One of the finest American composers of the 20th century, Walter Piston (1894-1976) taught for over thirty years (1926-1960) at Harvard, where he guided the education of such diverse, well-known composers as Elliott Carter, Leroy Anderson, Arthur Berger, Gail Kubik, Irving Fine, Harold Shapiro, Leonard Bernstein, Daniel Pinkham, Gordon Binkerd, Robert Moevs, Samuel Adler, Karl Kohn, John Harbison, and Frederic Rzewski. This book profiles the biographies, major accomplishments, stylistic development, and technical resources of 33 of these students, including four women. Special emphasis is placed on their relation to Piston and to each other.