Among various books which have been given to the children by an American friend are a couple with a musical theme.
Opera Cat is a preposterous tale about a cat, Alma, who belongs to a Milanese opera singer, Madame SoSo. When her owner gets laryngitis, Alma, who has been understudying the part in secret, debuts in Le Nozze di Figaro, hidden inside Madame SoSo’s wig. The best bit about this story is that if I read it, I get to do Madame SoSo’s high and low notes, referred to at one point in the text.
Rather more plausible is The Philharmonic Gets Dressed. This is about what the title says, no more and no less: the members of an orchestra putting on their special clothes and getting ready for a performance. It was this book that taught my daughter the word ‘cummerbund’.