Americans seeking specialized training in composition or performance had to go to Europe to find it, primarily to Germany until World War I made that impossible. The Paris Conservatoire
provided the desired training, but generally was not open to foreigners, so a conservatory especially for Americans was established that paralleled and often drew instructors from the Paris
Conservatoire. Many now well known composers and performers attended. Leonard, a music scholar specializing in international exchange and women in music, traces the history of the institution
from its founding in 1921 to the present. Annotation 穢2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
