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    Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring
    Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring
    Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring
    Audiobook46 minutes

    Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring

    Written by Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan

    Narrated by Sarah Jessica Parker and The Seattle Symphony conducted by Gerard Schwarz

    4/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    In 1944 the modern American ballet Appalachian Spring premiered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. The collaborators behind the performance anxiously awaited the critical response to their artistic achievement: would the world understand what they had done?

    In Ballet for Martha, the journey to this stage and the success shared among choreographer Martha Graham, composer Aaron Copland and artist Isamu Noguchi is expressively captured by acclaimed children’s book authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan. Together they tell the exceptional story of the collaborative efforts behind the creation of Appalachian Spring. Martha Graham, famous American dancer and pioneering choreographer, ignited the process with her innovative dance routines and desire to create a ballet that would represent America. With Martha’s spirit and choreography in mind, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Aaron Copland built upon the melodies of an old Shaker hymn to create the original score. He titled it simply Ballet for Martha. Upon Martha’s request, artist Isamu Noguchi created the stage design for the ballet, using a simple and angular style that reflected the movements of Martha’s choreography.

    This story, first chronicled in the award-winning book, is now brought to life in an original audiobook production by Brilliance Audio. Acclaimed actress Sarah Jessica Parker captures the voices and emotions of Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Isamu Noguchi as they work together to produce the dance, score, and set of this beloved American ballet. Accompanying the narration is a full performance by the Seattle Symphony of the very score which fueled and inspired the ballet. Listeners will be delighted by the layered collaborations brought together in this audio production. From the three trail-blazing artists who labored to capture America through lyrical movement, lilting melody, and avant-garde design, to the literary, vocal, and orchestral talents of today, Ballet for Martha is a beautiful, musical journey for listeners of all ages.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBrilliance Audio
    Release dateSep 4, 2012
    ISBN9781455877300
    Ballet for Martha: Making Appalachian Spring

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    Reviews for Ballet for Martha

