My First Book of Classical Music: 29 Themes by Beethoven, Mozart, Chopin and Other Great Composers in Easy Piano Arrangements (Paperback)

by Bergerac (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Fun-to-play, pedagogically sound piano arrangements include themes from Beethoven’s "Pathétique Sonata" and Haydn’s "Surprise Symphony," along with such favorites as Schumann’s "Traumerei," Brahms’s "Lullaby," Chopin’s "Prelude," Tchaikovsky’s "Marche Slave," Moussorgsky’s "Promenade" (from Pictures at an Exhibition), and many more. 20 piano arrangements.

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Dover Publications (September 8, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0486410927
• ISBN-13: 978-0486410920
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #24,235 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in these categories: (What's this?)

  #24 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Musical Genres > Classical
  #35 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Instruments & Performers > Piano
  #66 in	Books > Entertainment > Music > Theory, Composition & Performance > Instruction & Study

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

157 of 158 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun for Adult Beginner!!, September 26, 2001

By	"jazymom" (san jose, ca USA) - See all my reviews

I am an adult beginner and I'm teaching myself. This book has fun and easy arrangements to songs that you may already know the melody to. It's good for the adult beginner that is ready for their second book after getting down the basics. You should know how to read the notes (at least figure them out) in the bass and treble clef. It's a good book because you can probably play these songs right away, and you'll feel like you're really playing something, that otherwise would take years and years to accomplish. It's much better that playing kiddie songs. It has easy, short, two-hand abbreviated arrangements of classic's such as Nocturne by Chopin; Minuet by Bach; Ode to Joy by Beethovan; Minuet in G by Beethovan; Hungarian Dance by Brahms; Rondo in C by Clementi; From The New World by Dvorak; Sarabande by Handel; Sonta in C by Haydn; Suprise Symphony by Haydn and others.

32 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book makes me sound GOOD!, October 25, 2005

By	K. Radloff (Omaha, NE United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of my biggest regrets in life is that I didn't stick with my piano lessons when I was a child. I took for about three years, never practiced, and basically, have to struggle through most arrangements, usually with only the right hand. This book, however, makes me feel like a virtuoso!

The book includes familiar sections of well-known classical pieces. Each one is done in a very simple arrangement that somehow still captures the essence of the original composition.

I am able to sit down and sight-read most of the pieces without too much difficulty, and within a week or so of practicing, even my husband (a true musician) admits that I don't sound too bad.

The book is easy enough that I don't get frustrated, yet challenging enough to give me a sense of accomplishment. I highly recommend it to anyone who's taken lessons for about 3 to 4 years.

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another adult reteaching themself the piano, July 16, 2006

By	Susan Y. Schoonover (Boulder, CO) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

I'm another adult who had piano lessons as a child and am now trying to relearn the piano with my own 10 year old. As advertised this book has a lot of familiar tunes that are easy for a novice player. I like the notes about the composer and song that preface each of the pieces. Almost all of the pieces are written in either the key of C or F which was much appreciated by me. Both hands are used in all pieces but in many the left hand simply plays chords while the right carries the melody.