The Classic Fm Family Music Box

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.

Learn about the world’s greatest classical compositions and musical traditions in The Classical Music Book. Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Classic Music in this overview guide to the subject, great for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Classical Music Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in. This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Classical Music, with: - More than 90 pieces of world-famous music - Packed with facts, charts, timelines and graphs to help explain core concepts - A visual approach to big subjects with striking illustrations and graphics throughout - Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding The Classical Music Book is a captivating introduction to music theory, crucial composers and the impact of seminal pieces, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Here you’ll discover more than 90 works by famous composers from the early period to the modern day, through exciting text and bold graphics. Your Classical Music Questions, Simply Explained From Mozart to Mendelssohn, this fresh new guide goes beyond your typical music books, offering a comprehensive overview to classical music history and biography. If you thought it was difficult to learn about music theory, The Classical Music Book presents key information in an easy to follow layout. Explore the main ideas underpinning the world’s greatest compositions and musical traditions, and define their importance to the musical canon and into their wider social, cultural, and historical context. The Big Ideas Series With millions of copies sold worldwide, The Classical Music Book is part of the award-winning Big Ideas series from DK. The series uses striking graphics along with engaging writing, making big topics easy to understand.

Entertaining and brilliantly written, this is a pretty reckless romp of a history through classical music and much much more.

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.

Packed with photographs, composer biographies, analyses of major works, and essential information on every musical genre, style, form, instrument, and ensemble, DK's Complete Classical Music Guide is a portable encyclopedic guide to more than one thousand years of Western classical music. From Bach to Berlioz, Glinka to Gershwin, Stravinsky to Shostakovich, and everyone in between, the Complete Classical Music Guide contains more than three hundred composer profiles, and offers a clear definition of the particular styles and characteristics of seven key eras: Early Music (1000-1600); The Baroque Era (1600-1750); The Classical Era (1750-1820); The Romantic Era (1810-1920); Romantic Opera (1810-1920); National Schools (1830-1950); and Modern Music (1900-). The Complete Classical Music Guide also includes a timeline that charts the evolution of musical styles and forms, instruments, and provides explanations of the building blocks of music — melody, harmony, rhythm, texture, form, tempo, and dynamics. Previously published as Eyewitness Companion: Classical Music, this book has been reformatted and designed and now comes packaged in an exclusive presentation slipcase.

This amusing travel guide to the Lone Star State doesn't waste travelers' time telling them where to find antiques in the Hill Country, take breathtaking hikes through Big Bend, or gaze upon the Alamo. Instead, it guides television fans to a modern replica of the Munsters's mansion, leads the nonsqueamish to the world's only Cockroach Hall of Fame, and points the curious towards a small town filled with hippo statues. Among other things, Texas is home to Goliath-sized roadside attractions, and directions are provided on how to reach the World's Largest Six-Shooter, World's Largest Rattlesnake, and World's Largest Wooden Nickel. The accompanying photographs and maps instruct visitors on how to get to these and other extraordinary spots, including the Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, the Celebrity Shoe Musuem, Alley Oop's Fantasyland, and the Birthplace of Fritos. A dose of wacky Texas history is also included with answers to questions such as "Did a UFO really crash into a windmill northwest of Fort Worth in 1897? "and "What does an Abilene Kinko's have to do with the early retirement of Dan Rather?"