biographies simply because we see how the lives and livelihoods of composers changed over time. Though this is told as a series of profiles, there are boxes inset with categories that help to connect the history in other ways. The boxes are titled: In Context, On Technique, and In Profile. The first two of those are pretty self-explanatory while the third usually profiles a key person in that composer's life or career. At the end of each section, which is a time period, there is a section called Directory which briefly mentions other important composers of the time.

There are more female composers included than I expected, which helps to make this a far more well rounded account. These run from Hildegard of Bingen to Judith Weir. Like any story of this nature, some composers were no doubt left out. But overall it covers a wide range from roughly 1000 until the present.

I want to mention one thing I was pleased by in the short profiles. Many books that use this approach tend to use a standard format for each entry. It can work but not every person's life or contribution to a field fits neatly into an outline. Here we do still get the basic information about each composer but space is given to what is important for each. If one was famous, or infamous, in their day and that is a big part of their story, it gets the space it needs. If a composer's chief contribution to the history of music was as an influence on later composers, that is given more space. In other words, there are a lot fewer entries that seem to contain filler information just to keep to a format. Or, to put it another way, while each entry is similar each is also made to conform to the composer's personal story and contributions.

Highly recommended for anyone who tends, as I used to do, to think about periods of time but only remember a few of the major names. As I have learned more about the music I have slowly developed a better appreciation for both periods and individuals. This also serves as a nice reference for those familiar with most of the composers but who might want to periodically refresh their memories of where in the chronology they may fall. And of course anyone who loves music and having a beautiful book to display.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )