Famous Children Composers Series
Rachlin and Hellard's Introduction to Music History for Children
Oct 21, 2008
The Famous Children Series is a set of 14 simple and attractive biographies about composers and artists. Ten of the books are creative biographies about the childhood of some of the best-known classical composers:
The other four books explore the childhood of Leonardo Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Picasso and Toulouse-Lautrec.
About the Authors/Illustrators
Susan Hellard's artwork captures both the historical time period of the story and the joy of childhood throughout the series. Ann Rachlin, storyteller, music educator, pianist, and the founder of Fun With Music, authored the ten composer books in the series as well as the biography of Leonardo Da Vinci. She collaborated with Tony Hart for the biographies of Michelangelo and Picasso. Hart alone authored the Toulouse-Lautrec biography. The narratives are simple yet engaging and incorporate dialogue to help recreate the events described. There are often time gaps in the stories to help propel the reader through the early life of the featured person.
Publishing History
The first books in the Famous Children series were originally published by Gollancz. The series is currently published by Aladdin Books in the U.K. and by Barron's in the United States. They have been translated into 17 languages, including French and Spanish.
The Barron's editions are available in smart, soft-covered, 24-page books that feature a scene from the book on the cover. The famous child's name is clearly written in a bright colour that is used inside for the boarder of each page. This colour-coding helps children identify their favourite story in the series by colour as well as by picture and name.
An Example: Handel
The story of George Frederic Handel (1685-1759) was the first to appear in the series. It was published in 1992. It develops the basic early biographical information of the composer - his father's occupation and his desire for George to study law - and creates an engaging introduction to his life and works.
The story begins the day before George's seventh birthday. His aunt wants to buy him a birthday present. However, when she will not buy him a musical instrument as he requests, George politely refuses the proposition all together and goes home to bed. In the middle of the night, the aunt wakes George and leads him to the attic where she has hidden a clavier, a forerunner to the piano, that he can play when his father is out.
George's father is a busy barber-surgeon who works for the music-loving Duke of Weissenfels. Handel Senior spends days at a time tending to his business at court, so George finds time to practice his clavier in secret. One day George begs his father to take him to the court so he can meet some "real musicians," but his father refuses: "Books! Not music! You must study hard!" he responds. But George runs after his father's carriage, hops on it, and succeeds in making it to the duke's court.
At court, George slips into the duke's chapel and plays the organ. When he is caught by the court organist, George is invited to play for the Duke of Weissenfels the following Sunday. Despite his nervousness, George plays splendidly. When the duke discovers that George, a mere child, played the wonderful recessional march, he demands that George and his father be brought to him. He insists that George study under the tutelage of Zachau the organist. Handel Senior cannot refuse, and George "studied hard and became a famous composer whose music is known all over the world." The story ends with a short list of some of Handel’s most well-known works.
Reviews
Some parent reviews of the Famous Children Series complain about the lack of adult biographical information of the composers. Others dislike the use of modern words and expressions, like "yuck" in the dialogue. The series is nonetheless an interesting and worthwhile introduction to classical music history for children and their parents.
 |
