Rusch, Elizabeth. The Music of Life: Bartolomeo Cristofori & the Invention of the Piano. Illus. by Marjorie Priceman. Atheneum, 2017. $17.99. 48p. ISBN 978-1-4814-4484-2. Ages 7-10. P8Q9
Cristofori’s inventive drive was to develop a musical instrument that would combine the abilities of the harpsichord and the clavichord by playing both soft (piano) and loud (forte). Fortunately, he found patronage from a Florence prince, one of the famed Medicis, that allowed him the time and funding to explore his dream for over a decade until he produced the first “pianoforte” in 1700. Lively text about his adventures is accompanied by somewhat naif-appearing gouache and ink illustrations from the Caldecott honor winner. End material adds more information through a timeline, subsequent developments to the piano, recommendations of both classical and modern music, and detailed notes following the author’s search for her sources. Also included is a list of locations of surviving Cristofori pianos and a website where people can hear the sound from one of them.
Verdict: The energy of the narrative and visuals bring a fascinating period of time to the pages of a children’s book, and the end-notes add more to the education of the book—timeline, comparisons between Cristofori’s and the current pianos, an extensive discussion of Rusch’s sources, and suggested listening that includes the sound that Rusch’s piano made. Rusch is a Portland (OR) author. Highly recommended.
May/June 2017 review by Nel Ward.
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