Piano The Books

The book starts off simply, with information on notes, measures, beat, and a simple guide on how to read music. After that, it teaches you the basics of playing keyboard and eventually moves onto chords, scales, and other things of importance.

I highly reccomend this book to anyone that wants to teach themself keyboard or piano.

This collection of sheet music only contains six of the thirteen Barcarolles of Gabriel Fauré. (Les Troisième Barcarolles). It is, nevertheless, well worth the price.

I first heard these compositions some thirty five years ago (1971) when Jean Phillipe Collard released his first recording. His first recording was in 1971 just after he won the Gabriel Fauré competition in France (at the incredible age of 21). I believe there is still no finer recording.

The recording is available on Amazon but only from independent sources.

Here are the six barcaroles in this collection of sheet music. The music is clear, readable and professionally reproduced.

No. 1 In A Minor, Op.26

No. 2 In G Major, Op.41

No. 3 In G Flat Major, Op.42

No. 4 In A Flat Major, Op.44

No. 5 In F Sharp Minor, Op.66

No. 6 In E Flat Major, Op.70

Fauré's compositions are not for beginners, but, despite their introspective complexity, even pianists of moderate achievements can play them.

Nice selection of classical themes in arragements I could just sit down and play. Good for people like me who don't get time to play very often but love the music of the masters.

I am enjoying this music very much -- glad I bought it.

Since this is the first review of this item, and since there is not a complete index listing for it, I have included one at the end of this review.This is a wonderful and varied collection of Italian songs and arias. Several of the opera arias are transposed to slightly lower keys than they were originally composed in - for those of us who don't have a 'perfect high C'- which is one of my favorite aspects of this book.
Conspicuously absent, however, are several of the best and most famous neapolitan songs such as "O Sole Mio," "Non ti scordar di me," "A vucchella," "Torna a Surriento," and "Oi Marie." (Not to mention the most gorgeous Italian song of all time, "Rondine al Nido.")
Never the less, this book is awesome and I highly recommend it!

Index Listing (Indice):

1).Anema e core
2).Arrivedeci Roma (Buy a Mario Lanza recording of this song!)
3).Carmela
4).Caruso (Even in old age, Pavarotti belts this incomparably!)
5).Casta Diva
6).Che gelida manina (A 'calling card' aria for Pav.)
7).Core 'ngrato (Who but Carreras?)
8).Coro a bocca chiusa
9).Di quella pira (Domingo & Pav. both do this one nicely.)
10).E lucevan le stelle (Not my favorite ten. aria no matter who sings it.)
11).Fenesta che lucive
12).Funiculi Funicula (What a fun song!)
13).Inno di Mameli
14).La donna e mobile (transposed to B flat major - easier to play.)
15).Libiam ne lieti calici (Who doesn't love this 'bubbly' tune from La traviata?)
16).Marechiare (One of my all-time favorite Neapolitan songs!)
17).Mattinata (You'll love this one!)
18).Mi chiamano Mimi (The soprano companion aria to Che gelida manina- see above.)
19).Nel blu dipinto di blu (Also known as "Volare")
20).Nessun Dorma (Try the originial 3 tenors recording for two great live renditions of this amazing aria.)
21).Non dimenticar le mie parole
22).O mio babbino caro (Transposed to a friendlier range!)
23).Quando, quando, quando
24).Recondita armonia (Pav. or Corelli)
25).Resta cu'mme
26).Roma, nun fa la stupinda stasera
27).Santa Lucia
28).Santa Lucia luntana (My favorite of the two S.Lucias.)
29).Tammurriata nera
30).Ti guardero nel cuore (The melody of the popular song "More")
31).Una furtiva lagrima (Pav.,Domingo, or Alagna)
32).Una voce poco fa
33).Un bel di vedremo (Also more Mezzo friendly!)
34).Va pensiero sull'ali dorate (Verdi's famous 'Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves' from Nabucco)
35).Vierno
36).Vissi d'arte, vissi d'amore (Not as high as Te Kanawa sings it, but less taxing on the vocal chords!)

Buy it! You won't be disappointed!

When I was given "Favorite Songs of Babar" for my 16th birthday, I was crestfallen to say the least. I had been begging my family and friends for a true piano for years...I was ready for a grand...a Steinway, Yamaha, or something of the like. I would have bought such an instrument on my own, but I just couldn't afford it.

Needless to say, when I received the oversized book with its built in mini-keyboard I was skeptical.

Lets just say that Babar taught me his rendition of "SHOO FLY", and it opened the proverbial door to my musical universe. Previous to this book the words had no meaning. With every key I pressed on the 14 note keyboard, the lyrics "I belong to somebody" inched closer to the core of my soul, and struck some very deep chord within me. I was awakened, and felt the enlightenment bathe me like a newborn deer, struggling to free itself from its magenta hued birth-sac.

This is no mere book, nor any mere mini-electronic keyboard. It is a gateway for those wishing to be reborn in music, and walk in the footsteps of Babar himself.

This book has some extremely catchy songs for kids. I have been teaching these songs to my students for some time now and they love them! This book works especially well with kids ages 6-9 who want to learn something other than Classical music, even though I use this book in conjunction with Classical music.

This is an excellent collection of prelude and postlude music for a church organist with moderate skills, or a pianist who is beginning to learn the organ. Most of the pedaling is easy, though a few passages have tricky fingering. The pieces are all reverent and appropriate for church, and several are particularly intriguing. I have often had people say their children were really enjoying the prelude, and on many occasions someone has come up afterwards to see what the piece was, and several times another organist in the congregation has come up get details so they can order this book.

I used these books as a singer and I now use them as a teacher. They are wonderful to use for the high school and lower level collegiate singer. As the singer progresses in skill they should move beyond these books but these are wonderful to use for the intermediate singer.

Since I consider my self tone-deaf any book that can actually remedy this to some effect is a welcome addition to my book shelves. The truth is I bought this book not for my self but for my seven year old daughter who had earlier during the year started attending piano lessons. The book is very cleverly illustrated both so as to capture and maintain the attention of a child as well as to make learning how to play the piano as easy as possible. I consider my daughter the best critic of how useful this book remains for her even though my daughter's piano teacher was also quite impressed by its contents. If you have a child who has just started learning how to play the piano or if the child within you wants to have another go at learning how to read music and also play such a magnificent instrument then this book is highly recommended both for its simplicity and effectiveness.