A Midsummer Night's Dream (c.1590-1596) by William Shakespeare
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Great classical music inspired by books

8. A Midsummer Night's Dream (c.1590-1596) by William Shakespeare
Shakespeare's magical comedy concerns four young lovers and six amateur actors, who are controlled and manipulated by the fairies who inhabit a forest. It has inspired some of the best classical music over hundreds of years - from such diverse composers of Henry Purcell, Felix Mendelssohn, Carl Orff, Vaughan Williams and Benjamin Britten.