The Heroic Symphony

Customer Reviews:

A treasure from this author and illustrator is no surprise!.......2006-07-25

I am in love with this series of books for children! I own three of them and can't wait to get the rest. This is a perfect series for homeschooling families, or parents who want to supplement what their children are learning outside the home. This book not only tells the story of Beethoven's life and inspiration for writing The Heroic Symphony, but it also gives some of France's history at the time that Beethoven wrote it. The illustrations are beautiful and truly works of art in themselves. This book will be used by our family and passed down to be used again and again. The CD which accompanies it is very well done. My children love to listen to the music and love the story that goes along with it. I feel that the love of classical music is a great gift to give any child. This book is well worth the money, and hard to find at a lower price! Well done!

The Heroic Symphony .......2005-03-09

The heroic symphony is a true story about Ludwig Van Beethovens symphony no.3 also called the Heroic symphony.THe book has cute well drawn pictures that are fun to look at. it gave good info and wasnt hard to read. it can be a book for all ages and many are sure to enjoy[this book]. it also comes with a cd which is the heroic symphony music

A TREASURE FOR YOUNG READERS.......2004-04-09

The author, an associate professor at Michigan State University, has already educated and entertained young readers with the lives of two composers in "The Farewell Symphony" and "Pictures At An Exhibition." When paired with rousing watercolor and ink illustrations by JoAnn Kitchel, both of those books are small treasures, as is "The Heroic Symphony," which relates the life of Beethoven.

As the story opens Beethoven has it all - fame, fortune, and the ability to play the piano better than anyone in all of Europe. However, the music lovers who flocked to hear him have no idea that he is slowly losing his hearing. Desperate, hoping for a cure in the spring of 1802 Beethoven fled to a remote clinic.. But there was no help for him.

As Beethoven despaired a melody began to fill his mind, and he realized that if he could no longer play the piano he could compose. He knew that he wanted to write music that would not only entertain but would also inspire, so he searched for inspiration. One name came to him - a war hero, Napoleon Bonaparte.

Later, upon learning that his hero, Bonaparte, had crowned himself Emperor of France Beethoven attempted to destroy his months of work, but was stopped by a close friend. At length Beethoven scratched the name Bonaparte from his manuscript and wrote a new title, "The Heroic Symphony."

A CD recording of Beethoven's Symphony No. 3 ("Eroica" is included. It is performed by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Sir Georg Solti.

Book Description

How hard is it to move 5 legless pianos 39 times?
Beethoven owned five legless pianos and composed great works on the floor. His first apartment was in the center of Vienna's theater district... but he forgot to pay rent, so he had to move. (And it's very hard to move a piano. Even harder to move five). Beethoven's next apartment was in a dangerous part of town... so he moved, and the pianos followed on a series of pulleys. Then came an apartment with a view of the Danube (but he made too much noise and the neighbors complained), followed by an attic apartment (where he made even MORE of a rukus), and so Beethoven moved again and again. Each time, pianos were bought, left behind, transported on pulleys, slides, and by movers, all so that gifted Beethoven could compose great works of music for the world.

Customer Reviews:

Bravo!.......2007-07-09

This book begins with a musical score in Beethoven's own hand. The end papers are an actual photograph of Beethoven's working manuscript for the Grosse Fuge in B flat major, Op. 134.

Jonah Winter recounts the story of Beethoven's pianos and the thirty-nine apartments where he lived in Vienna. So often children's "non-fiction" blurs the line between fact and speculation. Not so in this book. Winter clearly identifies what is fact and what is conjecture and does so with great humor.

Diaries, eviction notices, physical evidence and piano movers' notes are used as a basis for the story he tells. Why did Ludwig change apartments so frequently? Well, there is some evidence to suggest the neighbors complained. As Beethoven moves from place to place, Winter chronicles the music that was composed there. An author's note at the end gives additional information about his deafness and the amazing fact that he composed his magnificent Ninth Symphony after he had completely lost his hearing.

