American composer George Gershwin in 1925. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
What Makes It Great From Beethoven to Broadway, pianist and composer Rob Kapilow reveals the heart of the music with a touch of humor and humility.
Special Series
What Makes It Great
Pianist and composer Rob Kapilow reveals the heart of the music with a touch of humor and humility.
The Octet, which Mendelssohn wrote when he was only 16, continues to inspire with its originality and genius. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Hear What Makes The Octet So Great
Simplicity, it turns out, is the secret to the success of Handel's ever-popular "Hallelujah Chorus." istockphoto hide caption
The Pure Power Of Handel's 'Hallelujah Chorus'
American Public Media
Hear What Makes The 'Hallelujah Chorus' So Great
Actress and singer Judy Garland wearing as Dorothy from director Victor Fleming's film, The Wizard of Oz. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Hear 'Over the Rainbow' And What Makes It So Great
Robert Schumann's music evokes the image of a child's dreams. iStock hide caption
Hear What Makes Schumann's 'Traumerei' So Great
Mourners at a funeral Getty Images hide caption
Mazurka Journal des Demoiselles/Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Chopin: Mazurka in A minor Op. 17, No. 4.
Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption
Czech composer Leos Janacek sent a non-stop stream of more than 700 love letters to a much younger, married woman; she inspired many of his best works. iStock hide caption
Mozart statue in Vienna iStock hide caption
Aaron Copland captured the sound of America's wide open spaces with surprisingly simple techniques. iStock hide caption
The music Stravinsky wrote for the ballet Petrushka is layered with ideas of the real and the artificial. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Composer Steve Reich's Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices and Organ has a percussive motor that never stops. Courtesy of the artist hide caption
An attention-grabbing opening can be the key to a successful composition. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Verdi trumps Shakespeare by inserting a hauntingly beautiful "Ave Maria" into his operatic version of Othello. Universal Classics hide caption
Hear What Makes 'Ave Maria' From Verdi's 'Otello' Great
A bread line forms outside of the Rescue Society in New York City in 1929. "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?" directly confronted the hardship of the Great Depression. Wikimedia Commons hide caption
America's amber waves of grain inspired teacher Katharine Lee Bates to write the poem later used in the song "America the Beautiful." Wikimedia Commons hide caption
Hear What Makes 'America the Beautiful' So Great
Czech Composer Antonin Dvorak (1841 - 1904). Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption