A lofty undertaking? Certainly. But one that must happen if we are to move beyond the barriers that Brooks has so ably shown exist in understanding the value of music by one such undersung group-children. And by hearing-and patiently working to understand-the voices of the voiceless we will experience the truth richness of the human life cycle, from beginning to end.

Wosu Public Media Weblog

Barry Cooper is a prominent scholar and prolific writer about Beethoven and other musical subjects. Here he explores a relatively untouched and somewhat marginalized area: music written by children younger than 16....Includres bibliography and composer index.

The Beethoven Journal

This work is an essential purchase for all larger public and academic librarians.

American Reference Books Annual

Cooper reveals that study of this subject can illuminate broader issues of interest to those involved in the study of children more generally. Recommended.

Choice Reviews

This volume is an attempt to fill an enormous void in historical musicology studies: the works of child composers. The author in his introduction is quite detailed and precise about what he feels this “virgin field” is. He is not talking about music written by adults for children, or children’s music concerned with pedagogy in the classroom. The purpose of this book is to provide preliminary research for more extensive studies of musical compositions written by children in the past.

International Association of Music Libraries, Archives, and Documentation Centres