Bach's Goldberg Variations

Wow, I feel really silly for including a picture book on Goodreads, but it was such a unusual find that I thought I'd review it anyway. It's about Bach, my favorite composer of all time, and how he came to write the Goldberg Variations, a particularly nuanced and complex composition, even for Bach. The author is a little loose with some of the history, but the story is intriguing, and this seems like a nice (and very accessible) way to introduce classical music to your children. The CD with the recording of the music is a plus. I'd recommend this for kids, parents, and fellow Bach-lovers.

Johann Gottlieb Goldberg is a talented musician but is stunted by the fact that he is an orphan. When Johann Sebastian Bach encourages Count Keyserlingk to take him in, Goldberg gets an opportunity to work on his music. After the Count stumbles upon him playing one night, he challenges him each week until finally he asks for a piece that has everything. Not knowing what that entails, Goldberg goes to Bach for help and Bach's Goldberg Variations are born. I thought this book was interesting and provided insight to a lesser known story. The illustrations are reminiscent of Tomie Depaola's work which makes it a whimsical read.

Bach gives music lessons to young organist Johann Goldberg, presenting him with the perfect piece to play for his employer. This is a fictional story account of how Goldberg began playing Bach's variations. The language is lively, with a musical feel, and the illustrations are charming. This is a good cultural book for children, and will teach them many words and concepts related to classical music.

I loved this book! The text and illustrations portray the love for music that many musicians, including Goldberg, experience. It tells a tale of hos Bach and the Count influenced Goldberg to expand his love and talent for music, which later becomes the cause of his success as a musician. This tale encourages readers to pursue their interests and expand their talents to achieve greatness and true success. I also enjoyed reading this book because it easily explains musical terms, such as canon, variation, passepied, etc… This book portrays the love for music of many, encourages readers to recognize their talents and aspirations, all the while teaching educational content. This book is an excellent read and I would recommend it to show more children who are interested in music or are unsure of their future. show less

A mostly true story for school-age children (not tots) that helps even those of us who don't 'get' music appreciate what's going on in at least one piece of classical music. I'm not sure if liked everything about the illustrations, but they were fine, and I liked the story and author's note enough that I want to find more. (The cover says "Once Upon a Masterpiece" as if this is a series.)

It's a long piece, 1.3 hours, I've just started to listen to it now. The first part is certainly easy to listen to....

I felt this story is great for the message of never giving up on your dreams even if you have to break the rules to make sure you accomplish your dreams. I felt the book was very lack luster with its presentation of how it opens. k-3