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It''s a challenge to transform the "Nutcracker Suite''s" romantic orchestra into jumpin'' jazz melodies, but that''s exactly what Duke Ellington and his collaborator, Billy Strayhorn, did.Ellington''s band memebers were not so sure that a classical ballet could become a cool-cat jazz number. But Duke and Billy, inspired by their travels and by musical styles past and present, infused the composition with Vegas glitz, Hollywood glamour, and even a little New York jazz.

Johann Sebastian Bach created some of the most significant music in history, including A Keyboard Practice Consisting of an Aria with Thirty Variations for the Harpsichord-commonly known as the Goldberg Variations. Goldberg is Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, a young musician in the court of Count Keyserlingk, a Russian ambassador living in Dresden. It isn't known for certain why Bach's difficult composition was named for the young man, but Anna Harwell Celenza gives us one possible story based on extensive research.

When his friend Victor suddenly dies, composer Mussorgsky is deeply saddened. But, with the help of his friends, and through his own music, Modest finds a way to keep Victor''s spirit alive.Readers of all ages will enjoy the inspirational story behind the composition of Pictures at an Exhibition. Bright, colorful illustrations incorporate elements of Russian folk art and traditional symbols. View pages from artist JoAnn Kitchel''s notebook for explanations of the symbols and see her pencil-sketch research of the Russian culture.