Great Musicians Series
The Great Musicians Series represents a milestone in homeschooling music history/appreciation education. This growing line of textbooks and supplementary materials focuses on the foundational musicians and composers that have had the greatest influence on musical composition and performance. These great masters have composed some of the most memorable and timeless musical pieces that we enjoy today. The series pulls back the curtain to reveal the lives and times behind these great classical compositions. Explore the persons, places, and events that influenced the masters and the beautiful music they created. This series engages students of all ages, using all learning modalities, thereby providing the richest and most memorable learning experience for your children. We include a variety of materials that will help you deliver this wonderful musical education quickly and easily.
-
Great Musicians Series: Complete set of 16 books! (Opal Wheeler)
$215.99For the first time in decades, a treasure is back in print: the complete set of all 16 Opal Wheeler volumes on The Great Musicians — and now offered as a set for a terrific sale price!
Each volume is an enlarged, lay-open, beautifully illustrated paperback. Each book also contains a skillful biography of the composer, which young people from 4-15 will enjoy. Illustrations are found on almost every page, and many of the compositions of the composer.
$249.00 -
Stephen Foster and his Little Dog Tray (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Behind the gentle sadness of such songs as Old Black Joe, My Old Kentucky Home and Old Folks At Home, lies the dreaming, home-loving spirit of the man who wrote them—Stephen Collins Foster.
There is much more in this book than the engaging story of the young Stephen Foster, and his music. In this appealing, sensitive biography of the composer whose folk songs are our common heritage, is told one of the real stories of our own America.
$14.95 -
Sebastian Bach: The Boy from Thuringia (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Large, sturdy, oversized paperback in lay-flat binding. Illustrated by Mary Greenwalt. This is one of the volumes in a classic series from early in the 20th century. We are amazed how much history, biographical material, and music are included in each work.
This volume is the first complete work on the life of Bach ever written for children. Filled with vivid descriptions of Bach`s childhood: how he sat up many nights and copied music by the moonlight, how he walked 200 miles to choir school at Luneburg.
$14.95 -
Handel at the Court of Kings (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Handel’s strange boyhood, clouded by the fact that his father did not want him to become a musician, makes for a story of absorbing reading. Soon he was playing before the greatest music lovers of Europe, dukes and kings included.
The selections of Handel’s music included here are those which are best understood and most apt to be mastered by young musicians who wish to follow in his footsteps. Opal Wheeler has once again given a highly satisfying and complete musical biography.
$14.95 -
Mozart, the Wonder Boy (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Wheeler and Deucher’s series on famous musicians have been loved for decades. This classic children`s work on Mozart will be enjoyed by all family members, whatever their age, with a stunning amount of biographical material and music included in each work. Mozart, The Wonder Boy presents the musical genius of this child prodigy, the loving family in which he was reared, and the impact he had on the world around him and to generations beyond.
“Here is a book about the most musical boy that ever lived. Fortunately for us he wrote a great deal of music and this we can hear today even though we can never hear him play it. His music is always lovely and you will surely hear more of it as you grow up. Through his music, Mozart will always be to us a wonder child and a wonder man.” — Peter W. Dykema
$14.95 -
Joseph Haydn: The Merry Little Peasant (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98A simple, inspiring children`s biography of the great musician Haydn. Like the other stories of great composers by Wheeler and Deucher, this one will win its way into the hearts of all music-loving children, and might transform the hearts of those who don’t appreciate it yet. “Little Sepperl [as the child Franz Joseph Haydn was called] always sat on a wooden stool near his father and with two smooth pieces of wood held firmly in his hands, played his own make-believe violin.
His parents watched the boy drawing one stick slowly across the other as he played so seriously, keeping perfect time. Then one day he went to live with his cousin in a town near Vienna, close by the river Danube. There he learned to read music and sing.
Once when the drummer was too sick to march in a procession, little Franz Joseph was asked to take his place. So he practiced all day on the meal barrel with a cloth tied over the top…until he could play the part without a single mistake. Such was the musical beginning of the boy who later played before kings in palaces, and who has left us some of the most beautiful music ever written.
$14.95 -
Ludwig Beethoven and the Chiming Tower Bells (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98The story of Ludwig van Beethoven, greatest master musician of all, told skillfully and with feeling, for boys and girls. With hopes of making him a musician, from four years of age, Ludwig was kept by his parents at the piano, hour after hour, until the long exercises were mastered.
This is his story – his inspiring achievements against all odds, with his growing deafness. “Long live Beethoven!”, shouted the audience. But the master could not hear them, and as a singer turned him gently to face the audience, the noble head bowed low as he saw from the flutter of handkerchiefs, the applause that rained upon him.
Thus Opal Wheeler captures the superb quality of musical greatness of Beethoven and communicates it to young people. A stirring tribute to the greatest composer of all. Ages 4-15. Filled with illustrations and musical score.
$14.95 -
Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Always enchanted with the world of childhood and far more at ease in it than in the more demanding world of adults, Peter began to write ballets for his sister Alexandra’s children. The Sleeping Beauty was followed by Swan Lake, and finally he created The Nutcracker Ballet, which assured his place in the hearts of children and adults alike.
Opal Wheeler writes with happy and intimate warmth, portraying a great man as appealingly human, and presenting simple piano arrangements of six of his most familiar, best-loved compositions.
$14.95 -
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland: Later Years (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98The continuation of Chopin’s story is told in this 2nd volume, with nations on the brink of war. He eventually moves to Paris, where he is warmly welcomed, his concerts attended by great crowds. Ill health affected him even as the world was hailing his great compositions.
