LITTLE PEOPLE: 10 FAMOUS COMPOSERS
Clemency Crow
GENRE: Children's Nonfiction
BLURB:
Embark on a musical journey through time with a captivating book specially crafted for children and young adults.
Through the pages of "Little People: 10 Famous Composers", readers will not only learn about the composers' masterpieces but also gain insight into the challenges and triumphs that fuelled their creativity.
Perfect for aspiring musicians, history enthusiasts, or anyone with a love for melody, "Little People: 10 Famous Composers" is an engaging and educational exploration of the power of music and the extraordinary individuals who composed their way into history.
Excerpt:
Felix Mendelssohn
1809 - 1847
Mendelssohn was a German composer who is, perhaps, most famous for his tune “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing”. His family were important members in the Jewish community in Germany, although his father turned his back on this before Felix was born.
His father, Abraham, thought their daughter, Fanny, would be the more musical but at the time, it wasn’t proper for a woman to have a musical career. As such, Felix was the one who went down the professional music route, although it is generally thought that Fanny wrote some of Felix’s compositions.
Felix started learning piano with his mother when he was 6 years old. His first public appearance in a concert was when he was 9. By time the time he was 13, he had written 12 symphonies and he had his first piece of music published in that year. He met a famous writer, Goethe, when he was young and Goethe was very impressed with his ability. Felix later put some of Goethe’s poems to music.
In 1832, Felix hoped to be appointed as the conductor of a famous orchestra but people voted against him. However, this started a good period in Felix’s life where he became a musical director, earning his f irst pay as a musician.
As well as his compositions, Felix is also famous for starting the Leipzig Conservatory, a prestigious music school.
Mendelssohn started writing music when he was very young. He started playing piano when he was six.
Interview with Clemency Crow
Does writing energize or exhaust you?
I am ridiculously fickle when it comes to writing. I’m most inspired when I’m exhausted, or when I can’t write because of work. Then, when I finally sit down at a computer after a full day of itching to get creating, the inspiration suddenly vanishes, and I’m left scraping the barrel for energy to write.
My sisters and I take part in Nanowrimo every year, and I’m very proud that every year I’ve done it (three so far), I’ve managed to write the full 50 000 words. (Admittedly, some of them are gobbledegook!) I remember one evening, after being out at work all day, and then selling books at a craft fair, having to come home and write 1667 words. Boy – that was a challenge. And, on those occasions, writing exhausts me even more!
That being said, when I write an exciting or scary part, I get so energised, I could continue for pages and pages!
What is the first book that made you cry?
If we’re only counting published books (I cried at a story my sister wrote once), that would be Perelandra by C S Lewis. An odd choice, I know, and it’s for an odd reason! There’s a part in the book where the bad guy is being tormented. Now, I love come-uppance, but for some reason, this one just got to me. I stopped reading the book for a little while and went to tell my Mum!
How did publishing your first book change your process of writing?
My first book was “Taking Wing” which I published in 2019 and it was reasonably successful, which actually put me off writing for a while. I received a lot of good feedback, from people I respected, that I became somewhat terrified of going downhill. I worried I would let people down. So, rather sadly, publishing my first book stopped me writing for publication.
Fortunately, I got out of the sump and am currently working on the sequel.
What do you owe the real people upon whom you base your characters?
Well, for “Famous Composers”, I owe them the entire book. There wouldn’t be a book if it weren’t for their extraordinary input to the musical world.
When I write fiction, I still use some real people. For example, Raedwald (an Anglo Saxon king, thought by some to be buried at Sutton Hoo) is my main baddy in “Taking Wing”. So I guess I owe him an apology!
Where did your love of books/storytelling/reading/writing/etc. come from?
I come from a family of authors, so when I was little, I just assumed that writing was a normal past time. I planned and wrote weird stories, finishing my first novel when I was 12. The writing is, admittedly, rubbish! But the story’s pretty good so I hope to revisit it one day.
I remember when the Lord of the Rings trilogy came out, my sister and I would watch the trailer for the first film each day before school. The Internet wasn’t great so it had to be loaded for several minutes beforehand. Those films really instilled a love of writing fantasy. As did the film, “Labyrinth”, which my sister and I would watch most days. We could recite every line, and acted parts out.