Barry Blitt's illustrations lift the story to a new level. We first see Beethoven as a baby crying in Gothic letters, "wha wha wha WHA." He accurately and humorously depicts the difficulties and incredible logistics involved in moving pianos to the new apartments, over rooftops, through windows and through walls. The composer's effect on his neighbors is depicted in a cross-section where we see the neighbors living above, below and next door to him reacting to the noise coming from his apartment in the middle. Babies cry, dogs bark and people pound on the floor, ceiling and walls as Beethoven plays.

This book is a must have for music teachers, piano teachers and students of music. What a treat!

So Much Fun.......2007-05-09

What a great and witty book. Great for K-2 Music Teachers. Excellent.

A very different kind of story youngsters will relish........2006-12-10

It's hard to easily categorize this: based on a little-known fact about Beethoven's habit of moving frequently, it offers up a fun story of how he not only moved, but moved all five of his pianos from place to place. The hilarious tale of and why he moved, followed by all those pianos, creates a very different kind of story youngsters will relish.

39 Facts of Fun.......2006-11-10

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is one clever picture book. Jonah Winter structures the story in such a way that you only get the joke at the end. Barry Blitt's illustrations are drop-dead funny, with a cranky Beethoven juxtaposed with beautiful Viennese cityscapes on each page. (As you can tell from the cover illustration, Blitt's Beethoven looks just like the ubiquitous statuette of the great composer that glared down at you during weekly piano lessons.)

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig von Beethoven" begins with three facts. The first of these is:

"FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven was born in the town of Bonn in the country of Germany in the year 1770."

We then learn that Beethoven composed on five legless pianos and "FACT: Ludwig van Beethoven lived in 39 different apartments--which is of course the subject of our story. (See book title.)"

Then the story begins. Beethoven's move from apartment to apartment is "documented" with complaints from neighbors, what he composed where, and details on how movers transported the five legless pianos. Here's a mover's lament:

"In the diary of one Anselm Schwartz, we find the following translated here into modern English: 'After this move, I'm out of here. That dude is WHACKED in the head! Yow...My back is, like, REALLY messed up!'"

After the first three FACTS of the book, there are only three to follow--two in the story of the moves: "FACT: It is very difficult to move a piano. FACT: It is even more difficult to move five pianos." These two FACTS are self-evident and are easily overlooked amongst the evidence of cotton balls with earwax found in neighbors' apartments.

It's only when you read the last FACT on the final page that you get the joke: "FACT: That's all we know of the 39 apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven." In other words, absolutely nothing--but a good story results nonetheless.

"The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is a stunner of a picture book and definitely makes my 2006 favorites list. Read it aloud to a group just for the experience of watching kids get the joke. "The 39 Apartments of Ludwig van Beethoven" is highly recommended for children ages 5-10.

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Beethoven on Beethoven
William S. Newman
Manufacturer: W W Norton & Co Ltd
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0393025381

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Kids find this funny
An excellent introduction to the fun of classical music for young people
For legions of Wig fans: the book is here!

Beethoven's Wig
Richard Perlmutter
Manufacturer: Rounder Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1579401120

Book Description

The book follows the outrageous goings on in the tremendous, stupendous, monumental, colossal wig of Beethoven.

Customer Reviews:

Kids find this funny.......2006-07-14

I should have given this 3 stars, but made a mistake and couldn't change it! Don't need the book - the CDs are great (at least #3 is for sure and #2 is growing on us). The book, while cute and funny, was purchased after we bought Beethoven's Wig #3, and it is OK. #3, however, is absolutely a must-have - it is hilarious and the music is beautifully done. My kids love the instrumental pieces as much as the sing-along versions. We then bought #1 (which we have not heard - we gave it as a gift) and #2, which is good but not from the start like #3.

An excellent introduction to the fun of classical music for young people.......2006-02-11

The first book of the Read Along Symphony series (which is in turn based on the award-winning Sing Along Symphonies music series), Beethoven's Wig is a children's picturebook that combines humor with a love of music. The whimsical story about Beethoven's gigantic and growing white wig is meant to be sung along with the notes of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Zany illustrations of the catastrophically titanic wig and a bonus CD with "Beethoven's Wig" and two previously unreleased songs, all in both vocal and instrumental versions, round out this picturebook treasury. An excellent introduction to the fun of classical music for young people.

