BOOKS FOR CHILDREN, EDUCATION, AND HOMESCHOOLING
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Biographies of Musicians and Composers

Beethoven Lives Upstairs by Barbara Nichol, illustrated by Scott Cameron. Orchard Press, 1999. Technically, this is biographical fiction, since it's written from the viewpoint of a fictional ten-year-old boy in a series of letters he writes to his uncle. Christoph, whose father has died, is horrified because his mother has rented a room to a "madman" who turns out to be Beethoven. He gradually learns more about Mr. Beethoven when his Uncle Karl, a music student in Salzburg answers his many letters, in which he shares things he's learned about Beethoven's life. One thing he learns is that Beethoven is in the process of writing his Ninth Symphony, and that the process of writing it is what might be causing what Christoph perceives as madness. But Beethoven sees that Christoph and his mother get tickets to hear the symphony when it is performed, and this musical experience leads him to a better understanding of his eccentric neighbor upstairs, who moves out shortly after completing the symphony. Unpaginated picture book. BTH-4309. $5.36-D

Making Music: Leonard Bernstein by Shirley Bernstein, the author's sister.  Enclopaedia Britannica Press,1963. Very good hardcover library discard with good jacket. 192 pages. The jacket is moderately worn at edges and corners, with some chipping and small tears, and is rubbed. The jacket spine ends are missing small pieces of the paper. Bottom of front jacket flap is clipped, but price is still at the top. Cover is red with gilt star design and lettering.  This has been in a school library and has the usual markings on spine and pages, as well as pocket and date slip. But it appears not to have been read or checked out. Pages are clean and bright. Children can learn how Bernstein became America's first native-born, home-trained conductor of a major symphony and how he combined his many talents to build a career which is as exciting as a novel. BT2350. $8.50-U (B)

Mozart, by Peggy Woodford. Library discard, with all the trimmings, rebound by library, illustrated front cover. No jacket. Page 9 has a small stain on edge of book in margin. Otherwise in very good condition. A biography of Mozart for upper elementary students. 103 pages with bibliography. Part of The Composers and Their Times" series. BT-592, 10.00-U (B)

Wolferl: The First Six Years in the Life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart 1756-1762 by Lisl Weil. Holiday House, 1991, first edition, hardcover with dust jacket. G/G. Surrounded by music from his birth, with a father who could recognize his talent, young Mozart had the talent and the background for becoming a child prodigy. Along with his sister, he toured the courts of Europe while still a child. The author's humorous color illustrations are a perfect match for the story. Condition: At first I thought this was very good, but then discovered a tear in the cloth quarter binding at the bottom beside the spine on the back that is bumped up about a quarter of an inch. Other than that, there is only minor wear to the boards which is hardly noticeable. The dust jacket has some wear at all corners and ends of spine, a tear on the bottom near and on the spine that matches tear underneath, and light rubbing and chipping at edges. There is also a faded square spot at the top corner of the jacket front where a price tag used to be.The pages are clean with no writing. BTH-3266. $8.50-U

Young Mozart by Rachel Isadora. Penguin Puffin, 1997. This delightful picture book biography introduces children to the young Mozart, who music career began at the age of four. By the time he was seven he could compose his own music as he played it. The book focuses on Mozart's childhood and the most important events in his adult life. Unpaginated. BTH-4292. $5.39-D

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