Musical Fiction
Posted by: stephenjohn on 09 December 2002
A friend recently recommended: An Equal Music
by Vikram Seth. She tells be it's about a string quartet. Does anyone have an opinion about this book and are there other recommendations for classical musical fiction? I enjoyed Ian McEwans Amsterdam in which one of the main characters was writing a symphony.
[This message was edited by stephenjohn on MONDAY 09 December 2002 at 16:40.]
by Vikram Seth. She tells be it's about a string quartet. Does anyone have an opinion about this book and are there other recommendations for classical musical fiction? I enjoyed Ian McEwans Amsterdam in which one of the main characters was writing a symphony.
[This message was edited by stephenjohn on MONDAY 09 December 2002 at 16:40.]
Posted on: 09 December 2002 by herm
Interesting: haven't seen a self-edited post in a long time
The Ur-model for fiction with composers or musicians as protagonists is, obviously, Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus, which displays just about every single flaw of the genre: pretentious, abstruse and a big sink for writerly self-pity. However the Mann novel is about an era (Schoenberg etc) you might be interested in, so perhaps you should check out some reports about it.
I was offered the Seth book for a review and I turned it down. It looked boring, polite, suburban quasi-deep. There was a movie ten years ago which took a string quartet as a setting for all kinds of tepid conflicts. It's very hard to avoid scenes in which characters stare heroically at the ceiling, aiming for the high note (or the low one). In that respect they might as well be figure skaters, who at least get to show their butts.
However, a very nice novel with a Renee Fleming-esque singer in a central role is Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, nominated for the National Book Award 2001, I believe. Patchett's great idea was to make the singer a sort of universal love interest and to make singing real easy for her, just a natural thing - avoiding all the usual bathos.
Anything interesting going on in your cd-player these days, Stephen?
Herman
The Ur-model for fiction with composers or musicians as protagonists is, obviously, Thomas Mann's Doctor Faustus, which displays just about every single flaw of the genre: pretentious, abstruse and a big sink for writerly self-pity. However the Mann novel is about an era (Schoenberg etc) you might be interested in, so perhaps you should check out some reports about it.
I was offered the Seth book for a review and I turned it down. It looked boring, polite, suburban quasi-deep. There was a movie ten years ago which took a string quartet as a setting for all kinds of tepid conflicts. It's very hard to avoid scenes in which characters stare heroically at the ceiling, aiming for the high note (or the low one). In that respect they might as well be figure skaters, who at least get to show their butts.
However, a very nice novel with a Renee Fleming-esque singer in a central role is Ann Patchett's Bel Canto, nominated for the National Book Award 2001, I believe. Patchett's great idea was to make the singer a sort of universal love interest and to make singing real easy for her, just a natural thing - avoiding all the usual bathos.
Anything interesting going on in your cd-player these days, Stephen?
Herman
Posted on: 09 December 2002 by herm
I'm sitting looking at the bookshelves, looking at the Irish shelves, and suddenly it occurs to me that Bernard MacLaverty's Grace Notes (1997) is perhaps the book you're looking for.
It has the sensitivity of James Joyce combined with the white northern foam of Peter Maxwell Davies
Herman
It has the sensitivity of James Joyce combined with the white northern foam of Peter Maxwell Davies
Herman
Posted on: 09 December 2002 by John C
I believe we can start our own little Pseuds Corner . Herm is right in there with his dissing of Mann and
"I was offered the Seth book for a review and I turned it down. It looked boring, polite, suburban quasi-deep." ...or...
"It has the sensitivity of James Joyce combined with the white northern foam of Peter Maxwell Davies"
all in one post!
John
"I was offered the Seth book for a review and I turned it down. It looked boring, polite, suburban quasi-deep." ...or...
"It has the sensitivity of James Joyce combined with the white northern foam of Peter Maxwell Davies"
all in one post!
John
Posted on: 09 December 2002 by herm
Two posts, actually, John. And I was recommending the MacLaverty novel (though I like the Patchett better), was I unclear about that? So what's your problem?
Ross, I'll be at the gate; I'm putting on my Faust gloves. Lemme guess, you're the guy with the extra-ordinarily well-read copy of Thomas Mann?
Herman
[This message was edited by Felix "pile 'em high" Krüll on MONDAY 09 DECEMBER 2002 at 21:05]
Ross, I'll be at the gate; I'm putting on my Faust gloves. Lemme guess, you're the guy with the extra-ordinarily well-read copy of Thomas Mann?
Herman
[This message was edited by Felix "pile 'em high" Krüll on MONDAY 09 DECEMBER 2002 at 21:05]
Posted on: 09 December 2002 by John C
The forking path is forking stony!
and so I am faced with the dilemma of either explaining my friendly tease to Herm or( as I would be forced to in a typical Dublin pub verbal joust) hammer home the mistakenly perceived insult.
Herm you great pretentious Jessie. Irish shelves indeed!
John
(This message was edited by Vuk Vuksanovic 15 minutes ago.. the snakey divil!)
and so I am faced with the dilemma of either explaining my friendly tease to Herm or( as I would be forced to in a typical Dublin pub verbal joust) hammer home the mistakenly perceived insult.
Herm you great pretentious Jessie. Irish shelves indeed!
John
(This message was edited by Vuk Vuksanovic 15 minutes ago.. the snakey divil!)
Posted on: 09 December 2002 by herm
And what are your recommendations, John, now that you (or your editor) have exposed my pretentiousness?
Posted on: 09 December 2002 by John C
Celebrating , Herm, celebrating your pretentiousness.
As to my recommendations, well I once discussed this with Anthony Burgess over a bottle of rather coarse whiskey in our Malay days and I'm not entirely sure they mix (music and writing that is) but I'll have a rattle with
Chester Himes.. A Rage in Harlem. Spirit of jazz anyway.
John
As to my recommendations, well I once discussed this with Anthony Burgess over a bottle of rather coarse whiskey in our Malay days and I'm not entirely sure they mix (music and writing that is) but I'll have a rattle with
Chester Himes.. A Rage in Harlem. Spirit of jazz anyway.
John
Posted on: 10 December 2002 by stephenjohn
I read Bel Canto last summer. I enjoyed it. The writer made the singing sound beautiful, if you know what I mean.
Posted on: 10 December 2002 by herm
So try MacLaverty. He's a good writer, and possibly it's more up your alley musically.
Posted on: 11 December 2002 by stephenjohn
I am going to buy it. I read some of the reviews on Amazon. It sounds interesting.
Thanks Herm
Thanks Herm
Posted on: 14 December 2002 by stephenjohn
Herm
I’m half way through reading Grace Notes. Thank you for the recommendation. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. The way the author describes the lead character’s appreciation and perception of sounds is engrossing. The book goes well with alternating reading and listening to Bartok. It’s a good story too. I don’t want to say more in case I spoil it for another potential reader.
I’m half way through reading Grace Notes. Thank you for the recommendation. I’m thoroughly enjoying it. The way the author describes the lead character’s appreciation and perception of sounds is engrossing. The book goes well with alternating reading and listening to Bartok. It’s a good story too. I don’t want to say more in case I spoil it for another potential reader.
Posted on: 14 December 2002 by herm
Well, I'm really glad about that. The recommendation business is a tricky one. My musical associations BTW were more Northerly, like Peter Maxwell Davies - Nielsen (but it's a long time ago).
Herman
Herman