Bach to the Rescue!!!

by Tom Angleberger, Chris Eliopolous (Illustrator)

Every famous piece of art has an origin story—even Bach’s Goldberg Variations! When the richest dude in town can’t sleep, he hires a much-less-rich dude named Johann Gottlieb Goldberg to play him lullabies on the harpsichord. Goldberg does an OK job, but as the Rich Dude hollers for Goldberg each night, he wakes up the whole town in the process. As the town gets sleepier and sleepier and grumpier and grumpier, Goldberg worries he may be out of a job soon. But then, the one and only Bach enters the scene with a series of lullabies composed specifically for the Rich Dude. And, thus, the Goldberg Variations are born!

Genres: Picture Books, Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History, Childrens, Humor

40 pages, Hardcover

Published March 19, 2019

About the author

Tom Angleberger artist-turned-writer. He is a columnist for the Roanoke Times in Roanoke, Virginia, and began work on his first book while in middle school. Tom is married to author-illustrator Cece Bell. He lives in Christianburg, Virginia.

Reviews

[Jillian · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very silly version of a probably-sort-of-made-up story about how Bach came to write the Goldberg variations.
I kind of enjoyed the humor, but the constant asides (and the constant belittling and name-calling) were a letdown for me.

[Emily Masters · Rating 2 out of 5]

Came across as flippant rather than "kid lingo" which is what I think author was going for.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: Hey, it's me! Bach, the greatest composer ever! Have I ever told you the story about Goldberg and the Rich Dude Who Couldn't Sleep? It happened about 225 years ago, but I think it's better to start a story like this with Once Upon A Time...


Premise/plot: Is Bach to the Rescue a picture book biography? Probably not technically. The focus is not on Bach's life, or any other person's life, not really. It is a behind-the-scenes story of how Bach composed the Goldberg Variations. Is it a true story? Maybe, maybe not. But it is 'loosely' based on a legend first recorded by Albert Schweitzer. IT may not be a picture book biography, BUT it is without a doubt a lesson on the IMPORTANCE OF SLEEP.


So, because "Rich Dude" couldn't sleep....no one could sleep....trying to get this guy to sleep each night was a full-time job for many, many, many people. EVERYONE was super-super-super-cranky because they were all sleep-deprived. Can Bach save the day?


My thoughts: I will always be thankful that I read this one. I looked up the Goldberg Variations and I've enjoyed listening to them. I honestly can't imagine trying to fall asleep to many of them. Has this picture book convinced me that Bach is the greatest composer ever....probably not. (I'm Team Mozart.) But it was an entertaining read. IF a reading of this one is paired with the music itself, I could see it being a hit.


Text: 4 out of 5

Illustrations: 3 out of 5

Total: 7 out of 10

[Chelsey · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute, would be good for a budding musician.

[Natalie · Rating 2 out of 5]

There's a rich dude who can't sleep and he has his personal musician, Goldberg, play the harpsicord to lull him to sleep. However, the rich dude is picky and can't fall asleep to just any music. Desperate, Goldberg begs Bach, the narrator of this story to give him some of his music to play.

This is loosely based on an account of Bach's creation of the Goldberg Variations. It may be true or it may not. I like the book and it is humorous, but I wouldn't want to read it with really young readers because of some of the name calling (fool, dodo) and words used (dumb, dang).

[Ben Weber · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise was promising, and the kids (6 and 11) and I were intrigued by the opening pages, but unfortunately this story was just too long to stay interested in. The illustrations are very well done, and the humor mostly lands - there is just too much of it. Too many quips between unimportant side characters, too many repeated lines and patterns. Around the half-way point, we were all losing interest, and by the time Bach re-appeared as a character in the story, I had almost forgotten that he had introduced and had been narrating the story the whole time.

I also wish the book had done a better job at explaining that parts of this story may have actually been true events, because without the historical relevance, the story itself is not intriguing enough to hold the reader's attention - especially younger readers. More explanation within the story about the importance of the Goldberg Variations or Bach's influence to the history of music could have gone a long way to improving this book.

[Beth Rodgers · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Bach to the Rescue!!!' by Tom Angleberger, illustrated by Elio, is a cute and comedic story about a rich dude who hires someone not-so-rich to play him lullabies. The person he hires is Johann Gottlieb Goldberg, and while he does a nice job, the rich guy is constantly waking up the whole town every time he screams to get Goldberg to come to play him to sleep. Eventually Bach comes along with a variety of lullabies that he writes specifically for the rich guy, and all's well that ends well.

The illustrations definitely help bring the book to life and enhance the excitement surrounding Bach's entrance on the scene. Whether or not this story is based in truth or not, the intent to bring a story about music to kids is well-conceived. It sheds light on how some methods of crafting writing can be quite non-traditional, yet can bring about something truly great.

Beth Rodgers, Author of Children's Picture Book, 'Welcome to Chanu-Con!'

