By the time she was 12, she was considered one of the finest pianists in Europe, but today few people know her name. Maria Mozart, like her famous brother Wolfgang, was a musical prodigy. The talented siblings toured Europe, playing before kings and empresses, were showered with gifts and favors, and lived in a whirlwind life of music and travel. They were best friends, collaborators, and confidantes. As they grew older, Wolfgang was encouraged to pursue his musical ambitions, while Maria was told she must stop performing and, ultimately, marry. But she was determined to continue playing the piano every day, for the love of music...
"Rusch organizes the account into short segments labeled with musical terms designating the units of a sonata... The concluding author's note, "Encore," is a two-page biography threaded with explanations of the 18th-century limitations on women's participation in the music world. Johnson and Fancher add warmth and texture to the story, blending collage and painting on canvas. Costumes and backgrounds incorporate brocade fragments, and bits of music scores frame carriages, musical instruments, and building features. Text is on inset pages that appear to be crumbling and fading, as though taken from a very old book." -- Margaret Bush, School Library Journal
Recommended Age | 5 - 9 |
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Author | Elizabeth Rusch |
Illustrator | Lou Fancher, Steve Johnson |
ISBN | 1582463263 |
Publication Date | Feb 8, 2011 |
Publisher | Tricycle Press |
Language | English |