Describes the orchestra and includes information on composers, instruments, and the conductor.

Discover what it would be like to travel through the four seasons in one day in this musical story based on the classical masterpiece The Four Seasons—push the button in each breathtaking scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Vivaldi's score. Follow a little girl called Isabelle and her dog, Pickle, as they take on the adventure of a lifetime. As a sign of the changing seasons, Isabelle carries a little apple tree with her, and we see it bud, blossom, and lose its leaves. As you and your little one journey through the vibrant scenes illustrated by artist Jessica Courtney-Tickle, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from The Four Seasons violin concerti. At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Antonio Vivaldi, with details about his composition of The Four Seasons. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms, and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms. The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores. Manufacturer's note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long.

Have you ever seen an orchestra perform and wondered about all those different instruments? In this fact-filled, entertaining picture book, Bruce Koscielniak gives us a lively look at the history of the orchestra and the instruments in it. From the “tooter, strings, and beaters” of the 1600s to the keyboard synthesizers of today, this playful exploration follows the development and trends of musical instruments over the last four hundred years. A perfect and joyous celebration for anyone who loves music.

This is the story of the orchestra, from 16th-century string bands to the "classical" orchestra of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven. Spitzer and Zaslaw document orchestral organization, instrumentation, social roles, repertories, and performance practices in Europe and the American colonies, concluding around 1800 with the widespread awareness of the orchestra as a central institution in European life.

From the The Story Orchestra series, a beautifully illustrated first piano sound book! Press the keys to learn 8 famous classical tunes from the story books. ​While other books in the series play famous pieces of classical music, in this new Story Orchestra title, young readers can now play the tunes themselves! Color and shape codes correspond to the 14 keys, so kids can learn easy 8-bar, one-finger melodies, so even the youngest child can learn to play music with this simple method. For best results, playing readers the original piece first is recommended so children can familiarise themselves with the pacing of the tune. Each song includes an enchanting illustration and description of the part of the story that the music is telling along with playing tips. All the favourite characters from the series are there to encourage young musicians as they play their first notes with the sound of a piano. I Can Play: The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy – The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky) The Dance of the Reed Flutes – The Nutcracker (Tchaikovsky) Flight of the Swans – Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky) Dance of the Cygnets – Swan Lake (Tchaikovsky) Royal March of the Lions – The Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns) The Elephant – The Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns) The Swan – The Carnival of the Animals (Saint-Saëns) Spring Dawn Chorus – The Four Seasons (Vivaldi) Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the keys, encouraging them to explore the possibilities of making music!

This book traces the emergence of the orchestra from 16th-century string bands to the 'classical' orchestra of Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, and their contemporaries. Ensembles of bowed stringed instruments, several players per part plus continuo and wind instruments, were organized in France in the mid-17th century and then in Rome at the end of the century. The prestige of these ensembles and of the music and performing styles of their leaders, Jean-Baptiste Lully and Arcangelo Corelli, caused them to be imitated elsewhere, until by the late 18th century, the orchestra had become a pan-European phenomenon. Spitzer and Zaslaw review previous accounts of these developments, then proceed to a thoroughgoing documentation and discussion of orchestral organization, instrumentation, and social roles in France, Italy, Germany, England, and the American colonies. They also examine the emergence of orchestra musicians, idiomatic music for orchestras, orchestral performance practices, and the awareness of the orchestra as a central institution in European life.

The next title in this best-selling sound series reimagines Carnival of the Animals, one of the most famous suites of music for children, by Camille Saint-Saëns​.

Discover the spellbinding magic of In the Hall of The Mountain King in this musical retelling of Peer Gynt—push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Grieg’s score. This tale of a boy’s adventure through the valleys and mountains of the Norwegian countryside begins at a wedding feast far, far away. Peer Gynt is bored and he’s longing for adventure. After sneaking off from the party, he finds himself at a peaceful lake where he meets some dairy people. When he lies about his escapades riding reindeer through the sky, they dare him to go to the lair of the Mountain King, the king of the trolls. The king’s halls are dark and spooky, and it isn’t long before Peer is captured. How will he escape? And will he learn the importance of humility and the value of friends? As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the score. Readers should press firmly on the pages to activate the sounds, encouraging interactive learning and introducing children to this beautiful piece of music. At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Edvard Grieg, with details about his composition of Peer Gynt. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms, and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms. The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet, opera, and program music stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores. Also available from the Story Orchestra series: The Magic Flute, I Can Play (vol 1), Carnival of the Animals, The Sleeping Beauty, The Nutcracker, and Four Seasons in One Day. Manufacturer’s note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in the exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long. The perfect primer to introduce children to classical music.

Discover the spellbinding magic of Swan Lake in this musical retelling of the ballet – push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing from Tchaikovsky’s score. This tale of a prince, a beautiful swan princess and an evil sorcerer begins in a woodland clearing far, far away. It is Prince Siegfried’s 21st birthday. He is playing games with his friends when his mother, the Queen, arrives to tell him he needs to stop having fun and start looking after the kingdom. Prince Siegfried dreams of running away. He follows an enchanting flock of swans to a clearing by a lake, where four of the little cygnets begin to dance. The most beautiful swan transforms into the Princess Odette, who tells him that she has been cursed to turn into a swan by day and return to her natural form at night by the evil sorcerer Von Rothbart. As the prince and Odette dance, they begin to fall in love. The story follows Prince Siegfried as he attends his birthday party, is tricked into proposing to Von Rothbart’s daughter Odile and returns to the lake to battle the evil sorcerer. Will the prince be reunited with his swan princess? As you and your little one journey through the magical scenes, you will press the buttons to hear 10 excerpts from the ballet’s music. At the back of the book, find a short biography of the composer, Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, with details about his composition of Swan Lake. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms and musical techniques that make them so powerful. A glossary defines musical terms. The Story Orchestra series brings classical music to life for children through gorgeously illustrated retellings of classic ballet stories paired with 10-second sound clips of orchestras playing from their musical scores. Manufacturer's note: please pull the white tab out of the back of the book before use. Sound buttons require a firm push in exact location to work, which may be hard for young children. All sound clips are 10 seconds long.

This book traces the origins of the legend that Jewish musicians in concentration camps were forced to play a Tango of Death at the gas chambers and shows how in this legend the actual history is hidden, distorted, or even lost altogether.