Dancing Hands: How Teresa Carreño Played the Piano for President Lincoln

by Margarita Engle

Hardcover, 2019

Status

Available

Call number

786.2092

Publication

Atheneum Books for Young Readers (2019), Edition: Illustrated, 40 pages

Description

Biography & Autobiography. Juvenile Nonfiction. Multi-Cultural. Music. HTML:Winner of the Pura Belpr Illustrator Award A Kirkus Reviews Best Picture Book In soaring words and stunning illustrations, Margarita Engle and Rafael Lpez tell the story of Teresa Carreo, a child prodigy who played piano for Abraham Lincoln. As a little girl, Teresa Carreo loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her up, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy. Soon she was writing her own songs and performing in grand cathedrals. Then a revolution in Venezuela forced her family to flee to the United States. Teresa felt lonely in this unfamiliar place, where few of the people she met spoke Spanish. Worst of all, there was fighting in her new home, toothe Civil War. Still, Teresa kept playing, and soon she grew famous as the talented Piano Girl who could play anything from a folk song to a sonata. So famous, in fact, that President Abraham Lincoln wanted her to play at the White House! Yet with the country torn apart by war, could Teresa's music bring comfort to those who needed it most?… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member nbmars
María Teresa Gertrudis de Jesús Carreño García was born in 1853 in Venezuela. She loved the piano, and by the time she was six she could write her own songs. In addition, as the author writes:

“ . . . at seven she performed in the peaceful chapel of a magnificent cathedral, playing hymns that
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shimmered like hummingbirds.”

When war came to Venezuela in 1862, Teresa's family fled to New York, although America too was engaged in war, with the North battling the South in a civil war.

But the family got a piano, and Teresa felt less lonely. Teresa was soon invited to perform at Irving Hall - she was age eight. (Irving Hall was a venue for balls, lectures, and concerts in Manhattan.) Thereafter Teresa's career was promoted by a pianist and composer who was on the stage with her at Irving Hall. She became known as “the Piano Girl,” and participated in concerts across the North. She even had an original composition published in 1863.
It was also in 1863 that Teresa was invited to play at the White House for President Lincoln and his family, who were saddened by the death of Lincoln’s son Willie. She was nervous and the piano was poorly tuned, and she was afraid it would make her music sound ugly. Then President Lincoln smiled kindly at her and asked her to play his favorite song, “Listen to the Mockingbird.” This was a piece that could be played on any piano, and Teresa regained her confidence:

“ . . . her fingers leaped across all the glorious dark and light keys, improvising the way mockingbirds do, the melody changing as she went along. Music swirled, twirled, and soared on wings of sound.”

President Lincoln stood and clapped, and “she knew that her music had brought comfort to a grieving family, at least for one brief, wonderful evening of dancing hands.”

The book concludes with a historical note about the life of Teresa, who traveled all over the world on musical tours. The author reports that she became known as a composer and opera singer as well as a pianist. In Venezuela, she is remembered as La Leona, “The Lioness” of the piano. She died in 1917, at age 64.

Rafael López uses vividly-colored mixed-media art in a folk art style that highlights, when Teresa is playing the piano, the swirling and twirling, per the author, of her music. As in López's other books, birds are recurring elements in the pictures, here representing both emotions and music taking flight.
Evaluation: This book, with its lovely prose and art work, focuses on Teresa’s story when she was a little girl, perfect for the intended audience of 4-8. Still, readers may be inspired to find out more about this prodigy, the country during the Civil War, and the life of Lincoln.
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LibraryThing member mxa107
The main character, Teresa is a refugee little girl who moved from Venezuela to the United States. She had a passion for music and enjoyed playing the piano. Although the book shares a beautiful story of Teresa's passion for music, it also includes history. The book takes place during the Civil War
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and Teresa played the piano for President Abraham Lincoln. In the U.S, Teresa felt alone, but music eased her nervous and she had the privilege to play for the U.S president at the time. I recommend this book to music teachers and 5th and 6th grade history teachers.
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Awards

Language

Original language

English

Physical description

10.5 inches

ISBN

148148740X / 9781481487405
Page: 3.1275 seconds