The Classical Music Book

The Classical Music Book by DK, part of the Big Ideas Simply Explained series, is a graphic‑led introduction to classical music that analyses more than 90 landmark works and traces major styles from early sacred music to contemporary concert pieces. Structured chronologically, it explores composers from Thomas Tallis, Bach and Handel through Mozart, Beethoven and Wagner to Debussy, Stravinsky, Shostakovich and beyond, explaining what makes their pieces musically distinctive and why they mattered in their social and historical context.