Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!

by Robert Levine

Book Overview

Eye-catching illustrations and an accompanying 70-minute CD make this an exciting and educational introduction to the world of classical music-from composers and music history to the instruments of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1579121489
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal
• Length: 96 Pages
• Weight: 1.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 10.4" x 0.6" x 10.4"

Customer Reviews

Missing CD

Book in nice condition, but missing the CD, which is an important component for this music study. I bought this for my homeschool, and now I’m going to have to hunt down a matching CD.

this item was missing the CD!

this item was missing the CD! it was very disappointing when I received it, but I did receive excellent customer service after the fact.

No CD included

My kid loves learning about music and the different instruments. I read the other reviews and was hesitate about ordering since they said the CD was missing. I took a chance and ordered a "Very Good" copy and no CD was included. I should have listened to them. The book is not really worth the money if the CD is not included. Disappointed.

The Story of the Orchestra

It is a nice book , showing the many part of the orchestra..My copy was a used copy. I thought it would have the disc. It was not included and I was disappointed..but the book has eye appeal for children.

Makes classical music accessible for young children!

A wonderful resource! After a recent visit to our symphony, my 5-year-old son wanted to know more about "the big thing with strings." With this book and CD, he has learned about the bass and so many more instruments. Two-page spreads complete with photos describe each of the main orchestral instuments and are keyed to musical selections on the CD highlighting that instrument. The combination of both seeing and hearing the instrument has fascinated my son, and he now likes to listen to the classical radio station and try to identify the instruments he hears. The CD is also lovely as background music during our day.

Great book even for small children

Reading three chapters from this book is our new bedtime ritual with my 5 year old daughter. And in the morning, she repeats everything she heard to her grandma and grandpa. The book is well-written, informative and entertaining, and the music samples are a great introduction to the classical masterpieces.

Musical enthusiasm leaps off each page.

The enthusiasm for classical music without ever getting high-brow leaps off the pages of this book. Noting a few classical composers, conveying facts on how an instrument is held, how it sounds and where it fits into its niche in the orchestra are the strongest features of this book. The cd is weak but it works. This book is for kids somewhat older and even adults really, it's a thicker book but no less colorful than "Meet the Orchestra" by Ann Hayes and Karmen Thompson which is a perfect complement to "Story of the Orchestra" but "Meet the Orchestra" is definitely for younger kids in primary grades.

Take This Book on Your Next Family Road Trip

We took Story of the Orchestra with us on a long road trip. Every hour or so, I would read a page and play the accompanying track on the CD player. My husband and I really enjoyed it, as did our 8-year-old. Our 13-year-old acted disinterested, but later I overheard him passing some of the information on to a friend. The book was entertaining, informative (even for my husband and I), and really helped pass the time. I think it would also be a good bedtime read--doing a page or two a night.

Lots of good information and a good book

The Story of the Orchestra is an excellent book for. Adults would probably know most of the information covered in the book, but still a good read. Covers famous composers and highlights of their lives, orchestra history, instruments used in orchestras and bands. All information is true, and is a good source if you are doing any reports on instruments. Context is good and fits childrens' appetites- the Viola is the "violin's big brother." Good book. I highly recommend it.