$14.95 -
The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Little Peter was born in the small mining town of Votkinsk, Russia, not far from the border of Asia. His father was a mine inspector. Miss Wheeler has shown sympathetically yet quite frankly what a nervous, unpredictable child Peter was and how his love for music, even as a very little boy, was almost greater than he could bear.
Any sort of routine or application to work was impossible for him, and as a result, when a young man he could not bring himself to practice law. However, music still beckoned, and under the great Anton Rubinstein, he made certain progress. Here again, though, he broke all the established rules for composing and drove his master to despair. It was early one morning, seated at a table in the deserted dining room of an inn, that he wrote the first draft of his first symphony.
Here is a fascinating picture of Tchaikovsky the brilliant composer and delightful companion. It is perfect for young readers.
$14.95 -
Frederic Chopin, Son of Poland: Early Years (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Perhaps the greatest composer for the piano the world has ever known, Chopin was born in a little cottage in Poland, on the estate of Count Skarbek. The boy loved music from his earliest years – he had a gift! When his family moved to Warsaw in his youth, his tutor was one of the masters of music in all of Europe. At only 9 years of age, he astounded huge crowds with his performance of a difficult piece with the full Warsaw orchestra. From this point on, Chopin was recognized as a genius in music. The 2nd volume completes his life story.
$14.95 -
Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Story of the brilliant young Franz Schubert, his musical giftedness combined with his merry friends, and their pranks and escapades, in most of which Franz is the hero. Highly entertaining reading for children of all ages, while learning about one of history’s great composers at the same time!
Includes numerous selections and musical score from the composer`s magnificent music in this volume, including: the March Militaire, the Moment Musicale, the theme of The Erlking, a dance from the opera, Rosamunde, Rondos, Dances, the lovely waltzes, impromptu pieces, the Cradle Song (a children’s favorite) and several more of Schubert’s most beautiful compositions. Large, oversized paperback in a lay-flat binding, with numerous illustrations throughout the book!
$14.95 -
Paganini: Master of Strings (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98Written with warmth and understanding, the present book on Paganini begins with his unhappy childhood along the wharves in Genoa and carries him straight through the tempestuous years when great genius and poverty waged an endless battle, which genius finally won. The boy gave his first concert at eleven, and his success was immediate and brilliant.
The later years, however, were given over almost entirely to composing. His compositions were so exquisite and intricate that they became the despair of other musicians, as often only the master was able to play them.
Added to a delightful story are some of Paganini’s simpler compositions for the young music student to try. It is altogether a perfect biography for the younger group, full of action and exciting adventure, too.
$14.95 -
Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98The story is told of MacDowell’s Quaker beginnings, his irrepressible interest in music, his youthful triumphs abroad, including playing at the famed Zurich Festival, and his marriage to Marian Nevins – all these and more are some of the delightful stories in this rich career of the great American composer. The book also tells of the launching of the colony in Peterboro, New Hampshire, which bears his name.
$14.95 -
Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98From the time he was a little boy, playing with his beloved cat Ziff, Robert Schumann had a happy, pleasant life. He grew up in Saxony village, and unlike many of his contemporaries, Robert had few problems to overcome. His work, family life, and training in music all brought him joy and much renown. Opal Wheeler has selected Schumann as another great man’s life, with many selections from his compositions, making this a fresh new volume in the Great Composers library of musicians.
$14.95 -
Adventures of Richard Wagner (Opal Wheeler)
$5.98At the age of four, Wilhelm Richard Wagner made his first impression on the theatrical world when he pounded on a bass drum and stopped the performance at the Dresden Playhouse-right in the midst of his stepfather’s lines. This ill-fated incident put a temporary stop to Richard’s nights backstage, and the punishment was almost more than exuberant little “Dicker” could bear. No more trunks to explore, no more wigs to try on, no more lights and music and dancing. He had so loved being a part of his adored stepfather’s professional life.
But there were golden and impressionable years ahead for young Richard. He came under the haunting spell of Weber’s opera, Der Freischutz, and copied the entire score on his own music sheets to memorize. He avidly read Shakespeare’s plays and vowed he would write even greater tragedies. He staged puppet shows, wrote poetry, and dreamed fantastic dreams.
$14.95 -
The Young Brahms (Sybil Deucher)
$5.98Frail, little son of poor parents, Brahms spent his first years of life in a wretched tenement in the old harbor city of Hamburg, Germany. It is here that the present story opens. His father, an irresponsible musician, forced his son to play piano at base taverns until all hours of the night, for whatever small pay he could get.
But little Johannes’ love for fine music led to better avenues. Soon composing, teaching, and playing on whatever piano was available, he found a path into finer service. Several of Brahms` best known compositions are included in this book. Numerous illustrations and pages of musical score.
$14.95 -
The Young Brahms / Franz Schubert Companion CD
$3.18These enhanced CDs provide audio files of all the music from the books known as The Great Composers Series. The audio files are in in standard audio formats. In addition, all the music found in the books can be printed as sheet music using this enhanced CD. Printable coloring pages for each chapter are also provided.
Geared for a variety of learners—auditory, kinesthetic, visual, and “active learners”, making them an excellent supplement to your reading experience.
$7.95 -
Foster / MacDowell Lapbook CD
$5.19This CD contains two lapbooks™ to be used with the Opal Wheeler books on the lives of Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray and Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines.
Use this hands-on activity CD to accompany your study of the composers. The CD includes directions for each project, all printable masters needed, and photos of the finished projects.
$12.99