For legions of Wig fans: the book is here!.......2005-12-22

Given the remarkable success of the Grammy-nominated Beethoven's Wig CDs, it's not surprising that the new children's book by the same name would be captivating, clever, and the very best in educational fun. The colorful, whimsical illustrations are wholly original in style, and the horizontal large-page format is perfect for communicating that Beethoven's wig is indeed VERY BIG -- along with too many entertaining images, wordplays, and sight gags to describe. The accompanying audio CD, which includes the original title song based on Beethoven's famous 5th symphony, also includes delightful new songs based on the famous composer's Minuet in G and Moonlight Sonata. The latter, called "Beep Beep Beep" -- and one of Beethoven's Wig performer and lyricist Richard Perlmutter's wittiest works to date (which is really saying something, as you know if you've already heard his two previous award-winning Beethoven's Wig CDs) -- is truly hysterical. Storytelling at its best. As with earlier discs, the symphonic versions of these great compositions (without the lyrics) are also included as part of Perlmutter's very successful strategy for educating young children about the joys of classical music. Whether you're new to Beethoven's Wig, or already one of the millions of enthusiastic fans, this book and disc combination is highly recommended.

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An amazing book!
Cassie Loves beethoven

Cassie Loves Beethoven
Alan Arkin
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0786805641

Book Description

When Hallie and David decide they want a pet cow, their father reluctantly agrees. After all, the children have promised to take care of it, and it will be an educational experience for everybody. But as the family brings their new pet home to their farm, they can't even begin to imagine how educational the experience of living with Cassie will turn out to be. The cow won't produce milk, and the kids try everything. And then they hit upon the solution: Beethoven. Not only does Cassie begin to produce milk, but she develops an insatiable fascination for music and, well, she talks. But Cassie's love for music may get her in trouble when she decides to become a concert pianist.

This wonderful story from renowned actor and author Alan Arkin explores the unique dynamics that make up every family, the small triumphs that flavor life, and the enduring beauty and appeal of music.

Customer Reviews:

An amazing book!.......2001-11-13

I love this book! it is fun and lovely and really quite cuttie wootie~

Cassie Loves beethoven.......2001-01-14

I thought that Cassie Loves Beethoven was good because she could talk and play the piano.Then when she here's Beethoven's music her whole life changes.So then she goe's to a concert and she decides she need's to play an instrument,she tries almost every instrument but nothing seem's to work.Then Hallie and David's dad Myles made Cassie a 40 foot long piano.Then Cassie became very famous,then got mad at a newspaper review and got in a fight.From then on she just played for fun and with no audience.

Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Orchard Paperbacks)

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"I am Beethoven!"
Life With Beethoven.....

Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Orchard Paperbacks)
Barbara Nichol
Manufacturer: Orchard Books (NY)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0531071189

Customer Reviews:

"I am Beethoven!".......2005-10-13

A young Viennese boy named Christoph happens to have the greatest composer who ever lived as a boarder in his mother's house. Set in 1822, this nice re-telling of factual events in the last year of Beethoven's life has introduced millions to the softer side of a musical god too often portrayed as stern and cold. Yes, there really was a Christoph, and Beethoven shared his home about the time of the composition of the Ninth Symphony, possibly humankind's musical high-point. In fact many real life occurrences came to pass just as Ms. Nichol's book tells. Beethoven Lives Upstairs is easy to read and hard to forget, and is a positive tale almost anyone should find likable.

