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Throughout the book children are referred to the accompanying CD so that they can hear examples as they read. Music on the CD includes Magic Flute (Mozart), Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Williams), Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns), The Planets (Holst), Petrushka (Stravinsky), and Peter and the Wolf (Prokofiev).
The San Francisco Symphony asked composer Nathaniel Stookey to write the music and the great storyteller Lemony Snicket to create the story. Edwin Outwater conducted the world premiere performance and recording of The Composer Is Dead with the SFS in July 2006.
by Lemony Snicket (Author), Carson Ellis (Illustrator)
With CD of music composed by Nathaniel Stookey, narrated by Lemony Snicket.
ALONG THE WAY YOU'LL LISTEN to the greatest works in classical music and HEAR each instrument of the orchestra and LEARN fun facts about the music, composers and musicians, including:
-Bach wasn't famous until 100 years after he died
-Some people think that years of playing the oboe can make you crazy
-Beethoven was totally deaf by the time he wrote the famous 9th Symphony
-The contrabassoon would be 16 feet tall if unwound
-Copland composed at night and on weekends and had a day job as an insurance agent
Illustrated in exquisite and colorful detail with over 100 original drawings and photographs, engaging text and delightful musical selections on the accompanying 70-minute CD lead children ages 8 to 12 (and parents, too!) on an exciting and educational tour through the instruments and music of the orchestra. The engaging text is broken into three sections: an introduction to each instrument of the orchestra from the cello to the timpani, the stories of famous composers from Bach to Stravinsky and an explanation of different musical styles from Baroque to Modern. Each step of the way, children can listen to actual musical examples of what they are learning about. Young readers will hear the sound of an actual violin as they study the instrument and enjoy the playful tune of a Mozart minuet as they read about the composer's precocious exploits as a child.
Hardcover book
60 beautiful full-color pages with amusing animal characters
28-track CD with music samples from history's greatest composers
9.8 x .05 x 9.8 inches
Written by Genevieve Helsby and Illustrated by Jason Chapman
SKU: 7789
Hardcover: 40 pages
Reading level: Ages 4-8
ALONG THE WAY YOU'LL LISTEN to the greatest works in classical music and HEAR each instrument of the orchestra and LEARN fun facts about the music, composers and musicians, including:
-Bach wasn't famous until 100 years after he died
-Some people think that years of playing the oboe can make you crazy
-Beethoven was totally deaf by the time he wrote the famous 9th Symphony
-The contrabassoon would be 16 feet tall if unwound
-Copland composed at night and on weekends and had a day job as an insurance agent
Illustrated in exquisite and colorful detail with over 100 original drawings and photographs, engaging text and delightful musical selections on the accompanying 70-minute CD lead children ages 8 to 12 (and parents, too!) on an exciting and educational tour through the instruments and music of the orchestra. The engaging text is broken into three sections: an introduction to each instrument of the orchestra from the cello to the timpani, the stories of famous composers from Bach to Stravinsky and an explanation of different musical styles from Baroque to Modern. Each step of the way, children can listen to actual musical examples of what they are learning about. Young readers will hear the sound of an actual violin as they study the instrument and enjoy the playful tune of a Mozart minuet as they read about the composer's precocious exploits as a child.
Age range: 8 - 12 (and older!)
Written by Robert T. Levine, Illustrated by Meredith Hamilton
Black Dog & Leventhal Pub—ISBN 1579121489 (hardback with CD), 96 pp.
Illustrated by Marc Simont
Includes accompaniment CD!
"Celenza's story is a delightful introduction to Joseph Haydn, his "Farewell Symphony," and 18th-century court life. The composer asks Prince Nicholas if the homesick musicians might invite their families to join them at the summer palace in Hungary, and the answer is an emphatic and angry no. When the stay extends into late fall, the musicians again appeal to their royal music director, this time to convince the prince to return to Austria. Since words again fail to persuade him, Haydn decides to try music. His Symphony in F-sharp minor reflects the musicians' anger, sadness, and frustration, and finally moves Nicholas to return home. Based on true events, the story is well told and suitably illustrated with striking watercolor-and-ink cartoons with simple lines and exaggerated characterizations that convincingly convey a sense of the excess and finery of the period. The white-wigged musicians are bathed in fiery crimson as they play the angry first movement and the tearful prince is covered in a wash of blue during the sorrowful second passage. There are notes on both 18th-century symphonic form and instruments as well as on the events and personalities in the story. An entertaining musical history and a well-produced package."
Louise L. Sherman, Anna C. Scott School, Leonia, NJ
Features include hardcover, book sleeve and full-color illustrations.
Ages: 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Language: English
Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PA
Features include hardcover, book sleeve and full-color illustrations.
Ages: 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Language: English
Includes accompaniment CD!
"This fictional account surrounding the composition and naming of one of Bach's most famous musical works tells the story of Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, an orphan who is one of the composer's students. When the boy becomes a servant for Count Keyserlingk, he has no time to practice during the day, so he practices in the middle of the night. One night, the Count hears him and urges him to learn a new piece every week; first one filled with energy, then a canon, then a piece "with everything." Desperate, the boy turns to his teacher, who plays his "Variations," a complex composition that has a musical "riddle" hidden within it. The child practices it faithfully and by the end of the week, he plays it for the Count, who is so delighted that he names Goldberg the Court's official harpsichordist and often calls out to him, "Goldberg! Play your variations!" A note explains that the origins of the piece are unclear, but it is known that Bach visited the count in Dresden in 1741 and shortly thereafter Goldberg began playing this composition. This accessible and readable story will lead young readers to find out more about both Bach and his young student. The watercolor illustrations, filled with period touches, give the lad an appealing personality as he struggles with his chores and his music. The four cherubs who adorn many of the pages add to the 18th-century tone as they echo both the sentiments and the music on the page."
Jane Marino, Bronxville Public Library, NY
Features include hardcover, book sleeve, full-color illustrations and CD!
Ages: 4-8
Hardcover: 32 pages
Publisher: Charlesbridge Publishing
Language: English
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