Composer, conductor, musicologist, and music critic Stern (Ariel U. Center) takes the books of the Old Testament in order, recounting the narrative through music. Using an aesthetic approach, he traces events from the creation of the world until the Babylonian exile in works by composers of diverse times, places, and styles. The conventional musicology arrangement of pieces and composers by epochs and periods is replaced by the order of the Bible. Annotation ©2011 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)