Mozart's emergence as a mature artist coincides with the rise to prominence of the piano, an instrument that came alive under his fingers and served as medium for many of his finest compositions. In Mozart's Piano Music, William Kinderman reconsiders common assumptions about Mozart's life and art while offering comprehensive and incisive commentary on the solo music and concertos. After placing Mozart's pianistic legacy in its larger biographical and cultural context, Kinderman addresses the lively gestural and structural aspects of Mozart's musical language and explores the nature of his creative process. Incorporating the most recent research throughout this encompassing study, Kinderman expertly surveys each of the major genres of the keyboard music, including the four-hand and two-piano works. Beyond examining issues such as Mozart's earliest childhood compositions, his musical rhetoric and expression, the social context of his Viennese concertos, and affinities between his piano works and operas, Kinderman's main emphasis falls on detailed discussion of selected individual compositions.

The unique Music Discovery Book contains songs that allow the students to experience music through singing, movement and rhythm activities. Music appreciation is fostered through carefully chosen music; Mozart, Beethoven and Sousa are introduced. Melodies to sing, using either solfege or letter names, help students learn to match pitch and discover tonal elements of music. Correlates to the Music Lesson Book 1. Familiar songs include If You're Happy and You Know It, Mexican Hat Dance and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.

Lesson Book 1 is geared for pre-reading students. Concepts taught are: * How to sit at the piano * Correct hand position * High and low * Loud and soft (forte and piano) * Keyboard topography * Bar line and measure, Quarter, half, whole notes and rests * Repeat signs The first pieces in the book are played on the black keys. Later in the book, C D E for the RH and C B A for the LH (Middle C position) are taught with letter notes (the name of the note is written inside the note head).

At about the same time as 1783-85, a version for piano duet was made which rearranged the movements of the five Divertimenti as '6 Viennese Sonatinas'. Our new edition is based on the piano version of 1803 but also takes into account the original wind divertimenti and attempts to combine the original phrasing and part-writing with an idiomatic pianistic style.

The pieces in this book are arranged roughly in chronological order. They include the best of Mozart's childhood compositions through late works such as the famous "Sonata in C Major," K. 545. Unique features of this volume include an excellent discussion of pianos in Mozart's day, as well as directives on how to improvise ornaments in Classic keyboard music.

The Teacher's Handbook for Levels 1 & 2 of Music for Little Mozarts serves as an aid in curriculum development and daily lesson planning while providing information related to teaching young children. The suggested lesson plans provide teachers with a starting point to adapt this series for their own teaching situation. A special section provides helpful teaching tips for using the Music Discovery Book and teacher examples for the ear training pages in the Music Workbook are also given. Beginning teachers of young students should find the handbooks extremely useful.

An examination of Mozart's piano sonatas, showing them to be a microcosm of the composer's changing style.