'Musical' Novels

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Callie
Date: 12 Jun 00 - 06:53 PM

Brian McLaverty's "Grace Notes" Nick Hornby's "High Fidelity" Carson McCullers' "Wunderkind" (short story) Josef Skvorecki's "The Bass Saxophone" Venero Armanno's "Strange Rain"

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Wavestar
Date: 12 Jun 00 - 11:44 PM

I think it's so marvelous that every single book I thought of to mention when I read the first posting on this thread had already been mentioned by the time I got to the bottom, and now I have lots more lovely recommendations to read!

I was going to mention Charles de Lint (who may be getting darker, but at least he's got good causes he fights for), Orson Scott Card's Songmaster, R.A. McAvoy, who also wrote the Damiano series, about a young musician who is taught by an angel, and even Anne McCaffery's Dragonsinger series... which actually, I find to be her least irritatingly formula and sweet books. The Crystal Line books, and the Ship Who books were good for the first couple. I don't remember the author either, but Midnight Hour Encores I remember from when I was in elementary school... I do recommend it. I've thought of others, but they've slipped from my mind as I ponder what I read... perhaps I'll think of them again later.

I'm delighted to hear that Emma Bull has written a book... I'm a great fan of the Flash Girls, which I'd like to hope that many of you are familiar with... If you aren't, you should be!

A wonderful thread, thanks.

-Jessica

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Gervase
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 05:23 AM

James Joyce was no mean tenor, and music fills his work, from his early Chamber Music, through The Dead and Ulysses to Finnegans Wake. I know people regard Joyce as daunting, but when read aloud there's no mistaking the musical influence. For a darned good essay on music in Joyce's work, take a look at this

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GUEST,Millring
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 07:32 AM

A folk music discussion about books that doesn't yet include Cold Mountain. One of the main characters is redeemed by his fiddle music. Beautiful story to get lost in, easy read!

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Wesley S
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 05:53 PM

I'm glad that Millring mentioned "Cold Mountain". Tim O'Brien released a CD with the songs mentioned in the book. There is some great fiddle and clawhammer banjo on it.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Jeri
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 06:33 PM

Kira, I'm not sure darkriver is still around, but I believe the threads he said the songs were in are:
Naughty kids'greatest hits Naughty kids' greatest hits II Hope this helps. If you need more info, ask and we'll give it our best shot.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Jim Dixon
Date: 13 Jun 00 - 06:47 PM

Frank Conroy, who I believe is a pianist himself, wrote a novel "Body and Soul," about a classical piano-playing prodigy. Unfortunately, I can't recommend it. I never finished it, finding most of the characters bland and uninteresting-with the exception of the hero's mother, who is an agoraphobic former cab driver.

John B. Keane's "The Bodhran Makers" sounds intriguing. I have the book, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I just now found this blurb on Barnes & Noble's website, bn.com, and it has piqued my interest:

"Synopsis: This novel is set in rural Ireland in the 1950s. Canon Tett, the parish priest, mounts a campaign against the ancient holiday of Wren Day, celebrated by Wrenboys marching over the countryside playing music led by the bodhran (a drum), and collecting donations to finance the wrendance. A party involving music, dancing, and drinking, the wrendance is the only entertainment all year for most Dirrabeg residents, but to Canon Tett it is wicked and sinful."

Keane also wrote "The Field" which was made into a movie.

Roddy Doyle's "The Commitments" was a novel before it was a movie. I haven't read the book, but I loved the movie.

Ciaran Carson's "Last Night's Fun" isn't a novel-it's actually a book of essays all centered around Irish music-but it contains some fine writing. I highly recommend it.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Brian Hoskin
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 07:20 AM

Salman Rushdie's 'The Ground Beneath Her Feet'

Toni Morrison's 'Jazz'

Personally I found E. Annie Proulx's 'Accordian Crimes' really funny, each death got progressively more unlikely or more tragic - it's a fine line between tragedy and comedy. There again perhaps it was just me!

On balance, I think 'Bound For Glory' is more fiction than fact, but probably tells you more about Woody because of this.

Brian

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Hollowfox
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 03:24 PM

Midnight Hour Encores is by Bruce Brooks (Harper & Row, 1986). Enjoy.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GUEST,Mrr
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 03:32 PM

Both Niven and Brin (sci-fi authors with dashes of anthropology/psycholinguistics/societal follow-through, I recommend everything they've written, pretty much) have folksinging characters, and people who sing to themselves out among the stars and aliens, and so on. Also Spider Robinson. Niven and Robinson also have lots of stories set in bars (I especially like Niven's bar where there are little sparkling electrical discharge things for the aliens who get drunk on electricity), and a lot of people singing in the bars. Between drinks. And jokes.

But I don't know yet if there is a real connection between phoakies and scifis, as someone earlier asked...

