Farewell Symphony

Farewell Symphony

by Anna Harwell Celenza, JoAnn E. Kitchel (Illustrator)
Publisher: Charlesbridge
Hardcover, 32 pages
Current Retail Price: $21.95
Not in stock

Historical Setting: Esterháza, Hungary, 1772 A. D.

Prince Nicholas isn't easy to work for—just ask famous composer Joseph Haydn. When the prince isn't demanding chamber music, operas, and ballets to entertain his guests, he wants dance music for balls, outdoor music for his walks in the garden, and dinner music with his meals. Haydn and the twenty-two musicians under his care are kept quite busy at the prince's summer estate in Hungary.

As summer fades into autumn, the musicians grow increasingly homesick. It seems that Prince Nicholas will never return home to Austria, and when Haydn mentions the musicians' distress, the prince threatens to fire the entire orchestra! How can the talented composer convince the mighty prince that it's time to bid farewell to the summer palace?

Memorable characters, carefully researched text, and energetic, expressive illustrations bring the story behind Haydn's famous Symphony No. 45 to life. Author Anna Celenza and illustrator JoAnn Kitchel create a masterwork of their own in this tribute to the power and beauty of music.

Includes:

  • CD recording of Haydn's Symphony No. 45 ("Farewell") and Symphony No. 31. Performed by the Orchestra of St. Luke's, conducted by Sir Charles Mackerras.

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