For many pupils, the history of piano music stops with the likes of Bartók and Messiaen. Where have all the composers gone? they must be wondering, especially considering the amount of standard repertoire that has emerged from the preceding eras. Hence, ABRSM Publishing has set out to prove that composers are not jousting with the dodo for the 'world's most famous extinction' title by producing a follow-up to their 1996 collection, Spectrum. This original volume contains 20 piano pieces by 20 composers who are resident in the UK and demonstrates the sheer variety of unique musical voices that are presently active. Equally impressive is the range of technical approaches that are required (although this is obviously not a book of études); David Bedford's Toccata and Brian Elias' Moto Perpetuo are tests of dexterity whereas Graham Fitkin's SAZZ and Philip Cashian's Landscape concentrate on control and sensitivity of touch. It should be pointed out, however, that the standard of technique required to perform these pieces effectively is relatively high and they are certainly aimed at the higher-grade student. Thankfully a CD is available, which allows both students and teachers hear a good performance of the works, many of which will be outside the sightreading ability of many teachers.

Spectrum 2 aims to provide the same quality of new music to lower-grade pupils, and consists of thirty short pieces. One of the great things here is the way in which pieces introduce pupils to new methods of notation and sound production such as cluster chords, harmonics, the use of more than two staves at once and pieces without bar lines. Such techniques are found rarely in books for pupils and amateurs, and their inclusion early on in a pianist's development will be a useful aid in realising that there are possibilities outside the traditional conservative boundaries of musical thought. In this respect, pieces such as Stephen Montague's Tsunami and Colin Matthews' Rosamund's March are welcome inclusions.

It is also delightful to see how some composers have incorporated traditional musical elements within their own idiom, thus giving pupils who are new to contemporary music a point of reference. For example, Anthony Payne's Micro-Sonata shows that the form still has relevance to today's composers, and the bagpipe melody of Sunset over Stac Pollaidh, by David Bedford, bridges an aural gap between the familiar and the new.

Twentieth-century music has long been a difficult subject for both teachers to and pupils, and is too often skirted round and under-investigated as a result; the Spectrum volumes admirably tackle the issue head on and provide a great starting point for any teacher who does not know where to look for new and appropriate repertoire. The books are a perfect medium for promoting discussion between teacher and pupil; on a broader level, they can refresh debates about where art music is heading, to hopefully inspire and encourage the composers of tomorrow.

Gavin Meredith