The Composer Is Dead

"Peter and the Wolf" + "Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra" + an Agatha Christie novel + The Pink Panther would yield something close to this hilarious and intriguing introduction to the instrument families of the orchestra.From the mind of Lemony Snicket (late of "A Series of Unfortunate Events" fame) with music by Nathaniel Stookey, this tale opens on the unfortunate death of the titular composer (and with a silly joke at which I freely admit I may have chuckled a bit too much, but such is the lot of a music major). A dashing and "intelligent" detective is summoned, who vows to ferret out the despicable criminal from the sections of the orchestra.As much fun as it was to read, it was equally pleasurable, if not more so, to hear the story realized with Stookey's music. Each passage of the composition is highly idiomatic. Classical music buffs are also likely to catch homages to various works in the modern repertory. Daniel Handler (our narrator and author) also adds some delightful touches in the CD that are simply not present in the book. The song of the French horns, for example, is side-splittingly funny.The only "complaint" I have, if you can even call it a complaint, is that Snicket departs from his "ASoUE" illustrator, Brett Helquist. Carson Ellis does a fine job with this book, but after writing in excess of 13 books with the same illustrator, a Pavlovian response is all but inevitable.Summary: Both adults and children will find something of value in this book. A good book for one's personal library.

There are two parts to this--the CD and the book. The CD is amazing. It's an introduction to the orchestra for kids, a la Peter and the Wolf, but in the form of a murder mystery. It's hilarious and entertaining and does a good job of actually introducing you to the instruments. A lot of the humor assumes you already know something about classical music, which doesn't seem ideal for an intro, but I don't know very much and I still enjoyed it. The CD also includes the music without narration, which you also find with Peter and the Wolf, etc., but is kind of odd here because the pauses for narration are included.The book, on the other hand, is a dud. The text is just a copy of the narration from the performance, which is much too wordy for a picture book, and the humor falls flat on the page. I like the illustrations, but I hoped they'd contribute to the introduction to the orchestra by showing all of the instruments. Instead, the instruments appear in silhouette (since they are suspects in the story) and some of them only appear in a shot of the entire orchestra.

I loved the concept of this book, the dry humor, and the skillful way it presents each musical section and layers all of their sounds together. I heard an interview with the book's author one morning and nearly did a spit take with my coffee when I heard the viola jokes. So funny and clever!I bought this for daughter for her sixth birthday, and her reaction, unexpectedly, was sheer terror. She literally shook with fear at the suspenseful-sounding music and couldn't understand the figurative concept of the "dead" composer. I thought that she must just be too young for the book, I'll put it away for her for a couple of years from now, but she later found it and freaked out again and demanded that I get rid of it. i gave it to a coworker with an eight- and four-year-old, warned her about my daughter's reaction, and she played it for her four-year-old. . . who absolutely loved it. Go figure. I think it is a fantastic book, but not the right fit for all kids.

If you're an orchestra member or if you want a fun way to introduce the orchestra to kids, this is the book for you! Although a picture book, the story is actually geared toward slightly older readers (who will be able to "catch" the humor in it). The music is good, too. I was fortunate enough to perform the music with my local orchestra recently. Lots of fun!

I love it. It is quite a unique book. My kids are still young (4 and 6), so we had to listen to the audio over a few days, not all in one go. But they still remember the "terror" music in a good way and they have learn a bit instruments in a meaningful way.

This book is a perfect addition to learning about the instruments and sections of the orchestra. It is ideal for 9 years up. The recording on the CD is the story read by the author accompanied by a brilliant orchestral score. The music gives an idea of the 'characters' of the instruments along with their role in the orchestra. A nice alternative to Britten's 'Young Persons Guide' as well. Inspirational!

Awesome. Baby is too young for it but I am loving it.

So different ... but brilliant.

brilliant