This 4 CD set is the Ultimate Learning Experience!

A total of over 4 1/2 hours of multi-media presentation and over 2700 photos!

This set includes 4-CD's covering 4 different time frames and a Merriam-Webster Dictionary!

Through the Classical period: Trace the evolution of Western classical music from Gregorian chant to the works of Ludwig van Beethoven, whose career marks a turning point in music history. Explore medieval plainchant and the music of troubadours, renaissance choral works and madrigals, baroque opera and the concerto, and the classical symphony and sonata-allegro form. Includes an 89 minute multimedia presentation and more than 830 photos!

Romanticism to Contemporary: Survey the historyof Western classical music, from Beethoven's Eroica to Copland's Rodeo. Understand polyphony, dissonance, and tonality. Learn how the emotional quality of Beethoven's works impacted the symphonic form. Explore Wagner's contributions to opera, Stravinsky's focus on rythm, and Copland's synthesis of jazz and classical elements. Includes an 89 minute multimedia presentation and more than 850 photos!

Music and Culture: Discover how three different cultural groups; sub-Saharan Africans, Native Americans, and Polynesians, express their hertage through music. Listen to a variety of musical excerpts, and learn how geography influences music. Experience the spirited call and response pattern of African song, the ceremonial beat of Native American tribal drums, and the rhythmical movements of Polynesian dance. Includes an 40 minute multimedia presentation and more than 610 photos!

History of Jazz: Trace the beginnings of jazz from the honky tonks of New Orleans at the turn of the century, to its golden age in Chicago, to the dance halls of New York City in the 1930s and 1940--decades when swing was king and the big band sound was all the rage. Follow the aggressive bebop sound of the 1940s, the cool jazz of the 1950s, and the soulful modern jazz introduced in the 1960s. Includes an 70 minute multimedia presentation and more than 470 photos!

Computer requirements: Windows 95/98/ME/2000/XP

This is a great item for music lovers, students, or anyone interested in the history of music!