From School Library Journal
Kindergarten-Grade 4-From the author and illustrator team of The Farewell Symphony (Charlesbridge, 2000) comes a new gem for music lovers. Celenza brings to life three Russian friends-composer Modest Mussorgsky, architect Victor Hartmann, and art critic Vladimir Stasov. When Hartmann dies, Mussorgsky is plunged into despair and cannot create music. Concerned about him, Stasov prods him into attending a posthumous exhibit of Victor's artwork. The paintings inspire the composer's musical tribute to his friend, "Pictures at an Exhibition." The story is based on many primary-source documents-correspondence, an autobiographical essay, and an obituary-but Celenza weaves in a depth of emotion that makes these individuals' lives unforgettable. This same attention to detail is evident in Kitchel's illustrations; not only does the artist capture the energy and movement of the music in her vibrant watercolor-and-ink illustrations, but she also confines them within symbolic borders of traditional Russian and Ukrainian folk-art motifs. They harmonize well with the accompanying CD recording that includes both piano and orchestral versions of Mussorgsky's famous composition.
Laurie Edwards, West Shore School District, Camp Hill, PACopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Anna grew up on a farm in Pleasant Garden, North Carolina. She played the cello in the Greensboro Youth Orchestra and the drums in her high school marching band and jazz band. Music and the arts have always been an important part of her life.
Anna received her B.A. in art history and music history from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and went on to study art history at the Rijks-University Gent in Ghent, Belgium. She received her M.A. in musicology from Duke University and later also received her Ph.D. She has received many awards and has published numerous works regarding music history and the history of art including, "Death Transfigured: The Origins and Evolution of Franz Liszt's Totentanz" in Selected Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on 19th Century Music (Ashgate, 1999) and "Carl Dahlhaus," "Edvard Grieg," "Iconography," "Romanticism," and "Scandinavia" in Reader's Guide to Music: History, Theory, and Criticism (Fitzroy Dearborn, 1999).
Anna's research and studies have taken her to many countries around the world, including The Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, and Denmark. She has worked as a professional translator in Germany and Denmark.
Anna's expertise in art and music history, combined with her passion for music and her love of literature, led her to write The Farewell Symphony, her first children's book. She realized that there were few books that introduce children to specific works of classical music. Children are exposed to classical music everday in commercials and cartoons and even in pop music, but they are not exposed to the stories and the history of these compositions. In her workshops and children's classes - and now in her books - Anna ensures that children come away with an appreciation, if not a love, of classical music.
Anna currently lives in East Lansing, Michigan, where she is an assistant professor of musicology at Michigan State University.
Illustrator:
JoAnn Kitchel is a professional illustrator who received her B.A. in art education from Central Michigan University. Immediately following her graduation JoAnn moved to the West Indies where she taught art as a Peace Corps volunteer for nearly four years. The West Indian culture and landscape played an invaluable role in the development of JoAnn's artistic style.
JoAnn's children's books include Raven's Gift (Richard C. Owen Publishers, Inc., 1999), The Heart of a Friendship (Pelican Publishers, 1997), Talk! Talk! Talk! (Celebration Press, 1996), and the award-winning Tales of the Shimmering Sky (Williamson Publishing Company, 1996).
JoAnn currently lives in New Hampshire with her husband Chris and their two cats.
