All music evokes memories and classical pieces are no exception. Many piano students have wondered what prompted Edward MacDowell to write "To a Wild Rose." Listening to "The Swan" from Carnival of the Animals by Saint-Saens, so tender, helps us channel our inner ballet dancer. "Evening Prayer" from Engelbert Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel recalls the story of two scared children lost in a forest. And it's no surprise that the melody of Alexander Borodin's "Polovetsian Dance No. 1" was a perfect fit for the popular song "Stranger in Paradise" from the Broadway musical Kismet.

About the arranger: Brenda Dillon is best known for her contributions to the Recreational Music Making movement. She served on the RMM Committee that designed the RMM Track for MTNA's Pedagogy Saturday. She also presented group piano and RMM sessions throughout the U.S. In addition to serving as a teacher trainer, she has written extensive articles on both group piano and RMM teaching. She has publications with Hal Leonard and Alfred Music listed on her website (www.brendadillon.com).

ISBN 9781609746384. This collection showcases the syncopated piano music of Latin American during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. It features Latin rhythms, which are really African rhythms brought to the Americas by slaves and applied to the music of the European colonists. These rhythms are varied and complex and so is their history. They've had a widespread and profound influence on the evolution of popular music not only in Latin America, but also in the United States. The most obvious offshoots are the tango in Argentine and Uruguay and most of the other popular dances of South and Central America, as well as ragtime and jazz in the United States. Jelly Roll Morton claimed this "Latin tinge" is the essential element that distinguishes jazz from ragtime. These rhythms are the musical roots of groups like "The Buena Vista Social Club."Includes historic tangos written by Ignacio Cervantes - Cuba, Manuel Saumell - Cuba, Juan Morel Campos - Puerto Rico, Jose Quinton - Puerto Rico, Ernesto Nazareth -Brazil, Tomas Leon - Mexico, Sebastian Yradier - Spain, Eduardo Sanchez du Fuentas - Cuba, Will Tyers - USA, Vincente Greco - Argentina, Anselmo Rosendo (Mendizabal) - Argentina, Angel Villoldo - Argentina, Eduardo Arolas - Argentina, Juan Maglio - Argentina.