Lesson from Leopold is a manual on the traditional craft of musical composition from the Baroque to the late Romantic Period. With a step-by-step approach, Melloni explains the general principles, techniques and elements of musical structure from motives to large classical forms. In today's digitalized world, music is composed mostly with the aid of computer programs. While a computer can cut and paste sound clips easily, it cannot develop the material. This manual is an attempt to preserve a craft that, when applied skillfully, brings the music to its full potential.