  | Full Text Reviews: Booklist - 02/01/2017 The modern piano is so ubiquitous, many might take its origin for granted, but Rusch’s latest offering brings the instrument’s history merrily to the center stage. Through extensive research and consultation with replica-instrument makers, Rusch pieces together the story of Bartolomeo Cristofori, an Italian harpsichord builder with the title of “master instrument maker and tuner.” While Cristofori builds much-admired harpsichords, which play loudly, and clavichords with soft tones, he is frustrated that he cannot make an instrument that successfully does both. But while wandering around the city, he’s inspired by the ingenuity of artisans around him to build a wholly new kind of instrument. Priceman’s gouache-and-ink illustrations exuberantly fill all available page space. Musical terms are incorporated into the images to amplify what is happening in the text, and short excerpts from primary sources appear throughout the book to give it historical context. Fast-paced, lively, and informative, this book will appeal to music lovers as well as a wider audience, who may be creatively inspired by these passionate musicians and their instruments. - Copyright 2017 Booklist. School Library Journal - 04/01/2017 K-Gr 3—A well-researched, fascinating account of the father of modern-day pianos. Bartolomeo Cristofori was a talented 17th-century inventor born in Padua, Italy, who loved the light and powerful sounds of the clavichord and the harpsichord. He longed to create an instrument that married both of these kinds of notes. With the patronage of Prince Ferdinando de' Medici, Cristofori was able to spend the rest of his life tinkering away in his quest for what would eventually become the pianoforte. Rusch's energetic text is paired well with Priceman's vibrant images, rendered in gouache and ink with bold strokes. Each spread is introduced by a musical term, defined in parentheses, that not only sets up the narrative that will be showcased on those pages but also introduces readers to piano-playing techniques (e.g., forte, pianissimo, crescendo). The curly and bold font used for these headings adds to the dynamic layout of each page and illustrates the lively music that the piano inspires. Quotations from and about Cristofori are peppered throughout. In addition to a detailed time line and source notes, the thorough back matter includes author's notes on the few updates that have been made since Cristofori's pianos, where children can find his remaining instruments, a list of classical and modern music pieces that make great use of the piano, and how Rusch was able to reconstruct the inventor's life from primary and secondary sources. VERDICT A strong purchase for music lovers, budding pianists, and large biography and STEAM collections.—Shelley M. Diaz, School Library Journal - Copyright 2017 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission. Loading...
 |