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The article focuses on compositional mainstream dominated by composers Olivier Messiaen, Benjamin Britten and Dmitri Shostakovich in post 1945 era, and mentions presentation of Messiaen as Roman catholic theological composer. Topics discussed include Britten's hostile attitude toward British music of 1930s, Britten's attitude to English folk music, and gramophone recordings that had rightful place in dissemination of good music.

The article focuses on Rebecca Mitchell's "Sergei Rachmaninoff," which provides valuable information on the composer's life and work, particularly his struggle to balance his career as a concert pianist and composer. Topics include Rachmaninoff's nostalgia for pre-revolutionary Russia, his classification as a modernist and his popularity and acceptance into the standard repertoire.

The article explores the connection between the fifth and sixth movements of Hector Berlioz's composition "Romeo" and the first movement of Franz's Liszt's composition "Dante", with emphasis on their radical formal innovations. Topics discussed include the influence of playwright William Shakespeare's "Rome and Juliet" on Berlioz's composition, and the influence of poet Dante Alighieri's "Divina commedia" on Liszt's work.

Adrienne Fried Block provides insight into Mrs. Amy Beach in 'Amy Beach, passionate Victorian: the life and work of an American composer 1867-1944' to show her to be a wife first, and a composer second.

The article focuses on conductor, organizer and animateur George Smart. Topics mentioned include the contribution in the music and culture in Great Britain, the research of music director John Carnelley which shows his financial stability, and the Irish knighthood that was bestowed on him by Charles Spencer, the Earl of Spencer.

The article discusses the less attention received by the symphony "Harold en Italie," by Hector Berlioz. Topics discussed include the poem "Childe Harold," by George Gordon Byron, the consideration of the subtext of "Harold en Italie" as the aftermath of the military leader Napoléon Bonaparte, and the revision of the tradition of grand public ceremonies by French King Louis Philippe.