    4/5

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    • 3/5
      Ballet for Martha is the story about how a musical is made. The book goes through the process of writing music, set design, choreography, the works. The book is a good one for reading to young theater students so they can learn about all that goes on in a musical production.
    • 4/5
      I decided to check out this book when I found out Brian Floca had illustrated it. I've never seen a ballet or had any dance experience, so I figured I wouldn't like this book. However, this book is about more than just a performance. It is about the drive, the determination, and collaboration of three very talented artists in music, dance, and set design that made a show come together that is still performed even today. This would be a great book to teach themes of motivation and collaboration in the classroom. Kids will see how it takes everyone's special talents to make an excellent end product.
    • 4/5
      This beautifully written and illustrated picture book describes the entire process of creating and producing the American ballet called "Appalachian Spring". The book names the choreographer, the composer and the set director, and starts from the first spark and brainstorm, and goes to the end of the first performance. I was so fascinated by this book. As a former dancer, I loved all the beautiful illustrations and dance technicalities that there mentioned. I think that the emphasis on collaboration and time and effort was really beautiful and could be a meaningful idea to many students. I would definitely read this to my older students, and have a discussion about how all good things take time and hard work. I thought this book was phenomenal.
    • 3/5
      This book taught me about a musical performance I've never heard of. I learned what it's about, how it was created, and that it's an all time American favorite. In a way it took me behind the scenes of what goes on when a musical performance is being put together. I love going to see ballets at the Portland Theater or wherever, and I am crazy about live musicals. Reading this book showed me the long, extraneous process that gets put into these performances and how many times a creator might have to get up after they fall down. It also shows how many people get put into creating a single performance. The story is about the creation of Appalachian Spring. It tells how three people, a dancer, a composer, and an artist, all came together to help put together a story of the frontier when pioneer families traveled west to put down roots through movement and music, and not in words. After Martha revises the story multiple times, her and Aaron, the composer, decide for the story to be about a man and women, newlywed couple, who live in Pennsylvania. Martha is special because the way she dances is far different than how other dancers dance. She gets booed at some points by an audience because of how unusual her dancing is; That doesn't stop Martha though. Aaron finally finishes a recorded musical piece for Martha and sends it to her, he got inspiration from an old Shaker Hymn. Martha and the dancers put together the dance by listening to the music and allowing their bodies to go with it. Soon Martha calls on Isamu to create artistic sculptures for the performance. Martha and her team head to Washington D.C. When their dance and performance is perfected, this will be where their first performance will take place. After the performance the artists, Martha, and the composer receive great awards because of how great the performance is. The performance has been titled an American Favorite.
    • 5/5
      There's just something about this poetic children's memoir-style piece. It uses sparing language and artistic prose to convey as much about the atmosphere of the Appalachian Spring project as the steps in its completion. It's obviously well researched and carefully presented. The question is whether it will reach a receptive audience. I loved it.
    • 3/5
      Authors Jan Greenberg and Sandra Jordan, and illustrator Brian Floca have collaborated on this wonderful picture-book tribute to another artistic collaboration, one which brought together the story idea and choreography of Martha Graham, the musical composition of Aaron Copland, and the set design of Isamu Noguchi, to produce the wonderful American ballet, Appalachian Spring. With a simple, but effective narrative, and gorgeously expressive illustrations, Ballet for Martha really communicates the creative vision of the three artists behind this landmark ballet, and how that vision was born out of working together.I found this book unexpectedly engaging - not that I'd expected to dislike it, exactly, but I certainly wasn't prepared for how much I enjoyed it! - and came away with a greater appreciation for all three artists depicted. They each seem extraordinary in their own way - something highlighted, not just in the main narrative, but in the informative afterword as well. I didn't know that Martha Graham's dance troupe was the first to be integrated, or that Aaron Copland had been targeted by the McCarthy hysteria, or that Isamu Noguchi volunteered to join Japanese-Americans being interned in American concentration camps, during World War II. Obviously, I didn't know much! I'm glad to have learned a little bit about these figures, and hope to learn more about them in the future - something I imagine that young readers will feel as well. Recommended to all young ballet, music and art lovers, particularly those interested in these fields, and how they have developed in America.
    • 5/5
      Magnificent! The double-page spread with Aaron Copeland sitting at his piano and the score in the background is a masterpiece!!
    • 3/5
      I personally enjoyed the story, but I'm not sure there are a lot of kids out there clamoring to know more about Appalachian Spring. I could be wrong though.
    • 5/5
      Follow dancer and choreographer Martha Graham, composer Aaron Copland, and artist Isamu Noguchi on their journey to create the world-renowned modern ballet Appalachian Spring in this Sibert Honor-winning picture book. Readers are led through the process of creating music, choreography, and a set to form a unified work of art. The stunning watercolor illustrations are well-worthy of their award, featuring muted, realistic colors and bringing movement alive on the page. The first half of the book describes the creative process with simple, expressive sentences that are appropriate for a younger audience without oversimplifying the material, while the second half describes the actual ballet more with illustrations and less text. While not directly addressed in the book, a theme runs throughout that "art" is more than drawing or painting in art class; it involves all modes of creativity and a sense of collaboration amongst all types of artists. Short biographies of the three artists and a bibliography with notes are included. Budding fine artists will love hearing this story read aloud, and older readers who are interested in the artists will find the end matter helpful for school assignments or further reading. Highly recommended ages 6-12.
    • 3/5
      I thought this book's sentence structure was a little choppy and the vocabulary and sentence fluency was a little simplistic considering the concepts that were being introduced.
    • 3/5
      Ballet for Martha details the inception and implementation of Martha Graham’s ballet, Appalachian Spring. The book begins with a brief overview of how Graham’s ballets are different; she uses more stark and aggressive movements, using the body more as a canvas than as a metaphor. Then, the story of how the ballet begins to come together, with Graham collaborating with composer Aaron Copland and set designer Isamu Noguchi to create her story of a young pioneer couple striking out on their own in America. The ballet portrays their bravery and uncertainty in those brave and uncertain times.Floca’s illustrations are well-matched to Greenberg’s and Jordan’s narrative, fully demonstrating Graham’s ballet techniques, frustrations, and triumphs. The back of the book contains a “Curtain Call” sections that offers more information about Martha Graham, Aaron Copland, and Isamu Noguchi; further, there is a Bibliography, a Notes and Sources, and a Photographs section that provides footnotes.
    • 4/5
      A beautifully done book - very impressive illustrations. This made me want to see Appalachian Spring. But I wonder who the audience is? Will kids pick up this book?