The composer biographies written by Opal Wheeler are a great complement to a Charlotte Mason style composer study. I say complement because studying the biography of a composer is not essential to enjoying his music which is the core of a composer study.
Opal Wheeler Composer Biographies
Composers in the series include
- Bach
- Beethoven
- Handel
- Haydn
- Mozart
- Schumann
- Chopin
- Brahms
- Foster
- MacDowell
- Schubert
The biographies cover both the childhood and adulthood of each composer. In fact, they generally span all the way from birth to death. These books are not a dry list of dates and accomplishments but an entertaining narrative written especially for children. The books were written 1930s and 40s, so the style is a wholesome and quaint. You’ll be relieved to know that there is nothing questionable to edit from the content. However the author sometimes talks to the reader such as, “Aren’t you glad that Father Mozart wrote it all down for all the world to play?” It feels a bit condescending, but not all of the books have this same tone.
You can buy companion discs to go along with the books. (One disc covers two of the composers, so plan your purchases accordingly.) Those are wonderful for two reasons. First, as the book references various pieces or snippets of music, the CD will have an audio file to listen to. No more skipping over the music, wishing you had a way to locate the tune or play it yourself. (Note, these music selections are generally very short. They are usually parts of larger pieces. These CDs will not suffice for all the music you’ll need for a composer study.)
Secondly, the illustrations from the book are in PDF format on the disc so that you can print them as coloring pages or as notebooking graphics. I thought the CDs added a lot of life to the reading of the books and kept the focus on the music which is the goal of a Charlotte Mason styled composer study.
We have used Opal Wheeler biographies and companion discs in our composer studies of Bach, Mozart, and Haydn.
Of the four titles we have, each book has four to five chapters, so it’s easy to read the book in a week’s time. Competent readers could use the books are independent readers too. I estimate them to be written on a fourth grade reading level.
Purchasing Opal Wheeler Composer Biographies
These books can also be used as a part of Zeezok’s Music Appreciation Curriculum. With two volumes that can be used for elementary and middle school.
The biographies themselves are published by Zeezok Publishers and can also be found at Rainbow Resource and at Amazon
My kids loved the Bach volume last year, so even though I could get most of the series at the library I ordered our own copies (and CDs) for our composer studies this year. But I didn’t realize I can print out the illustrations until reading this review — thank you for that bit of information!
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Jimmie,
Thank you for this review. I saw Wheeler’s books several months back and liked it. Your review was very helpful! Thanks.
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Such wonderful books! Our whole family enjoyed learning about Bach last year. It gave me a glimpse of how various ages can all learn together.
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We too love these books! They are treasures indeed, and enjoyed by all our children at a variety of ages.
The style is truly engaging, bring out fascinating detail about each composer.
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I know this is an old post but I thought I’d try! I can’t seem to find the companion cd’s anywhere. Any ideas where I could find them?
I was listening to a programme on Opal Whiteley and remembered Opal Wheeler.
I was very impressed by her biographies of famous composers when I was a musical child.
We can always explain a bit for instance, Mozart was composing when he was a young child. Perhaps he had some help from his father. However once this was impossible. I think he wasn’t allowed to go and see his father who was ill. He still composed his first symphony when staying near Sloane Square in London.
I can’t find anything about the author’s life. I’m sure she would have been pleased her books are still enjoyed, and with musical examples as well.