Iconic Composers
A Celebration of Music's Extraordinary Composers
Fun and informative, Iconic Composers is a celebration of some of history’s greatest musical minds, packed with memorable art and lots of great trivia about fascinating artists.
These fifty talented composers are diverse group, not only in terms of their demographics, but across eras and styles of classical music. Classical legends including Beethoven, Mozart, and Bach are featured alongside twelfth-century church-music pioneer and nun Hildegard von Bingen, Russian innovator Igor Stravinsky, and film composer John Williams.
Each composer’s one-page biography focuses more on their life than their music. Antonio Vivaldi’s highlights his work teaching orphaned girls how to play instruments at a time when women were often not allowed to participate. Arnold Schoenberg’s describes both his use of twelve tones in his music and his phobia about the number thirteen, while Galina Ustvolskaya’s describes her secrecy about her own work and her intentional destruction of most of her catalog to ensure that nobody heard what she considered lesser works. Also included are headshot-in-profile portraits by famed graphic artist David Lee Csicsko, whose distinctive, whimsical illustration style blends elements of caricature, geometric shapes, and vivid colors while keeping his subjects distinct and recognizable.
Iconic Composers is a beautiful book about musical geniuses throughout the centuries.
Reviewed by
Jeff Fleischer
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
