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Christmas in Many Lands
Christmas in Italy: Little Musician of Italy
Travel to Italy and meet little Crezina as she helps share Christmas joy with the local musicians. Along the way she discovers a surprising family secret that makes her Christmas dreams come true!
45 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1888
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January 7, 2024
Little Lucrezia, nicknamed Crezina, was the only child of the Marchese di San Renato, a widowed Italian nobleman who cherished this sweet-tempered, loving little daughter. More than anything, Crezina longed for a true playmate—a sibling to call her own. Her compassion for an impoverished musician, one of the Pifferari who serenaded the Madonna and Child outside her father's mansion one Christmas season, led her on a secret mission of mercy, with very unexpected but welcome results for all involved...
Originally published in Britain in 1888 as The "Pifferari": Christmas in Italy, and then reprinted in the US as The Little Musician: Christmas In Italy, this slim volume was one of four Christmas tales created by sisters and author/illustrator team Florence and Edith Scannell, as part of the Christmas in Many Lands series, highlighting holiday stories from various countries. The four tales created by the Scannells (there are others in the series) were also published in a single volume, Christmas in Many Lands: England, France, Germany, and Italy . This is the last of these four Scannell titles that I have read, and as with the others, I enjoyed both the heartwarming holiday story and the accompanying illustrations. Some of the narrative developments felt rather far-fetched, but one expects this sort of thing in this kind of tale, so their improbability didn't really detract from my appreciation. I was intrigued by the inclusion of the "pifferari" figure—these were wandering musicians, usually playing an oboe-like instrument, who performed at Christmastime in Italian cities, before various shrines with Madonna and Child—as it felt rather obscure to my contemporary sensibilities. That said, I expect it wasn't so obscure to readers at the time of publication, as these musicians were often depicted in the artwork of 18th and 19th-century Europe.
Although this volume is only thirty-two pages, it is no picture book, but an illustrated short story. I would recommend it to readers looking for vintage Christmas fare for children, with an Italian cultural setting. For my part, having now read the four Scannell contributions to the Christmas in Many Lands series, I think I will seek out titles from other authors.
Originally published in Britain in 1888 as The "Pifferari": Christmas in Italy, and then reprinted in the US as The Little Musician: Christmas In Italy, this slim volume was one of four Christmas tales created by sisters and author/illustrator team Florence and Edith Scannell, as part of the Christmas in Many Lands series, highlighting holiday stories from various countries. The four tales created by the Scannells (there are others in the series) were also published in a single volume, Christmas in Many Lands: England, France, Germany, and Italy . This is the last of these four Scannell titles that I have read, and as with the others, I enjoyed both the heartwarming holiday story and the accompanying illustrations. Some of the narrative developments felt rather far-fetched, but one expects this sort of thing in this kind of tale, so their improbability didn't really detract from my appreciation. I was intrigued by the inclusion of the "pifferari" figure—these were wandering musicians, usually playing an oboe-like instrument, who performed at Christmastime in Italian cities, before various shrines with Madonna and Child—as it felt rather obscure to my contemporary sensibilities. That said, I expect it wasn't so obscure to readers at the time of publication, as these musicians were often depicted in the artwork of 18th and 19th-century Europe.
Although this volume is only thirty-two pages, it is no picture book, but an illustrated short story. I would recommend it to readers looking for vintage Christmas fare for children, with an Italian cultural setting. For my part, having now read the four Scannell contributions to the Christmas in Many Lands series, I think I will seek out titles from other authors.
Displaying 1 of 1 review