Beethoven Lives Upstairs

Product Description Correspondence between a young boy and his music-student uncle chronicles the upheaval in Christoph's household caused by the arrival of an eccentric, difficult, and deaf composer, Ludwig van Beethoven, the new upstair's tenant. From Publishers Weekly Fans of the audio and video versions of this tale will be delighted to see that it's finally made it to print. Although a bit is lost in the translation (the music, namely--it's difficult to describe the splendor of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, and Nichol, wisely, doesn't attempt it), the story remains a compelling one. Weaving fact and fiction, Nichol chronicles a slice of the great composer's life via correspondence between young Christoph, a boy living in Vienna in 1822, and his Uncle Karl, a music student in Salzburg. Christoph's mother, recently widowed, has taken in a tenant, and Christoph is alarmed at the deaf composer's strange ways: he's a slob, he's got a terrible temper, he's up at all hours of the night making dreadful noises "like the sounds of an injured beast," and once--to Christoph's intense mortification--he was caught composing in the nude, standing at the window in full view of all the neighbors. How the boy comes to appreciate the man and his music makes for a satisfying yarn. Cameron's warmly lit oil paintings are rich with period detail, lending an authentic atmosphere. Paired with a recording of some of Beethoven's works, the book affords a splendid introduction to classical music. Ages 5-8. Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. From School Library Journal Grade 3-5-When young Christopher's family takes Ludwig van Beethoven as an upstairs tenant, their home life becomes noisy and chaotic. Tortured by blinding headaches and diminishing eyesight, frustrated by deafness, Beethoven rips off his constraining clothes in the throes of composition. He pours pitchers of water over his head and removes the legs from his four pianos on which he pounds relentlessly, regardless of the hour. The boy, grieving over his father's recent death, writes to his uncle, a music student in another city, asking him to rescue him and his mother from their plight. In the exchange of letters over several years, Christopher comes to understand Beethoven's torments, overlook his extreme behavior, and even befriend him. Climaxing with the boy's attendance at the first performance of the composer's Ninth Symphony, this realistic, touching picture book about the musician's life endears this irascible genius to readers. The richly colored paintings are outstanding; the exterior scenes of Beethoven and Christopher that are bathed in accented light and gold tones are exceptional. A praiseworthy effort. Barbara Peklo Abrahams, Oneida City Schools, Manlius, NY Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. From Booklist Gr. 3-6. Beethoven was stone deaf, solitary, and wildly eccentric when he composed the Ninth Symphony near the end of his life. This beautiful story makes you imagine what it might have been like for him: the suffering, the silence in the uproar, and the joy. The book weaves true episodes from Beethoven's life into a fictional story told in the form of letters between the young Viennese boy Christoph and his uncle Karl. Christoph is appalled when the famous musician ("a madman") moves upstairs. "Loud poundings and howlings come through the floor. They are like the sounds of an injured beast," Christoph writes to his uncle. Beethoven hums to himself in the street; he growls out tunes; he waves his arms. His room is chaotic; he writes on the wall; he plays four pianos with bumps and crashes, takes off their legs so that he can feel his playing through the floorboards. Uncle Karl writes back about the stories people tell of the famous musician. Christoph begins to feel compassion ("Imagine: he hears no music played, not even his own!"). Through the boy's eyes, we see the intense commitment of the genius who "believes that music can chang