The Classic FM Family Music Box


Book Description

The Classic FM Family Music Boxis the perfect introduction to the world of classical music. Featuring beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and 8 sound-chip buttons that play short bursts of iconic pieces of music, this unique book brings to life some of the greatest composers throughout history. Readers will be introduced to the genius of legendary artists such as Mozart, Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Elgar, Handel, Verdi, Vivaldi and Strauss, and will experience their lives, inspirations and music as never before. In addition to high-quality sound chips, a unique QR code allows access to a bespoke landing page on Classic FM's website allowing readers to listen to full versions of the music featured in the book.




The Big Book of Classical Music (Songbook)


Book Description

(Piano Solo Songbook). All your favorite piano masterpieces in one convenient collection! This book features piano solo arrangements of 100 classics by Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Chopin, Debussy, Faure, Franck, Gounod, Grieg, Handel, Haydn, Mahler, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Pachelbel, Puccini, Tchaikovsky, Verdi, Vivaldi, Wagner, and more!




Rigoletto


Book Description

The subject cannot fail!' exulted Verdi, when recommending Victor Hugo's play Le Roi s'amuse to his librettist. But the censors made every effort to stop it, and the baritone was not easily convinced that a hunchback role would suit him. Jonathan Keates gives a vivid insight into the composition of a masterpiece. Verdi long afterwards thought it his best work, and Roger Parker explains why. Peter Nichols, author of several bestselling books in Italy, picks out some of the peculiarly Italian attitudes and characters in the opera which make it timeless - and incredibly modern.Contents: Introduction, Jonathan Keates; Musical Commentary, Roger Parker; The Timelessness of 'Rigoletto', Peter Nichols; Rigoletto: Text by Francesco Maria Piave after Victor Hugo's 'Le Roi s'amuse'; Rigoletto: English translation by James Fenton




Little Fur Family


Book Description

There was a little fur family warm as toast smaller than most in little fur coats and they lived in a warm wooden tree.




Continental Riff


Book Description

A continental tour of Europe doesn’t go quite as planned! When Stockwell Park Orchestra goes on tour to Europe, it proves a challenge for even the most efficient German logistical planner. A teenage stowaway, brass players falling in canals and a sabotaged timpani van are all in a day’s work for Ingrid Bauer of Note Perfect Tours, but even she can’t solve all the problems this week throws at her. Maybe a bit of surprise Bach can calm the muddy Brexit waters. She just has to fish out the musicians first. Praise for The Stockwell Park Orchestra Series: “I was charmed... a very enjoyable read.” Marian Keyes “Friendly insults between musicians, sacrosanct coffee-and-biscuit breaks, tedious committee meetings: welcome to the world of the amateur orchestra.” BBC Music Magazine “...a witty and irreverent musical romp, full of characters I’d love to go for a pint with. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know the Stockwell Park Orchestra and can't wait for the next book in the series.” Claire King, author of The Night Rainbow “Sharp, witty and richly entertaining.” Lev Parikian, author of Why Do Birds Suddenly Disappear? “With its retro humour bordering on farce, this novel offers an escape into the turbulent (and bonkers) world of the orchestra.” Isabel Costello, author of Paris Mon Amour “...a very funny tale of musical shenanigans set in the febrile atmosphere of the Stockwell Park Orchestra” Ian Critchley




Gaspard the Fox


Book Description

Since its conception, Gaspard the Fox, the picture book written by Zeb Soanes and illustrated by the award-winning James Mayhew, has enthralled young people around the world. This charming and humorous picture book celebrates urban foxes and their relationship with the humans and animals they share the city with.




The Music of Life


Book Description

Award-winning biographer Elizabeth Rusch and two-time Caldecott Honor–recipient Marjorie Priceman team up to tell the inspiring story of the invention of the world’s most popular instrument: the piano. Bartolomeo Cristofori coaxes just the right sounds from the musical instruments he makes. Some of his keyboards can play piano, light and soft; others make forte notes ring out, strong and loud, but Cristofori longs to create an instrument that can be played both soft and loud. His talent has caught the attention of Prince Ferdinando de Medici, who wants his court to become the musical center of Italy. The prince brings Cristofori to the noisy city of Florence, where the goldsmiths’ tiny hammers whisper tink, tink and the blacksmiths’ big sledgehammers shout BANG, BANG! Could hammers be the key to the new instrument? At last Cristofori gets his creation just right. It is called the pianoforte, for what it can do. All around the world, people young and old can play the most intricate music of their lives, thanks to Bartolomeo Cristofori’s marvelous creation: the piano.




Beethoven


Book Description

“An ideal ‘first book’ on Beethoven” from one of the world’s most eminent classical music aficionados (Booklist). Beethoven scholar and classical radio host John Suchet has had a lifelong, ardent interest in the man and his music. Here, in his first full-length biography, Suchet illuminates the composer’s difficult childhood, his struggle to maintain friendships and romances, his ungovernable temper, his obsessive efforts to control his nephew’s life, and the excruciating decline of his hearing. This absorbing narrative provides a comprehensive account of a momentous life, as it takes the reader on a journey from the composer’s birth in Bonn to his death in Vienna. Chronicling the landmark events in Beethoven’s career—from his competitive encounters with Mozart to the circumstances surrounding the creation of the well-known “Für Elise” and Moonlight Sonata—this book enhances understanding of the composer’s character, inspiring a deeper appreciation for his work. Beethoven scholarship is constantly evolving, and Suchet draws on the latest research, using rare source material (some of which has never before been published in English) to paint a complete and vivid portrait of the legendary prodigy. “A gripping and thought-provoking read.” —Howard Shelley, pianist and conductor “By exercising a genuine authority in identifying how Beethoven, the man, manifests himself in our appreciation of the music, Suchet brings an incisive freshness to an extraordinary life.” —Jonathan Freeman-Attwood, Principal of the Royal Academy of Music




Modern Phobias


Book Description

Did you leave work yesterday and have a stab of fear that you'd forgotten to press save before switching off your computer? Did you then go to the pub, get very drunk, then wake this morning unable to remember what awful things you might have said or done ...? You're not paranoid (most of the time) but suffering from modern phobias. Such as Antefamaphobia - the fear that people were talking about you, but stopped just before you entered the room. Or Agmenophobia - the fear that the queue you join will end up being slower than the other one. The Book of Phobias will confirm every sneaking suspicion you have of a suffering from a weird and wonderful phobia, and highlight some you never knew you had!




Gaspard's Foxtrot


Book Description

Gaspard's friend Finty the dog and her owner Honey are travelling to a classical concert in London's Hyde Park - if only Gaspard could join them! But while good-naturedly attempting to return Honey's scarf, the handsomest fox in London suddenly finds himself on a tour through the city's streets aboard Finty's bus passing some of London's best sight-seeing spots such as: Islington Green, Museum Street, Chinatown, the theatres of the West End, Piccadilly and many more. This latest adventure in the Gaspard the Fox series sees Gaspard thrust literally to centre stage as he becomes a musical inspiration. 'The wonderful thing about Gaspard the Fox is that it's hard to imagine a time when he was never there. He has the look and sound - in the words and pictures on the page and the music of the orchestra - of a classic. Three cheers for Gaspard!' - Philip Ardagh, Roald Dahl Funny Prize winning author 'Another wonderful tale of the exciting adventures of Gaspard, our urban fox friend, beautifully told and illustrated. A real treat'. - Dame Patricia Routledge 'This is a lovely story, beautifully illustrated and speaks to the hearts of all children, young and old' - Marin Alsop, Conductor