For singers, teachers, musicologists, guitarists, and others, Drayer (voice and related studies, Winona State U.) presents an encyclopedia of Spanish art song composers that contains biographies of 93 composers and traces the development of Spanish art song through discussion and analysis of their songs and texts. Biographies also list vocal repertoire, stage works, non-vocal compositions, collections, books, and recordings. She covers both major and minor composers, beginning with those born from 1775 to 1800 up to those born since 1875, from Manuel del Póulo Garcia to Manuel de Falla and Joaquin Rodrigo. Musical examples are included. In addition to biographies, introductory chapters discuss song types and indigenous music, and she addresses the difficulties in researching women composers (neglected in the volume) in the final chapter and provides a list of them and contemporary male composers in need of research. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)