Life With Beethoven............2002-02-14

"...I write, Uncle, because something terrible has happened. A madman has moved into our house." Young Christoph can't believe his family's misfortune with their new boarder. Mr Beethoven has rented the upstairs rooms, and the terrible noises begin at dawn. There's loud pounding and howling, stomping and crashing. Beethoven has four pianos, some without legs sitting right on the floor so that he can "hear" the vibrations of his music. His room is a mess, papers scattered everywhere, dirty dishes and clothes on every surface, and he writes on the walls. He walks the streets humming and growling, and waving his arms. Christoph is mortified, angry, and embarrassed as he asks his uncle..."I beg you to tell my mother to send Mr Beethoven away." But as the months and then years go by, Christoph's letters begin to change. He develops compassion and tolerance for this eccentric musical genius who lives upstairs, that slowly turns into respect, admiration, and true friendship..... Barbara Nichol and Scott Cameron have authored a creative and inventive story, written as correspondence between uncle and nephew, that combines history, music, and actual events during the three years Beethoven wrote his Ninth Symphony in Vienna. Christoph's intriguing and compelling letters are full of drama and tension as he tells his uncle what it's like to live with the deaf and tormented composer. His uncle, also a musician, writes back giving Christoph insight and understanding into Beethoven's life and times and famous temper. Ms Nichol's engaging and entertaining text is spellbinding and enhanced by Mr Cameron's dark, lush oil paintings. Together word and art transport you back to the 1820s, and allows the reader to spy on Beethoven as he works. Perfect for youngsters 8-12, Beethoven Lives Upstairs is an evocative and fascinating adventure about a remarkable composer that is sure to whet the appetite of budding musicians, and send them looking for more.

Microsoft Multimedia Beethoven: Ninth Symphony

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Microsoft Multimedia Beethoven: Ninth Symphony
Microsoft Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

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Multimedia Mozart

ASIN: 5556111626

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Lucid and Probing
Well-written psychoanalysis of Beethoven's life and works.

Beethoven Essays
Maynard Solomon
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: 0674063791

Customer Reviews:

Lucid and Probing.......2005-11-07

In these essays, Solomon explores in more detail certain topics that he had only been able to touch on more generally in the earlier, full-fledged biography he had written of Beethoven. (He has since followed up more essays strictly on "late Beethoven.") I find these essays thoughtful, probing, and lucid--not least the fine essay on Beethoven's genuine but ambivalent quest for faith.
--Frank Burch Brown

Well-written psychoanalysis of Beethoven's life and works........1997-10-15

After having read Solomon's work regarding Mozart, I was interested to see his work about Beethoven. Interestingly, although his _Beethoven_ was shorter, I found his theories much more convincing and interesting in the latter. The work synthesized multiple facts about the composer, including the near-psychotic attacks on his sister-in-law, Johanna, and a chapter regarding the Immortal Beloved, who, I am now convinced, was Antoine Brentano. This chapter was allthewhile extremely moving--it nearly brought me to tears. At the same time, although I was treated to a brief overview of Beethoven's life, I feel that there are large gaps in the biography that were simply glossed over, since they were not critical to Solomon's psychoanalytic theses. As a result, I am now tempted to find Thayer-Forbes biography to fill in these holes. Yet, in all, it was an extremely enjoyable read.

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Intelligence and Passion in Playing the Beethoven Sonatas
For advanced music students and serious-minded pianists

Playing the Beethoven Piano Sonatas
Robert Taub
Manufacturer: Amadeus Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1574670719

Book Description

Acclaimed pianist Robert Taub offers the insights of a passionate musician who performs all 32 of Beethoven's well-loved piano sonatas in concert worldwide, bringing a "fresh perspective on Beethoven," as the New York Times put it. In this book, he shares his intimate understanding of these works with listeners and players alike. HARDCOVER.

Customer Reviews:

Intelligence and Passion in Playing the Beethoven Sonatas.......2002-07-27

The Introduction to Tovey's Edition of the Beethoven Sonatas begins: "The Pianoforte Sonatas of Beethoven must always be among the choicest possessions of all who love music and especially of those who make music their main object and study." Robert Taub is a performer and scholar -- he serves as artist-in-residence at Princeton University who has performed frequently and recorded the cycle of Beethoven's 32 sonatas. He has written an excellent if difficult book offering the insights of a performer into Beethoven's great music.

