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Top Ten Sheet Music and Songbooks
Bed, Bed, Bed (They Might Be Giants) by
Parents and kids looking for a break from the ordinary will appreciate this imaginative collection of stories and songs from quirk-rock kings They Might Be Giants. Fresh on the heels of their highly successful children's record No!, Bed, Bed, Bed features four brief stories written by the Giants and illustrated with surreal panache by Marcel Dzama along with a CD featuring all four stories in song version. "Impossible" explores the possibility of turning into fantastical animals like Octofish and Octofee or growing violet hair that flows down the stairs. Kids will find the silly animals and warped reality delightful and will love singer John Linnell's spacey conspiratorial tone. "Happy Doesnt Have to Have an Ending" tells the story of a hippie kitten "on a secret mission to make a valentine for everyone on earth," who wants everyone to dance and be happy. "Idlewild" slows things down with a softer, sleepier beat and a story about a dreamy trip to the carnival. But the Giants save the best story for last; "Bed Bed Bed Bed Bed" is a well-reasoned and catchy argument for slumber. "I did so many things today, theres nothing left to do", sings guest vocalist Kimya Dawson (in a slower, different version than the one on "No!"). While the story features familiar bedtime milestones, Dzamas illustrations lend the proceedings a compellingly skewed vision in which kids eat three meals in the company of bears and go to bed accompanied by their pet octopus and a tuxedoed rabbit. While the lyrics flow nicely in the songs, they can sometimes be a bit clunky on the page. But even then, the stories and Dzamas illustrations are more imaginative and memorable than most childrens books today. --John Moe
Parents and kids looking for a break from the ordinary will appreciate this imaginative collection of stories and songs from quirk-rock kings They Might Be Giants. Fresh on the heels of their highly successful children's record No!, Bed, Bed, Bed features four brief stories written by the Giants and illustrated with surreal panache by Marcel Dzama along with a CD featuring all four stories in song version. "Impossible" explores the possibility of turning into fantastical animals like Octofish and Octofee or growing violet hair that flows down the stairs. Kids will find the silly animals and warped reality delightful and will love singer John Linnell's spacey conspiratorial tone. "Happy Doesnt Have to Have an Ending" tells the story of a hippie kitten "on a secret mission to make a valentine for everyone on earth," who wants everyone to dance and be happy. "Idlewild" slows things down with a softer, sleepier beat and a story about a dreamy trip to the carnival. But the Giants save the best story for last; "Bed Bed Bed Bed Bed" is a well-reasoned and catchy argument for slumber. "I did so many things today, theres nothing left to do", sings guest vocalist Kimya Dawson (in a slower, different version than the one on "No!"). While the story features familiar bedtime milestones, Dzamas illustrations lend the proceedings a compellingly skewed vision in which kids eat three meals in the company of bears and go to bed accompanied by their pet octopus and a tuxedoed rabbit. While the lyrics flow nicely in the songs, they can sometimes be a bit clunky on the page. But even then, the stories and Dzamas illustrations are more imaginative and memorable than most childrens books today. --John MoeRelease Date: 28 October, 2003Hardcover
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Top Ten Classical Songbooks
The Messiah: An Oratorio Complete Vocal Score (G. Schirmer's Editions of Oratorios and Cantatas) by
Anyone attending a Messiah sing-along is most likely to fit in when using this old favorite edition. The musicological work has been superseded by Watkins Shaw's edition for Novello, but his piano reductions are idiosyncratic. This piano-vocal score has no measure numbers or rehearsal figures, but the reduction is pianistic in scope. The choral lines are in smaller type but are workable. The price is of course also highly attractive. Listeners who truly love this work may be interested in the full orchestral score--also at a great price--from Dover, edited by Alfred Mann. --William R. Braun
Anyone attending a Messiah sing-along is most likely to fit in when using this old favorite edition. The musicological work has been superseded by Watkins Shaw's edition for Novello, but his piano reductions are idiosyncratic. This piano-vocal score has no measure numbers or rehearsal figures, but the reduction is pianistic in scope. The choral lines are in smaller type but are workable. The price is of course also highly attractive. Listeners who truly love this work may be interested in the full orchestral score--also at a great price--from Dover, edited by Alfred Mann. --William R. Braun Release Date: November, 1986Paperback
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Composers Songbooks
The Messiah: An Oratorio Complete Vocal Score (G. Schirmer's Editions of Oratorios and Cantatas) by
Anyone attending a Messiah sing-along is most likely to fit in when using this old favorite edition. The musicological work has been superseded by Watkins Shaw's edition for Novello, but his piano reductions are idiosyncratic. This piano-vocal score has no measure numbers or rehearsal figures, but the reduction is pianistic in scope. The choral lines are in smaller type but are workable. The price is of course also highly attractive. Listeners who truly love this work may be interested in the full orchestral score--also at a great price--from Dover, edited by Alfred Mann. --William R. Braun
Anyone attending a Messiah sing-along is most likely to fit in when using this old favorite edition. The musicological work has been superseded by Watkins Shaw's edition for Novello, but his piano reductions are idiosyncratic. This piano-vocal score has no measure numbers or rehearsal figures, but the reduction is pianistic in scope. The choral lines are in smaller type but are workable. The price is of course also highly attractive. Listeners who truly love this work may be interested in the full orchestral score--also at a great price--from Dover, edited by Alfred Mann. --William R. Braun Release Date: November, 1986Paperback
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List Price: $7.95
Our Price: $7.95
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Top Ten Keyboard Songbooks
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