"Such is the spell of Schubert's emotional world that it very nearly blinds us to the greatness of your craftsmanship." - Franz Liszt In this survey of Schubert's instrumental music, John Bell Young explores some of the richest and most memorable music ever written. How did the prolific composer of the C major String Quintet and more than a thousand other masterpieces manage to achieve so much in a career that spanned less than two decades? Young's colorful analyses of a representative swath of Schubert's greatest orchestral, piano, and chamber works deftly illuminate these issues. *An accompanying CD features superb performances by Claudio Arrau...

In this survey of Brahm's music, John Bell Young explores in depth the composer's private world of musical intimacies that infuriated Wagner, but inspired Schumann, Schoenberg, and millions of music lovers for generations to come. He also addresses a controversial issue long-neglected by biographers and critics: Did Brahms sire an illegitimate child, and in the absence of concrete evidence, did he leave behind clues in his allusion-rich music? Accompanying the book is a CD featuring rare performances of Wilhelm Furtwangler, alongside brand new recordings of three extraordinary pianists....