(4) YA Classical Composers series. Friends, families, lovers, rivalries, achievements, disappointments, and more are placed firmly in musical and social context by awkward prose that emphasizes Handel's vocal music; Brahms's songs, Requiem, and symphonies; and Wagner's remarkable operas. Chapters brim with events and details of the composers' lives. Period illustrations, many in color, illuminate the carefully documented text. Timeline, websites. Bib., glos., ind. Review covers these Classical Composers titles: George Frideric Handel and Music for Voices, Johannes Brahms and the Twilight of Romanticism, and Richard Wagner and German Opera.

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(4) 4-6 Masters of Music series. These well-researched books relate biographical details of the composers' lives, emphasizing the circumstances surrounding their musical education and compositions. The text is illustrated with photos and reproductions in a dull design, and each chapter has an "FYI" page that supplies further cultural details of varying relevance. Chronologies and lists of works are appended. Reading list, websites. Glos., ind. [Review covers these Masters of Music titles: The Life and Times of George Frideric Handel, The Life and Times of Irving Berlin, The Life and Times of Johann Sebastian Bach, The Life and Times of Johannes Brahms, The Life and Times of Peter Ilyich Tschaikovsky, The Life and Times of Felix Medelssohn, The Life and Times of John Philip Sousa, and The Life and Times of Stephen Foster.]

Reviewer: Frieda F. Bostian

(3) K-3 Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series. This biographical sketch of a musical giant from the Romantic era succeeds in introducing very young readers to the composer's most significant work and how it fits into the genre of classical music. The simple text in a large typeface is accompanied by reproductions depicting Brahms and colorful cartoonlike drawings caricaturing various aspects of his life.

Reviewer: Jack Forman