(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) 1-3 Illustrated by Jason Walker & Jason Walker. George Frideric Handel was one of the founders of London's first orphanage; appropriately, Cowling imagines a story of Handel's befriending a street urchin who sings like an angel. Handel protects him from his cruel and greedy "Keeper" and returns him to the safe orphanage. Period details are accurate and the detailed, textured illustrations enhance the narrative, but plot improbabilities and unclear chronology detract from the whole.

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

(1) 4-6 Illustrated by Kevin Hawkes. A clearly defined theme, a lively text, and stunning illustrations, many embellished with baroque-style frames, make this biography a fully integrated experience. The text strikes the right note between admiration and information. One marvels at the depth of a picture-book biography that includes, in addition to a compelling and witty text, a chronology of Handel's life, a discography, and suggestions for further reading.

Reviewer: Mary M. Burns | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2001