Customer Reviews

The Gift of Music (Expanded and Revised, 3rd Edition): Great Composers and Their Influence

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This book is complete with each classical music composer, history of the life and works of music. It is written to aide people in historical facts of the composer, facts that are not normally shared in education. For example, many of the composers had a deep Christian influence in their music, and wrote for the Glory of God and stated so on origional music sheets. The book can be used for a complete classical music history education from early ages all the way up to senior high students. This is the only book needed for music education. It works extremely well in tying in facts in all areas of history. It is very well put together and informative.

This is a superbly written book that contains 36 intriguing biographies and profiles of some of the great composers: from Baroque masters like Vivaldi and Bach ... through the pioneers of Classicism like Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven ... to the Romantic-era greats like Debussy and Liszt ... up to modern composers like Prokofiev and Bartok. The essays are crisp and flow like a good novel without getting bogged down in musicology terms (so good for young students and non-musical readers). Also their occassional comparisons through philosophy, art and Christian perspective makes for a deeper experience versus a overly "dry," academic treatment of mere dates and milestones. I have come to really appreciate this book's depth and have to admit this humble paperback is probably my favorite reference for studying a new composer (Schonberg's legendary "Lives of the Great Composers" being the other).

It would help to first say what this book is NOT: (1) A complete survey of the history of classical music, (2) A book on music theory or analysis of major works, (3) a presentation of ALL musical styles like Jazz, Pop, country etc. (4) A book ONLY about composers who were of Christian faith. Rather, the focus is on a sampling of the most famous composers of "classical music." Their lives and music are presented in factual, historical and non-judgmental way with the clear emphasis being on the gift of music they left the world. There are some references as to how their Christian faith influenced their music - which some will appreciate and others not. However, if your primary interest is the spiritual aspect of these men, then Patrick Kavanaugh's book, "The Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers," would be a better choice. But, where Kavanaugh offers more specific insights of the composers' spiritual lives (often quoted from letters written), authors Smith and Carlson in this book give a broader, more general overview of these composer's lives and most significant music that changed the world. Through their biographies and insights, Smith and Carlson show "people of faith" how purely instrumental music like classical music can be truly "Christian" and "spiritual" without any overt reference to diety (like in a church hymn). In doing so they show how classical music is a language not unlike how nature or the heavens speaks to us in their magnificance and unfathomable glory.

In common for both authors are musical academic backgrounds and working with the L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland - a Christian center promoting the study and appreciation of music, philosophy and the arts. In the preface, the authors state their goal of this book: "There are many things in the Christian world which cause us to be sad. One of these is that for many classical music is a complete vacuum. This robs individual Christians and their children of one of the very rich areas of joy in this world. Most of all the purpose of this book is to encourage listening to the finest music with understanding and pleasure, and to stretch one's ears and imagination. The more we acquaint ourselves with that which is truly great and beautiful, the more we will dislike and turn away from that which is shallow and ugly."

If you have never listened to much classical music or casually studied its jewels or great composers, then this book is an ideal guide to grow in one's "understanding and pleasure" of such music. I started such a journey into the wonders of classical music over two years ago, and it has truly been one of the most personally rewarding things I have done - and one that will stay with me for decades (as classical music doesn't quite ever go out of style). So, I think the authors are right when they conclude the pursuit of the arts and the finest, most enduring music are part of a healthy, whole and - dare we say - enriching spiritual life. Even getting a couple of low-cost CD's of Bach and Mozart and just reading the chapter on these composers to start will go a long way ... and possibly begin a lifetime exploration and enjoyment of the gift these great composers left the world.

I greatly appreciate this book--it's a wonderful introduction to famous composers, plus a valuable resource for Christians who want to start or add to their collection of GOOD Christian music. Be a counter-cultural Christian--toss out the CCM and fire up Schutz, Bach, Handel, and the rest! Your mind and spirit (not to mention your neighbors) will thank you for it.

I bought this book to help inform other women about composers for our church. It is basic enough that anyone can get a brief history of the composer. It also gives a background though on the composers and their relationship to God. The Author did a great job though in making the composers real. There was something about each one that I could relate to in my own life.

It is laid out chronologically by birthdate of the composer. It also gives a list of music that will help you get more of a feel for what that composers music sounded like.

I had many women ask me about the book after I did the first "lesson" from it.

Recently, I had the chance to begin reading this book by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson. These authors wrote a very easy to read book titled Great Women Authors. It is now out of print, but it is one my favorite books. I was curious about this book because I had enjoyed their writing before. I was surprised to discover that this book is written quite differently.

The Gift of Music includes a foreward by Francis Shaeffer, a prelude to the book, and biographies of 42 classical composers. These biographies are less personal than the biographies in Great Women Authors. In the book about women authors, Stuart and Carlson gave a personal sketch of the authors. The reader felt like they got to know them. This book about composers is much more about what they each did, how they interacted with other notable figures and developed a wholistic picture of classical music. There are a few personal details about the composers, but the biographies paint a picture of the music these men wrote and its place in the world of classical music.

This quote at the beginning of the book made me pause,

"There are things in the Christian world that cause us to be sad. One of these is that for many Christians classical music is a complete vacuum. This robs individual Christians and their children of one of the very rich areas of joy in this life....the chief sadnes of knowing little about classical music consists in the loss the Christian experiences in one of the areas of the affirmation of life." from the Foreward by Francis Schaeffer on page ix.

As I read several of the biographies, I realized how little I know about classical music! I was amazed to learn how the composers mentored and influenced one another. This book is a lot like a textbook. It's what I'd call "thick" reading. It's also worthwhile reading.

If you enjoy books like "Bonhoeffer" by Eric Metaxas or Eugene Peterson's books, you'll probably enjoy this one. You may just pick it up and read a chapter at a time. You may listen to a piece of classical music and wonder about the composer. This is not a book that needs to be read through in order or in succession. It can easily be picked up and set down. Sometimes it's nice to have books like that.

If you, as a parent, deeply enjoy classical music and want to share more about the history of the men who have written the pieces your family listens to, this would be a great resource.

Francis Schaeffer's statement struck a chord with me. It is a blessing and joy to savor classical music. It is also a joy that we have to cultivate in our minds and hearts by listening to and learning about classical music.

Please note that I received a complimentary copy of this book for review from the publisher, Crossway books.

As I have said before, I believe that everyone, especially Bible believers, need to study and be acquainted with the great music that is part of our Western Cultural tradition, but since the great composers were not always great men, learning about them from a purely secular standpoint can sometimes present students with issues of a perverse nature which many parents would prefer be put off until the child is more mature. In addition to Patrick Cavanaugh's Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers, we used Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson's The Gift of Music as the core of our homeschool curriculum of music history and literature.
Jane Stuart Smith has sung in the major operas houses of Europe and America. Betty Carlson studied at the Conservatory of Music in Lausanne, Switzerland. Both now live and teach at L'Abri Fellowship in Switzerland and have co-authored Crossway's Favorite Men Hymn Writers and Favorite Women Hymn Writers. The 44 chapters of this book give information about the vast majority of the great composers of Western music, dealing with many of them sensitively from a Biblical worldview and even drawing important lessons from their lives, both good and bad, along with recommendations for listening and for further reading. Also included are a chart on music in the flow of history and the arts, a select bibliography, a glossary, and an index. As a music student myself, I found it very helpful.