Knowing how my love of writing originated with these films, I never worry how much time children spend in front of screens. You never know – it could inspire them in wonderful ways!
What do you like to read in your free time?
That really depends what my ‘in’ hobby is! At the moment, I love reading gardening or dressmaking books. Other times, I might read books about space and astronomy. If I’m feeling really conscientious, I’ll read books about teaching. I read more non-fiction than fiction, but when I was younger, it was the other way around. I think, now, it takes more for a fiction book to impress me.
Can you share some stories about people you met while researching this book?
I did most of my research for “Famous Composers” at work, during my lunch break. Any one of my work colleagues will tell you I’m a little unsociable! I usually eat lunch at my desk instead of going to the staff room.
So, I’m afraid that, while I could come up with weird and wonderful tales about people like Maestro Melodica, or Harmon Key, I’ll have to disappoint with this one!
Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
“Famous Composers” was written as a Christmas present for my sister who is a music teacher. Her interests dictated that particular sub genre. I’ve written and illustrated books (not published!) about mustelids, which are another sister’s favourite animal group. I’ve written about the solar system for my dad because we both share a love of astronomy. So, for non fiction, I usually choose a subject that one of my family is interested in and it becomes their Christmas present.
For fiction, I always write fantasy adventure because that’s the genre I most love to read. I love the different rules in fantasy, and I really enjoy the amount of danger in adventure! My poor characters put up with a lot from me! Last Nanowrimo, I wrote a middle grade horror book because I wanted to try letting off some steam in the writing process. The result was a story that gave even my tough sister shivers – which, rather meanly, delighted me!
How do you begin writing a new book? What challenges come with it?
With excitement! Could this book make it to the finish line or is it going to fall at the first hurdle? I never know!
I need a great deal of motivation when writing a new book, which is perhaps why most of my first drafts are written during Nanowrimo, when I’m trying to make sure my sisters don’t beat me! I am a very competitive person!
At other times, there is always something else on. Usually, work gets in the way, or my degree, or some unforeseen circumstance. But, if I don’t write the story at least once a week, then the interest wanes and it joins the sad ranks of Given Up.
I know other people struggle with this, so if you have any ideas, please do share them!
Share a place that inspires you to write
My garden! I think I’m lucky enough to live in one of the most inspirational places in the world, but then I could be biased! Everyone deserves to think that.
I live on the northern coast of Scotland. Around us, we have wildlife which have never learned to be afraid of humans, and stunning walks through a variety of scenery. We live very close to the Flow Country, an expanse of blanket bog so remarkable it is currently being assessed for UNESCO World Heritage Site status. The Flow Country provides inspiration – it is too inhospitable to build on, contains unusual varieties of plants, and the peat acts as a preservative. The result is that bog bodies have been found from thousands of year ago, almost perfectly preserved. Thinking about their lives gives me unending inspiration.
But, mostly, my garden provides the perfect haven to sit back and think of my writing, to plan stories, or ponder problems that I need to solve for my characters.
Thank you for taking the time to peruse my blog post! While we continue to upload “Famous Composers” to Amazon, the paperback for “Famous Composers” is available from the Crowvus shop: www.crowvus.com/shop
No problem. Thank you for being here.
AUTHOR Bio and Links:
Clemency is a primary school teacher, children’s author, and illustrator, based in rural Caithness with her family and two needy spaniels. In fact, Clemency is typing this one handed, because Jess cries if she isn’t stroked for five seconds.
When she isn’t writing, Clemency loves designing new parts of her garden, trying to find plants that will withstand the 70mph winds that are likely to batter them. She is oftentimes to be found tearing her hair out at the prevalence of ground elder in the flower borders, while cultivated species struggle to survive.
Clemency’s favourite genre to write, and read, is fantasy adventure. This gives her ample opportunity to put her long suffering characters in perilous situations.
5 comments:
Thank you so much for hosting today!
This looks like a wonderful book for kids.
Looks like a good book.
This looks like a fun book. Thanks for sharing and hosting this tour
looks like a fun one
Post a Comment