• Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers by Patrick Kavanaugh
• The Gift of Music: Great Composers and Their Influence by Jane Stuart Smith and Betty Carlson
• NAXOS cds 

• The Great Composers by Wendy Thompson

This year we will be listening to music and/or reading a biography for a selected group of composers.  We will be covering composers from different eras in the following schedule:

• Each month listen to some music for the 2 selected composers.  Some of the best works of each composer will be listed.  Use your public library for finding music.  Naxos cds are also a good inexpensive choice if you are looking to purchase some cds for your collection.
• Each month you can also read a biography or two for most of the composers chosen.

• Read the biography of Antonio Vivaldi in The Gift of Music.

• Listen to music by Vivaldi including:
• The Four Seasons
• Gloria in D
• Concertos for many different instruments such as flute, recorder, oboe, trumpet, violin, cello, etc.
• Listen to Pachelbel's Canon in D

• Read the biography of J.S. Bach in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Bach including:
• Brandenburg Concertos
• Toccata & Fugue in D minor (for organ)
• Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring
• Cantata: "Where Sheep May Safely Graze"
• Goldberg Variations

• Listen to music by Corelli including:
• Christmas Concerto (Concerto Grosso in G minor Op. 6 No. 8)
• La Folia

• Read the biography of Handel in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Handel including:
• The Messiah
• Water Music
• Music for the Royal Fireworks

• Listen to music by Telemann (the most prolific composer of all time) including:
• Recorder concertos and others (he wrote concertos for many instruments)

• Read the biography of Haydn in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Haydn including:
• Farewell Symphony No. 45
• Surprise Symphony No. 94
• London Symphony No. 104
• The Emperor String Quartet Op. 76, No. 3
• The Creation

• Read the biography of Mozart in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Mozart including:
• The Magic Flute
• The Marriage of Figaro
• Eine kleine Nachtmusik for strings
• Rondo Alla Turca
• Jupiter Symphony No. 41

• Read the biography of Beethoven in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Beethoven including:
• Symphony No. 5
• Pastoral Symphony No. 6
• Choral Symphony No. 9
• Piano Concerto No. 5 "Emperor"
• Fur Elise
• Piano Sonata No. 8 "Pathetique"
• Piano Sonata No. 14 "Moonlight"
• Rondo a capriccio Op. 129 (Rage over a Lost Penny)

• Read the biography of Schubert in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Schubert including:
• Unfinished Symphony No. 8 
• Trout Quintet
• Marche Militaire
• Moments Musicaux
• Impromptus

• Read the biography of Berlioz in The Gift of Music.

• Listen to music by Berlioz including:
• Symphonie Fantastique
• Les Troyens
• Harold in Italy
• L'Enfance du Christ

• Read the biography of Mendelssohn in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Mendelssohn including:
• A Midsummer Night's Dream
• Italian Symphony No. 4
• Songs Without Words
• Elijah
• Fingal's Cave ("Herbrides") Overture

• Read the biography of Chopin in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Chopin including:
• Waltzes
• Mazurkas
• Nocturnes
• Polonaises

• Read the biography of Schumann in The Gift of Music.

• Listen to music by Schumann including:
• Traumerei
• Spring Symphony No. 1
• Carnaval
• Piano Concerto in A Minor

• Read the biography of Liszt in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Liszt including:
• Hungarian Rhapsodies
• Faust Symphony
• Piano Concertos in E flat and A
• Mephisto Waltz

• Read the biography of Brahms in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Brahms including:
• Violin Concerto
• Waltzes
• Hungarian Dances

• Read the biography of Dvorak in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Dvorak including:
• Humoresque
• New World Symphony
• Slavonic Dances

• Read the biography of Saint-Saëns in The Gift of Music.

• Listen to music by Saint-Saëns including:
• Carnival of the Animals
• Danse Macabre

• Read the biography of Vaughan Williams in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Vaughan Williams including:
• The Lark Ascending (try to find the recording by Sarah Chang)
• Fantasia on "Greensleeves"

• Read the biography of Rachmaninoff in The Gift of Music.

• Listen to music by Rachmaninoff including:
• Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini

• Read the biography of Ives in both The Gift of Music and Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Ives including:
• Piano Sonata No. 2 Concord
• Variations on America

• Read the biography of Messiaen in Spiritual Lives of the Great Composers.

• Listen to music by Messiaen including:
• Chronochromie
• Quartet for the End of Time

• Read the biography of Prokofiev in The Gift of Music.

• Listen to music by Prokofiev including:
• Romeo & Juliet
• Peter and the Wolf

• Read the biography of Gershwin in The Gift of Music.

• Listen to music by Gershwin including:
• An American in Paris
• Rhapsody in Blue