The Living Violin: A Complete Guide to Listening, Learning, and Playing (Cd Music Series , Vol 4) - Hardcover

An interactive book-and-CD that purports to provide readers with an opportunity to hear what they're reading about, in this case, violins--but there's a catch. The book stands alone as a satisfactory introduction to one of the most popular instruments of the orchestra. It opens with a short history of the violin and introduces readers to other members of the string family. There are excellent explanations, with detailed full-color photographs of how a violin is constructed, its parts, and playing techniques. Less effective is a section giving sketchy information on string instruments from around the world: Small pictures are included of familiar instruments (banjo, harp) while lesser-known instruments--the pipa of China, the valiha from Madagascar--are not shown. Turner competently introduces some of the best-known composers for strings, including Mozart and Beethoven. CD pieces are described in a few sentences as an adjunct to the main text, but they often differ from the pieces the text raves about. One paragraph in four about Tchaikovsky is dedicated to his Serenade for Strings, yet the piece on the CD is M‚lodie. It turns a promising media package into a promotional vehicle for EMI, the recording company that is the subject of high praise in the back matter, instead of a cohesive pairing of text and CD. (Nonfiction. 6-9) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Grade 4-7-Turner ostensibly attempts to present an overview of all the facets of the instrument: its history, how it is made, as well as how it is played. He includes a number of biographical sketches of composers who wrote music for the violin; an excellent CD, which comes with the book, features samples of their work. Unfortunately, the relatively short text tries to convey too much information. The author takes the time to describe the "violin family," meaning all stringed instruments, instead of devoting more space to the violin itself. A double-page spread on "Stringed Instruments Around the World" disappoints by including photos of the more common banjo, guitar, and harp, but none of lesser known instruments such as a pipa from China or a cimbalom from Hungary. The other problem is that approximately half the book is taken up with the biographical sketches, which only tangentially relate to the real point of this book. The section on history is more successful, as is the spread on violin making, which shows precisely how pieces of wood can be turned into a beautiful instrument. The quality of the full-color photographs and reproductions, layout, and design is impressive, but the content is lacking.
Tim Wadham, Dallas Public Library, TX
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.