The Composer is Dead
New York, New York: Harper Collins, 2009. Illustrated by Carson Ellis. Hardcover cloth and boards. Near Fine / Dust Jacket in Near Fine condition, encased in protective cover. Item #5225
ISBN: 9780061236273
Both book and dust jacket in Near Fine condition with minor touches of wear along the outer edges. Slight discoloration to edges of pages, common. CD included in this edition. Signed to the title page by author Lemony Snicket ("With all due respect, 2009") and accompanied by an uncommon signature by the Caldecott Honor recipient Carson Ellis, the illustrator.
A murder mystery the reader can engage in while listening to the accompanying CD for musical clues. The official teaching guide for this edition can be downloaded from the author's personal website.
Composer Nathaniel Stookey and writer Daniel Handler (rumored to be Lemony Snicket) attended high school together and later collaborated to introduce young audiences to orchestral music through this book. The work premiered in recording at the San Francisco Symphony, with Lemony Snicket narrating the story (included with the book in CD form).
In an interview with NPR's Robert Siegel, Handler spoke of his inspiration behind his collaboration:
"...As someone who had grown up on classical music and was in love with the orchestra, I saw there was an opportunity here to make a piece that might speak more directly about the instruments and how they work together. It was so much fun to dive deep into the orchestra and think about what a miracle the orchestra is. They come together to make this kind of noble and yet also somewhat sinister enterprise."
Price: $120.00 other currencies