Taub's book will inevitably be compared with Charles Rosen's recent study "Beethoven's Piano Sonatas: A Short Companion." The books share many insights but are written from different perspectives. Rosen's work is broader and more historical in scope. Taub's book is the work of a concert pianist and it reflects, in sometimes a personal way, on how he learned the sonatas, how he interprets each of these remarkably individual works, and how he performs them. There is a great deal of detail on the technique of piano playing as applied to each sonata. We learn how Taub chooses his tempo, how he pedals, how he voices and emphasizes the notes in a chord, the decisions he makes in phrasing and in holding his fingers. We learn when and why he slows down and emphasizes a passage and when and why he strives to play a passage brilliantly.It is a work by a pianist which seems to me to be primarily for other pianists. although much that he says will be of interest to music listeners as well.

In learning and performing a complex work of music such as a Beethoven sonata, Taub tells us, a performer makes an implied moral contract with the composer. The contract requires the performer to delve into the music and to internalize it in order to understand what the composer wished to express. The performer effectively promises the composer to bring the music to life so that the audience may understand and be moved by the work -- so that the hearer may respond to and carry the music with him or her. For Taub the moral contract between performer and composer requires careful study of the score and -- particularly in the case of Beethoven -- a study of various editions of a particular work and of Beethoven's sketches, authographs, musical markings, and letters that cast light on how he conceived the work. The performer works with the composers intentions, for the work in its entirety as well as in part, to try to bring something of the power of the music to life. The music itself is inexhaustable and cannot be encompassed in any single performance or interpretation.

Instead of the traditional three-fold division of Beethoven's music, Taub offers a five-fold division of the sonatas. (Rosen offers a five-fold division as well but, interestingly it differs from Taub's) Taub's division of the sonatas is as follows: a). early classical, including the sonatas from opus 2 through opus 22 as well as the two sonatas of opus 49 (13 works); b). seven "experimental" sonatas, including opus 26 through the three works of opus 31; c) the three "post-Heilgenstadt" sonatas, opus 54, 54, 57; d) the three "compressed" sonatas, opus 78, 79, and 81a; and e) the final "transcendent" sonatas, opus 90, 101. 106, 109, 110, 111.

Following a discussion of general musical principles applicable to all the sonatas, Taub describes how he arranged them for performance of the cycle. This is probably the single most interesting part of the book. Taub decided against playing the sonatas simply by following the opus numbers but tried to arrange them thematically. I learned a great deal about Beethoven's sonatas simply from Taub's discussion of how he ordered them and from his discussion of how he chose the works he did for each individual program.

Taub's discussions of each individual sonata, in his nine programs, constitute the heart of the book. The discussions show, indeed, how Taub has thought of and internalized this music in trying to share it with his public. The discussion is fascinating as well in teaching how a performer works and learns. For those who attempt to play this music, as I do, there is a great deal to be learned from Taub's love for this music, his patience and his attention to musical detail. As Rosen did in his book, Taub spends a great deal of time in discussing Beethoven's opus 54 sonata (which lies between the Waldstein and Appassionata sonatas) and which is little performed. But I feel that Taub's heart is mostly with the final "transcendental" sonatas -- opus 90, (which Taub I think properly groups with the last 5 even though this is not usually done) opus 101, opus 106 (the Hammerklavier), 109.110 and 111. There are some interesting details in the book -- we learn that Taub spent 8 years working on the Hammerklavier before venturing a public performance -- and that Benny Goodman once told Taub after a private performance of the Waldstein sonata that a performer who really wanted to play a work such as the Waldstein had to "make it his own". Wise advice and the reference to Benny Goodman makes it special.

This is a detailed, pianistic book on some of the greatest music ever composed.

For advanced music students and serious-minded pianists.......2002-06-03

Playing The Beethoven Piano Sonatas by internationally renowned pianist Robert Taub, is compelling literature that analyzes the composition, performance, and emotion of Beethoven's famous and classic musical masterpieces in depth and detail. Written for advanced music students and serious-minded pianists, Playing The Beethoven Piano Sonatas also offers general advice for an ideal performance, as well as a wealth of "tips, tricks, and techniques" specific to numerous individual sonatas. Playing The Beethoven Piano Sonatas is very highly recommended reading for anyone with a fervent desire to perform Beethoven's great piano music to the best of their ability.

Beethoven Symphonies (Ariel Music Guides)

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Beethoven Symphonies (Ariel Music Guides)
Robert Simpson
Manufacturer: BBC Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0563204842

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