Best of
Music

1936

John Thompson's Modern Course for the Piano: The First Grade Book


John Thompson - 1936
    Time-tested bestseller around the world! The legendary Modern Course series provides a clear and complete foundation in the study of the piano that enables the student to think and feel musically. It's known as the method for quick, dedicated learners. It's also well-regarded as a self-teaching method for the mature player. The First Grade may be preceded by Teaching Little Fingers to Play and/or Teaching Little Fingers to Play More . NOTE: The 2018 reprint of Grade 1 features less fingering and fresh engravings.

Sergei Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf: With a Fully-Orchestrated and Narrated CD


Sergei Prokofiev - 1936
    This inviting picture book introduces a new generation of youngsters to the exciting story of the hungry wolf, the ill-fated duck, the fortunate cat, the fearless little bird, and the brave and cunning Peter, who helps save his friends from the wolf's jaws-and the wolf from the hunters' guns.

John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course - Part 2 - Book Only


John Thompson - 1936
    Book 2 of a classic, comprehensive step-by-step course specifically designed to suit the needs of children beginning the piano. Includes: colorful characters and illustrations * writing exercises * sight reading drills * review work * teacher/parent accompaniments * and more! Our latest edition (2019) features updated artwork by Sergio Sandoval.

Joseph Haydn: The Merry Little Peasant


Opal Wheeler - 1936
    As a child, Franz Joseph Haydn was called "Little Sepperl." He used to sit on a stool near his father with two smooth pieces of wood held firmly in his hands, playing his own make-believe violin. His parents watched as the boy drew one piece of wood slowly across the other. He played very seriously and kept perfect time! One day he went to live with his cousin in a town near Vienna. He learned to read music and sing. Once when the drummer was too sick to march in a procession, little Franz Joseph was asked to take his place. He practiced all day on a barrel with a cloth tied over the top until he could play the part without a single mistake. Such were the musical beginnings of the boy who would play before kings and who penned some of the most beautiful music ever written. Recommended for boys and girls from 8 to 12 years of age."

Swing That Music


Louis Armstrong - 1936
    Armstrong wrote most of the biographical material, which is of a different nature and scope than that of his other, later autobiography, Satchmo: My Life in New Orleans (also published by Da Capo). Satchmo covers in intimate detail Armstrong's life until his 1922 move to Chicago; but Swing That Music also covers his days on Chicago's South Side with "King" Oliver, his courtship and marriage to Lil Hardin, his 1929 move to New York, the formation of his own band, his European tours, and his international success. One of the most earnest justifications ever written for the new style of music then called "swing" but more broadly referred to as "Jazz," Swing That Music is a biography, a history, and an entertainment that really "swings."