Product Description

Product Details

• Published on: 2003-09
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: .1 pounds
• Binding: Hardcover

From Publishers Weekly
HProfiling American composer Charles Ives, Gerstein (The Wild Boy) plies an artistic style as densely and consciously layered as one of Ives's compositions. The illustrations provide an instant visual connection to the music, which attempts to encompass the sounds of everyday life: Gerstein overlays his spry pen-and-wash artwork with multiple clusters of sound-effect words (e.g., a series of tweety tweets surrounds a caged bird, big red clangs surround toddler Charlie as he bangs on a metal pan). "Charles Ives was born with his ears wide open," Gerstein begins, detailing the kinds of sounds "Charlie" might have heard as a child: included are Charlie's music teacher father's trumpet, the swish of his mother's long dress and "dogs and crickets and the church bells next door," sounds that would later be woven into Ives's music. He tells of Charlie's high school efforts as a composer and how, later, Charlie composed music on the train as he commuted to his insurance job. Gerstein also describes the music's chilly reception: "Most people didn't know how to listen to it. Some thought it was a joke. Others just heard noise and got angry." The book concludes on a triumphant note: not only does Ives finally win acclaim, but he plans to write a Universe Symphony: "Wouldn't that be a glorious noise!" Gerstein creates a rousing visual cacophony that echoes Ives's compositions in this inspired picture-book biography. Ages 4-8.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal
Grades 3-6--A prominent 20th-century American composer is brought to life through this biography in picture-book form. Young Charlie always listened to the sounds around him and tried to re-create them as he started writing music, whether it was a cheering crowd or a brass band parading through the town on the Fourth of July. However, his work wasn't taken seriously until late in his life when it was accepted as a new form of music called Art Music. The cleverly drafted illustrations show how the many sounds combined in Charlie's head to form one musical idea. Sounds in different colored typeface, from ducks quacking, fire engines clanging, and trumpets "tatatating," appear over the energetic art, and readers can almost hear the cacophony of life. In one of the most memorable scenes, two marching bands, one colored in blue and the other in yellow, move toward each other playing different music with the myriad sounds combining in a rainbow of colors above their heads. The local residents can be seen in the background with their hands over their ears. Older children, especially those with some musical training, will come away with a good understanding of Ives and his work. This is an excellent purchase for libraries looking to develop their music collections on a subject about which little has been published.
Lisa Mulvenna, Clinton-Macomb Public Library, Clinton Township, MI
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From AudioFile
The Live Oak Media Music Makers series soars to new heights with this audio/picture book biography of innovative composer Charles Ives. From Charlie's first moments--when his father heralded his arrival on a trumpet--to his final efforts to give voice to the universe, WHAT CHARLIE HEARD is a bewitching aural portrait. Live Oak maximizes the rich source material in Ives's music, developing it into its own character within the audiobook. Chamber musicians led by Rory Young ensure the quality of the musical contributions. Mordicai Gerstein's reading strikes the perfect balance--his measured tones are as reassuring as a steady drumbeat. WHAT CHARLIE HEARD is a fitting tribute to a master of sound. E.E.E. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award, 2005 Audie Award Finalist © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine