The Composer is Dead
Encyclopedia
The Composer Is Dead is a composition for narrator
and orchestra
, released both as a musical recording and as a book with a CD insert, with text by Lemony Snicket
, music by Nathaniel Stookey
, and illustrations by Carson Ellis
. It is a whodunnit about the orchestra
.
with narration by Lemony Snicket
. The work was commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony
and premiered at Davies Symphony Hall on July 8, 2006, with Lemony Snicket
narrating and Edwin Outwater
conducting. It was first published by G. Schirmer/Associated Music Publishers.
Stookey's The Composer Is Dead is similar to Sergei Prokofiev
's Peter and the Wolf
and Benjamin Britten
's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
in that it is intended to introduce young audiences to the instruments in the orchestra. The world premiere recording by the San Francisco Symphony
, with Handler narrating as Snicket, and Edwin Outwater
conducting is to be included with every copy of the expanded book.
After its premiere, The Composer Is Dead was immediately taken up by the Toronto Symphony's New Creations Festival and has since been programmed by many orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra
, the Dallas Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
. On January 26, 2008, Dino Anagnost led the Little Orchestra Society in the work's New York premiere at Avery Fisher Hall.
Narrator
A narrator is, within any story , the fictional or non-fictional, personal or impersonal entity who tells the story to the audience. When the narrator is also a character within the story, he or she is sometimes known as the viewpoint character. The narrator is one of three entities responsible for...
and orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
, released both as a musical recording and as a book with a CD insert, with text by Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
, music by Nathaniel Stookey
Nathaniel Stookey
Nathaniel Stookey is an American classical music composer. He is the youngest composer ever commissioned for the San Francisco Symphony's New and Unusual Music Series...
, and illustrations by Carson Ellis
Carson Ellis
Carson Friedman Ellis is an artist living in Portland, Oregon. She is best known for her children's book illustrations and her album art.- Career :...
. It is a whodunnit about the orchestra
Orchestra
An orchestra is a sizable instrumental ensemble that contains sections of string, brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments. The term orchestra derives from the Greek ορχήστρα, the name for the area in front of an ancient Greek stage reserved for the Greek chorus...
.
Plot
The Composer Is Dead is a murder mystery about the killing of a composer. It takes place in an orchestra, and also is designed to help introduce children to instruments. The book also includes a bonus CD of one of Lemony Snicket's concerts.Orchestral work
The Composer Is Dead was originally created as an orchestral work by Nathaniel StookeyNathaniel Stookey
Nathaniel Stookey is an American classical music composer. He is the youngest composer ever commissioned for the San Francisco Symphony's New and Unusual Music Series...
with narration by Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
. The work was commissioned by the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
and premiered at Davies Symphony Hall on July 8, 2006, with Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket
Lemony Snicket is the pen name of American novelist Daniel Handler . Snicket is the author of several children's books, serving as the narrator of A Series of Unfortunate Events and appearing as a character within the series. Because of this, the name Lemony Snicket may refer to both a fictional...
narrating and Edwin Outwater
Edwin Outwater
Edwin Maurice Outwater is an American conductor from Santa Monica, California, United States.Outwater is the Music Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada...
conducting. It was first published by G. Schirmer/Associated Music Publishers.
Stookey's The Composer Is Dead is similar to Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Prokofiev
Sergei Sergeyevich Prokofiev was a Russian composer, pianist and conductor who mastered numerous musical genres and is regarded as one of the major composers of the 20th century...
's Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf
Peter and the Wolf , Op. 67, is a composition written by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 in the USSR. It is a children's story , spoken by a narrator accompanied by the orchestra....
and Benjamin Britten
Benjamin Britten
Edward Benjamin Britten, Baron Britten, OM CH was an English composer, conductor, and pianist. He showed talent from an early age, and first came to public attention with the a cappella choral work A Boy Was Born in 1934. With the premiere of his opera Peter Grimes in 1945, he leapt to...
's The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, Op. 34, is a musical composition by Benjamin Britten in 1946 with a subtitle "Variations and Fugue on a Theme of Purcell"...
in that it is intended to introduce young audiences to the instruments in the orchestra. The world premiere recording by the San Francisco Symphony
San Francisco Symphony
The San Francisco Symphony is an orchestra based in San Francisco, California. Since 1980, the orchestra has performed at the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. The San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra and the San Francisco Symphony Chorus are part of the organization...
, with Handler narrating as Snicket, and Edwin Outwater
Edwin Outwater
Edwin Maurice Outwater is an American conductor from Santa Monica, California, United States.Outwater is the Music Director of the Kitchener-Waterloo Symphony in Ontario, Canada...
conducting is to be included with every copy of the expanded book.
After its premiere, The Composer Is Dead was immediately taken up by the Toronto Symphony's New Creations Festival and has since been programmed by many orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, the Dallas Symphony, the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic
Los Angeles Philharmonic
The Los Angeles Philharmonic is an American orchestra based in Los Angeles, California, United States. It has a regular season of concerts from October through June at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, and a summer season at the Hollywood Bowl from July through September...
. On January 26, 2008, Dino Anagnost led the Little Orchestra Society in the work's New York premiere at Avery Fisher Hall.