Tchaikovsky discovers America

de Douglas Cowling

Classical kids series features stories for children with musical excerpts and movements written by the highlighted composer. Travel back in time to 1891, when composer Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky travelled to New York for the grand opening of Carnegie Hall. This title tells a story of all aboard for fun as a young family join the composer on a musical journey filled with excerpts both of Tchaikovsky's music and also well-known American music such as ragtime, spirituals, and popular folk classics. The family learn much about Tchaikovsky -- his life in Russia, his love of music and his fears of conducting. In the end, both the composer and the family discover something about courage -- and about themselves.