This important book is the first comprehensive analytical study of the music of Sergei Prokofiev. Neil Minturn sets the prolific Russian composer's work in historical, cultural, and autobiographical context and examines a generous and representative sampling of his compositions from a theoretical point of view.

Minturn finds a central theme of Prokofiev's oeuvre to be the interplay between tradition and innovation. He discusses the composer's diverse compositional procedures (tonal versus "modern" devices), as well as the political and cultural influences on Prokofiev's works. Minturn shows how the content and structure of individual pieces and movements took shape, how Prokofiev developed the notion of five musical lines, and how the idea of the "wrong note" in his music plays out.

A surprisingly consistent harmonic and rhythmic sense permeates Prokofiev's evolving style, as measured by relatively "harmonic" or "contrapuntal" emphasis. Minturn analyzes works for piano, orchestra, various chamber ensembles, and voice (including the opera The Gambler) and considers works in each category from various periods in Prokofiev's career.