*Review originally posted at YABooksCentral.com*

[Robin Berman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny text about a possible motivation behind why Bach wrote the Goldberg Variations for Harpsichord.
According to this story, there was a "rich dude" who couldn't sleep, and had his own private musician named Goldberg. So the rich dude hired Bach to write some new music to help him sleep. According to the book, it was "the Greatest Music Ever Written Ever." The rich dude loved it, Bach was paid a lot of money, and the rich dude was finally able to sleep.
I especially love the cartoon like bold colorful artwork illustrations by Elio. The paper is a nice thick card stock and very smooth to touch. I noticed that Bach and the rich dude were the only characters wearing wigs.
If you go to you tube, you can listen to the Goldberg Variations on harpsichord, it's over an hour long, and imagine it's over 200 years ago in late 1800s.
Note-- I did a quick Google search and could not substantiate if this story is true...

[Anakaren · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was very cartoon like /comic. I like that the book is speaking to the reader and begins with a brief introduction with a few background and the year this is taking place.It is about Goldenberg a musician who plays for a “rich dude” whenever he wants no matter the time and tells him how fast , what song not in the nicest way.Then Bach the composer comes in and helped write pieces for Goldenberg to play to the rich guy.Bach sent the music which was many genres put into one, the village loved it and no longer were grumpy.It is based of Johann Sebastian Bach's creation of Goldberg Variations. He got paid a lot for it but did write a lot of music for free or for small payments. We can talk to student more about Bach as well as listen to some of his music in class as well as discussing if they would ever play for a rich man like Goldenberg.

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Angleberger and Elio put their own unique spin on a legend about what inspired Bach to compose the Goldberg Variations.

Have you ever watched the original Rocky & Bullwinkle cartoons? This reminds me of a retelling of a historical legend such as Rocky & Bullwinkle & gang might do. It's goofy, it includes anachronistic comments and vocabulary, and it's the kind of thing readers either think is hogwash or an absolute hoot. It's definitely memorable and will get kids interested in this classical music. I do like that they clarify in the back that this is based on another person's account of the story and that the historical reliability of that story is up for debate.

Notes on content: Some vocabulary frequently on the no list for pre-K and Kindergarten shows up: 1 dumb and 1 dang.

[Kylie2018 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great comedy picture book as it is so much fun to read aloud. Illustrations and text work together to make it so easy to slip in and out of each characters voice.

*Not sure the book should make it to the Picture Non-Fiction category though. The only Non-Fiction part of this book is the character Johann Sebastian Bach wrote the Goldberg Variations. At the end of the book it explains the story from the book is loosely based on Albert Schweitzer unconfirmed account of the creation of the Goldberg Variations but regardless of why the Goldberg Variations were written the author finds them settling and is appreciative of their creation.

[Cheyenne Kessinger · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Bach to the Rescue!!!: How a Rich Dude Who Couldn't Sleep Inspired the Greatest Music Ever," written by Tom Angleberger and illustrated by Chris Eliopolous, is a historical fiction children's book that loosely tells the story of how Bach created the "Goldberg Variations." Angleberger and Eliopolous did an amazing job of using the entire page to help progress the story! The tale may not be extremely accurate but it is a great introduction book for children.

[Jon Nakapalau · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful first book on JSB! This book looks at the Goldberg Variations. While I am not sure how historically accurate the story is it is still a book that will capture the imagination of small children. The art is very unique; it reminded me of the old Rakin/Bass animated features. Pair with some of his music for an immersive experience!

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The library I got this from has this shelved in JBiography, which I disagree with. There's no evidence that this story is even true.

Anyway, this is a silly retelling of a tale about how Bach composed the Goldberg variations.

[Tracie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very funny imagining of how composer J.S. Bach created the famous aria, The Goldberg Variations. "Loosely based" on Albert Schweitzer's account of the events, which Schweitzer admits may be fabricated.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Legend about Bach's Goldberg Variations. How they were written to help a "Rich Dude" sleep. Pretty fun (but slightly annoying) story. I like the cute pictures. Has an opportunity to define different types of pieces.

[Nevaeh James]

This is a silly picture book that (sort of) tells the true story of the talented musician Bach and how he became famous. I would use this book to teach about the history of classical music because it is so engaging for younger audiences.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quite silly account of how Johann Sebastian Bach came to compose the Goldberg Variations.

[Amy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Weird book...weird story. Nothing appealing about it and not even true so it doesn't even have that going for it. I like the style of the illustrations. The only reason it got 2 stars...

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tom Angleberger and Elio - two great tastes that taste great together.

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful story of the Goldberg variations by Bach told in a colorful picture book for children. Very fun and recommended.

[Katrina Clohessy · Rating 4 out of 5]

38 pages.

[Kelly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations, and the story was informative and entertaining!

[Miss Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

An elementary level story of the creation of Bach's Goldberg's Variations for a rich man who couldn't sleep and wanted to hear music. Told in a silly way with bright pictures.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Of course I'll have to find a great recording and practice to see if it can be read to the music.

[Jacqui · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting explanation for Bach wrote the Goldberg Variations. Told in cartoon captions and explaining why the music was written.
Humor throughout.

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun bio, would make a great history/music cross-curricular readaloud.

[VBergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

age: from 9 years old due to the slightly rude language

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

So fun and playful.