The Composer Is Dead [With CD (Audio)]

We love attending symphonies and other musical performances. We also have musically talented children and grandchildren. When we saw this book and CD we felt like it was one of those treasures we wanted to share with various family members. So we bought 4! One for us, of course, one for our college age son (music performance major), and 8 and 6 year old grands! We were not disappointed. This combination is a hit with all ages of US.

Move over "Peter and the Wolf", move over "Walt Disney's Introduction to the Orchestra", Lemony Snicket has produced the BEST introduction to the instruments of the orchestra--EVER! This is a MUST for every elementary music teacher, every orchestra dieector, from the smallest to the greatest. This work should become part of the repertoire of every major orchestra, especially the great ones. One of the FUNNYEST works I have ever read or heard! A CLASSIC, which will spread troughout the English-speaking world. BUY it! You will LOVE it! "The Composer is Dead".

"There is dreadful news from the symphony hall - the composer is dead!" This is a wonderful book full of mystery, humor...and musical instruments! What a fun way to get children (or adults, for that matter!) interested in classical music. This is classic Lemony Snicket humor in the form of an intriguing murder mystery. Each instrument in the symphony is a suspect, but each has an alibi! Musicians will appreciate the humor in the stereotypes of each instrument in the orchestra, and anyone (musicians or non-musicians alike) will enjoy reading this charming book. I loved the illustrations. The style and colors used seemed to fit the mood of a murder mystery very well. The book also includes an audio CD featuring Lemony Snicket reading the book aloud, accompanied by the San Francisco Symphony performing music composed by Nathaniel Stookey. The music is so fun, with different themes to go along with the different instruments and parts of the book. It is definitely reminiscent of Peter & the Wolf Disney Favorite Stories. This awesome book is a must-read! I am a music teacher and a mother, and I will definitely have this book and CD in my library.

This book is amazing! My friend who is a music teacher and I were listening to a review of this book on NPR when it caught our interest. On a subsequent trip to Target, we found this book. Upon finding said tome, we proceeded to excitedly read aloud its contents. My favorite part is where the woodwinds use flattery to deflect the blame. My friend's? The decomposing pun. If a book can entertain two grown women in the middle of Target... imagine the possibilities! Needless to say, it is firmly ensconced in her classroom repertoire. Enjoy!

I have been a huge Lemony Snicket fan for awhile now, and I was also a music major in college, so when I heard about this book, I was very excited. I just got the book today and have already listened to the CD three times (and it's about 30 minutes long)! Every time I have been laughing out loud so hard! Lemony Snicket's voice really adds to the story, and the music is very fun. (I especially like the trombone/percussion music.) Since the music and narration add so much, I don't know if I'll read the story by itself very much or even read along with the CD at all because it's so good by itself. I think many people would like this book, but if you don't know instrument stereotypes or don't have a little knowledge of some composers, you might miss some of the humor. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who has been in a band or orchestra or likes classical music or Lemony Snicket.