Johann Gottlieb Goldberg is a young servant in the employ of Count Keyserlingk. A talented musician, the boy secretly practices playing the harpsichord at night. When the count discovers Goldberg one evening, he challenges Goldberg to combine all the harpsichord music he's learned--and to throw in a riddle. In a panic, Goldberg turns to Johann Sebastian Bach for the perfect piece of music to appease the count. Stylized illustrations include elements from the baroque period. For families, teachers, and curious music lovers of all ages.
On a cold autumn morning in 1737, Count Keyserlingk sat in a wooden pew at St. Mary's church in Gdansk, Poland. The Count's friend and music adviser, Johann Sebatian Bach, had brought him there, promising a special treat. "What in the world do you expect to show me here?" asked the Count, shivering. "All I see is a drafty church with a few old parishioners." Bach pointed to the organ loft above. "There he is. I knew he would come. This is what we have been waiting for." The Count looked up as a ten-year-old boy sat down in front of the organ.
Anna Harwell Celenza is a musicologist and the author of several books for adults and children regarding music history and the history of art. Her children’s books include THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY, PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, GERSHWIN'S RHAPSODY IN BLUE, and VIVALDI'S FOUR SEASONS. Anna lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
Johann Gottlieb Goldberg is a young servant in the employ of Count Keyserlingk. A talented musician, the boy secretly practices playing the harpsichord at night. When the count discovers Goldberg one evening, he challenges Goldberg to combine all the harpsichord music he's learned--and to throw in a riddle. In a panic, Goldberg turns to Johann Sebastian Bach for the perfect piece of music to appease the count. Stylized illustrations include elements from the baroque period. For families, teachers, and curious music lovers of all ages.
Excerpt
On a cold autumn morning in 1737, Count Keyserlingk sat in a wooden pew at St. Mary's church in Gdansk, Poland. The Count's friend and music adviser, Johann Sebatian Bach, had brought him there, promising a special treat. "What in the world do you expect to show me here?" asked the Count, shivering. "All I see is a drafty church with a few old parishioners." Bach pointed to the organ loft above. "There he is. I knew he would come. This is what we have been waiting for." The Count looked up as a ten-year-old boy sat down in front of the organ.
Anna Harwell Celenza is a musicologist and the author of several books for adults and children regarding music history and the history of art. Her children’s books include THE FAREWELL SYMPHONY, PICTURES AT AN EXHIBITION, GERSHWIN'S RHAPSODY IN BLUE, and VIVALDI'S FOUR SEASONS. Anna lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
