Orchestra

by Avalon Nuovo, David Doran (Illustrator)

Overview

Perfect for quarantine reading with your children!

Before there were DJs, rock stars, pop groups, and jazz trios, there was the orchestra. Whether it takes center stage or brings performances and movies to life, the orchestra is the magnificent original voice of the western world.

Learn about all of the ingenious instruments that make up the orchestra and the luminary composers whose work has endured for centuries. Travel from the stunning Wiener Musikverein in Vienna to the world's greatest recording studios, all illuminated by David Doran's stylish and immersive artwork.

A beautifully illustrated coffee table guide to everything you could ever want to know about the orchestra.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781912497867
Publisher:	Flying Eye Books Ltd.
Publication date:	11/05/2019
Pages:	80
Product dimensions:	11.50(w) x 11.60(h) x 0.60(d)
Age Range:	7 - 10 Years

About the Author

Avalon Nuovo is an illustrator and writer from Los Angeles who graduated with a BFA from ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena. She has worked for clients such as The New York Times and Natur Och Kultur and was featured in American Illustration archive in 2016, 2017 and 2018. She currently lives in Cambridge.

David Doran is a freelance illustrator who has worked on editorial and publishing projects for numerous international clients such as Penguin Random House, The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and Apple, among many others. He currently lives and works in Falmouth.

Editorial Reviews

★ 11/04/2019

Crisply paced and clearly written, this engaging introduction to the western orchestra is appealingly substantive. The first half covers the symphony orchestra’s history and composition, exploring its sections (strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, guests) and investigating how representative instruments from each category make sound: “When the player blows into the , it is the reed’s vibration against the mouthpiece that makes the sound.” Nuovo elegantly builds concepts as the text proceeds: “You may have started to see a pattern in how instruments work. Some use air, some are plucked or bowed, but all of them are doing the same thing to make sound: vibrating.” In the second half, narrative focus expands to include “The Music and Its Makers” (refreshingly, Nuovo chooses to feature Hildegard of Bingen, Amy Beach, and Duke Ellington, among others) and orchestral music “Beyond the Concert Hall.” Doran’s coolly stylized illustrations use smoky shades of rust, ochre, and blue to enliven the pages. Ages 7–10. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

Selected for the 2022 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List

“Crisply paced and clearly written, this engaging introduction to the western orchestra is appealingly substantive.”
—Publishers Weekly STARRED REVIEW

“Inviting illustrations and peppy text combine to make this book a winner for beginning music enthusiasts.”
—School Library Journal

"Orchestra is to my mind a delightful and informative book that will appeal to music beginners, no matter whether they’re children or grown-ups. Avalon Nuovo and David Doran should be congratulated for the charming book they created and Flying Eye Books for publishing it. A real joy from beginning to end and what I think will make a splendid Christmas present for a young music fan."
—Margarida Mota-Bull, MusicWeb International

From the Publisher

11/22/2019

Gr 3–6—This title is divided into three sections. The first section introduces all parts of the orchestra: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion. Select instruments are highlighted in double-page spreads followed by a more detailed description. Readers learn how a violin is made and how it works. The clarinet is emphasized in the woodwinds section. The second section, "The Music and Its Makers," briefly explains how music is read and composed. Several biographies discuss composers and their famous works: topics include Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons" and composition pioneer Amy Beach. The final part talks about opera, ballet, and musical theater. Nuovo's writing is clear and enthusiastic, accompanied by Doran's mid century-influenced illustrations. The text and the pictures display people of different cultures. A few women are given their due in this mostly male field. There is a solid index for report writers. A full glossary defines advanced words such as polymath and virtuoso. VERDICT Inviting illustrations and peppy text combine to make this book a winner for beginning music enthusiasts.—Anne Chapman Callaghan, Racine Public Library, WI

School Library Journal