Novels about Music

[LMcD]

Our charity shop currently has in stock Volume 2 (only) of John Suchet's 'Fictional biography of Beethoven'....
Moerike: Mozart's Journey to Prague

[Serial_Apologist]

Napoleon Symphony by Anthony Burgess.....

Modelled closely on the structure and phrasal shape of the Eroica.... e.g......

There he lies
Ensanguinated tyrant
O
Bloody bloody tyrant


OK - so which movement's beginning d'you think that is?

Try singing it....sprechstimme style....

The one Schoenberg time-travelled back to append to the beginning of the third movement in the form of "Ode to Napoleon", but which was rejected prior to the work's premiere?

[Joseph K]

Our charity shop currently has in stock Volume 2 (only) of John Suchet's 'Fictional biography of Beethoven'....

A long time ago, I read all volumes of that.

[jayne lee wilson]

The one Schoenberg time-travelled back to append to the beginning of the third movement in the form of "Ode to Napoleon", but which was rejected prior to the work's premiere?

...try singing it with the first line short-short-long....slowly (big clue...)......

[zola]

Not a novel but equally not a musician biography, which I assume this thread does not want, I'm much enjoying The Lost Pianos of Siberia by Sophy Roberts.

[johnb]

There is "The Casa Bella Quartet" by Bernard Milofsky who was a member of the Pro Arte String Quartet. I haven't read it so can't comment further.

[Ein Heldenleben]

I read this in the original German (quite a challenge, I remember) as part of my undergraduate course umpteen years ago. Our lecturer, John Smeed, was also a fine musician and expert on Lieder. He gave us a special lecture with musical examples, eg helping us to understand the concept of of music as Zweideutigkeit als System - ambiguity as a system. A lifetime later I should certainly go back to it.

That is an amazing achievement . It’s difficult enough in English ! I would heartily recommend it as well. I’m two volumes into Jean-Christophe by Romain Rolland but it is not grabbing me . Body and Soul by Frank Conroy is pretty good - the story of a master pianist . If you want something a little ‘ spicier ‘ there’s the Piano Teacher but - ahem - it’s not really about piano playing .The Gustav Sonata by Rose Tremain is also good.

[ardcarp]

The Dwarves of Death by Jonathan Coe.

Can you give any more info?

[LMcD]

Can you give any more info?

Well, in brief, it's about a band in the Alaska factory, who are no good, and the formation of a band called The Unfortunates - not to be confused, I would imagine, with the real group of the same name. Published in 1990, it's widely available from various sellers. Other Jonathan Coe novels, e.g. 'The Closed Circle' and 'This England', feature electronic, non-mainstream 'popular' music.
Another fictional band are to be found in Roddy Doyle's 'The Commitments'.
A novella which I studied at university was Grillparzer's 'Der Arme Spielmann'.

[ardcarp]

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett. (Mrs A’s recommendation.)

Guardian review here:

https://www.theguardian.com/books/2001/jul/14/fiction.reviews1

[LeMartinPecheur]

Our charity shop currently has in stock Volume 2 (only) of John Suchet's 'Fictional biography of Beethoven'....

I rather lost faith in Suchet when he wrote about some early cello concertos by LvB, seemingly Op5 from context. Can't now recall which book that was in but...