Write a critical rather than a descriptive paper, arguing your points and defending your judgments. Make very clear (through your bibliography, discography and footnotes) the evidence upon which you are basing your conclusions.

This research essay assignment, for which you should employ Chicago style, should be at least 3,000 words long, and you are permitted a maximum of 4,000 words. It should, of course, include a bibliography, discography, and citations in footnote form. You will need to consult other secondary sources in addition to your course textbook and Study Guide. You should also listen to as much music by your chosen composer as possible.
In your first essay you tackled the task of writing a musical biography in which you traced a composer’s life and musical career, surveyed the different musical genres to which he contributed, and evaluated the power, beauty, and originality of his major works, indicating which you considered his most important contributions to Western art music. In this second essay, you will do exactly the sameAs before, treat this assignment as one in which you answer a series of questions about your chosen composer’s life and music. Write a critical rather than a descriptive paper, arguing your points and defending your judgments. Make very clear (through your bibliography, discography and footnotes) the evidence upon which you are basing your conclusions.
Write a critical musical biography of one of the following composers:

Richard Wagner
Giuseppe Verdi
Giacomo Puccini

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