This novel sing-along CD is a delightful marriage of
frivolity and seriousness. Featuring well-known pieces from classical music greats
— with lyrics that are imaginative, zany, and a total hoot — Beethoven's
Wig is a real winner that will please the whole family. The clever lyrics
remind children of the composer's names and offer some information about their
lives. Best of all, they masterfully draw in young listeners. As children listen
to the delightful songs, they get acquainted with some of the most popular works
of classical composers.
The CD opens with the hilarious title song, Beethoven's Wig, which
is set to Beethoven's Fifth Symphony. Young listeners will giggle as
they hear just how BIG Beethoven's wig was ("Beethoven's wig is very big, it's
awful big; It's such a mess, it even has its own address"). Many songs do some
storytelling about the composer. For example, track 9, Harmony, tells
kids, "Sweet Clara Schumann played the piano well; And when she played her music
cast a magic spell; Her husband Robert wrote the melody; The Schumanns were
a family joined in harmony." to the tune of The Merry Peasant. Offenbach's
Can Can becomes a spirited "Can You Can Can?" that will get children
dancing and their parents, at the very least, tapping their toes.
The recording's eleven songs are delivered first with vocals and then instrumentals.
This means that the recording doubles as a sort of "greatest hits" of classical
recordings, and gives kids the opportunity to sample orchestral performances
of the original works after enjoying them with energetic vocals.
The CD insert includes lyrics, questions about the composers (with answers
at the back), and a few suggested extension activities.
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