Around the same time (the children were nine, seven and five), I found a wonderful audio cassette series called Classical Kids. We listened to these five tapes while we did housework, crafts, meal preparation or simply relaxed. The children loved these tapes and it wasn't unusual to find us driving around town, voices piping the shrill notes of the aria of Papa Geno looking for his mate, Papa Gena. Uhhhh, Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah-Ah, ahhhhhhhh…………I like the way that these tapes weave a story about each composer with his most well-known music. In my mind I could see the scruffy Beethoven stomping around in his rented room, the tape's accompanying music filtering through the mental image. We all found it much more easy to identify these five composers' songs when playing MUSIC MASTER because their songs were inextricably intertwined with the story line of these tapes.
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Vivaldi's Ring of Mystery Antonio Vivaldi, master of the violin, helps a young girl to find her true identity during the magical carnival in Venice, Italy. Katarina, an orphan who’s only possession is a mysterious ring, meets the composer in his capacity as music master of an orphanage. With his help she discovers her talent for playing the violin as well as her ring’s auspicious origin. Vivaldi’s most well known works, including the Four Seasons, provide a rich backdrop for this tender story.
Tchaikovsky Discovers America Peter Iljitsch Tchaikovsky learns about America through an adventure with two children who befriend him as he prepares to present his newest work in New York. The composer, anxious about performing for the grand opening of Carnegie Hall in 1891, enjoys a distracting visit to Niagra Falls in the company of his young friends. He learns something about courage and they about duty in this sweet story shot through with Tchaikovsky’s most beloved ballets, Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, and the Nutcracker.
Beethoven Lives Upstairs Ludwig Van Beethoven upsets the life of a little boy when he moves into the apartment upstairs. This story, told through the perspective of the boy, illustrates both the genius and the mania of the composer and resolves itself with the boy learning tolerance and grace. Little Christoff resents the intrusion of such an obstreperous eccentric in his home and writes his uncle begging for his intervention. Instead, his uncle corresponds with him about Mr. Beethoven’s life, his triumphs, his hardships, his loneliness. This tale of a boy and a composer is delightfully accompanied by all of Beethoven’s most beloved music.
Mozart's Magic Fantasy Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart's famous opera turns into an adventure for a young flutist as she helps defeat the Queen of the Night. Our young heroine finds herself drawn into a world of fantasy and intrigue where her flute is a magic wand! With its special powers she tames dragons and re-unites a prince with his beloved and defeats the evil Queen of the Night.
Mr. Bach Comes to Call Johann Sebastian Bach time travels to visit a little girl as she struggles through her piano practice and teaches her a thing or two about music. While Mr. Bach plays his music for Elizabeth, he tells her all about his fascinating experiences with his friend, Prince Leopold, writing music for royalty, the church and even his sons. Mr. Bach’s breathtaking music plays throughout this story of his love affair with the music that he wrote for God.
Song of the Unicorn Megan and Owen, the children of a king, must travel alone to find a magical cure for their mother’s mysterious illness. Only the unicorn can heal her and their quest finds them in the company of Merlin and King Arthur in ancient Britain. The evil Morgan-le-fey tries to trick them into helping her capture the magical unicorn and they face a test of character and truth in order to accomplish their task. The accompanying music includes Greensleeves, Gregorian chant, and Celtic music as the background to this lovely story of courage and love. Scarlett listens to this one over and over and now she writes stories about unicorns!
Hallelujah Handel Our beloved Katarina (former orphaned friend of Vivaldi), a devoted friend to Handel finds herself caught in a mystery when she and the composer help rescue an orphaned boy from his life of virtual slavery. They discover that Handel’s music kept hope alive in the boy during his darkest hours. The boy finds refuge in their friendship and begins a new life. Handel’s famous water music is a lovely accompaniment to this delightful story along with his Messiah and others. We love this one!
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