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Steve Latimer
Date: 14 Jun 00 - 03:57 PM

I really enjoyed De Lint's 'Trader' where the central characters are a Luthier and Singer/Songwriter. Some really neat musical references.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GUEST,Nikki
Date: 15 Jun 00 - 10:25 AM

I heartily second many of the recommendations made here. Also want to mention Lee Smith's "The Devil's Dream." It's available in paperback and from libraries. Tells the story (family saga type) of a country-western/bluegrass singing family with perhaps some similarities to the Carter family, but it is not a roman a clef. All her books are good and as I recall probably have music in them somewhere as they are mostly set in the Southern mountains.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: wysiwyg
Date: 16 Jun 00 - 07:57 AM

What about our own Mudcat Tavern Enterprise?????

Somebuddy clicky that pleeze!!

~S~

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GutBucketeer
Date: 12 Nov 00 - 12:31 AM

I just found "The Phantom Banjo" the first in Elisabeth Scarborough's Songkiller Series in a used book store today. I read the back cover and just had to have it! It is almost too prophetic, given the attacks on Mudcat and the oral tradition in general by ASCAP, Harry Fox and the music industry overall.

From the Cover:

"The Mankind Project was going pretty well, thought the devils. Raila strife: up. Poverty and homelessness: up. Moreal decay: way up. Mistrust of government: off the scale. But despite their best efforts, those ornery humans still managed to avoid destroying themselves. The devils had been waiting for the Big One for years, but every time it seem to be just round the corner, phht: nothing.

Ehsy in Hell was the problem? After much research, it became clear that only one thing was keeping mankind's fingers clinging to the precipice - music ! And not just any music - the devils quite liked some of the popular stuff= but FOLK MUSIC: the songs people sang when they were stranded in dust bowls, chained in slavery, working in dank and dangerous mines; the songs that gave oeople the strength to carry on.

The answer was clear: Folk music had to go. The devils didn't think it would be too hard. A few bureaucrates, a few licensing laws, a few well-timed accidents, and folk music would be musical history. One by one the performers, and worse, the songs would disappear. But the devils hadn't counted on the power of the music, the strength of the human spirit- or the magic that lay inside one enchanted banjo..."

Just my type of book!!!!

JAB

p.s. Kat: thanks for the reviews above!

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GUEST,Marion
Date: 19 Nov 00 - 07:19 PM

Those who enjoy Cape Breton music might like the book "No Great Mischief" by Alistair McLeod.

And here's another vote for Michener's "Drifters"; some 60's music references, and quite a lot on Child ballads.

Marion

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Ely
Date: 19 Nov 00 - 08:49 PM

If you can handle Victorian stuff, Thomas Hardy used a lot of old songs in his stuff (the two novels in particular that come to mind are _Tess of the d'Urbervilles_ and _Far From the Madding Crowd_). Personally, I'm a bigger fan of _Madding Crowd_. There is a great 1967 movie version of it starring Alan Bates and Julie Christie, which includes "Bushes and Briars", "One Morning in May"/"Bold Grenadier" (some version of that song), "Harvest Home", "Soldier's Joy", and a lovely tune that I've only found as an untitled "Dorset Four-Hand Reel". Not all of the tunes are mentioned in the novel, but there is enough talk of music in it that it's certainly no stretch to put them in the movie.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Alice
Date: 20 Nov 00 - 12:18 AM

Ely, you would like "Under the Greenwood Tree", another by Thomas Hardy. If you go back earlier on this thread, you will find a message I posted describing it.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Burke
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 06:10 PM

I picked up R.A. MacAvoy's Damiano trilogy at a book sale last fall. Damiano is a lute player/witch being taught by the angel Raphael during the time of the plague. I'm beginning the third book & was wondering about other books with music as a central theme. I knew it had to be an old topic!

I've read a lot of these, but see several I'm going to try to get.

Any more?

The Damiano trilogy is: Damiano -- Damiano's lute -- Raphael. It has also been reissued as: A Trio for Lute.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Burke
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 06:19 PM

There's link to help with finding the next book in a series in one of the old messages that no longer works.

Here's the current link: What's next

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 12 Jan 04 - 09:42 PM

Saw this thread pop up on one of my occasional wanders through...

I just read Sharon McCrumb's "Songcatcher" (no relation to the movie, I believe). The search for a long-lost ballad (which McCrumb actually wrote for the book) is central to the story.

Another story I have looking around (and this one's difficult to find) is Poul Anderson's novella "World Without Stars". There's a song called "Mary O'Meara" whose lyrics crop up verse by verse as the story unfolds. For those of you in FSGW-land, it's one of the songs I sang when I hosted the "Songs From Literary Sources" Open Sing last year.

I could probably find more SF with musical bits if I went and trolled my bookshelves...

-- Gary

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Charley Noble
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 01:46 PM

My mother Dahlov Ipcar wrote two novels that seem to fit in here. THE QUEEN OF SPELLS is largely based on the old Scottish Ballad "Tam Lin" and A DARK HORN BLOWING is based on elements in the Child ballads "The Queen of Elfan's Nourice" and "Lady Isabel and the Elf Knight." Both are now out of print but can usually be purchased from the used books websites.

More about Dahlov Ipcar and her work can be accessed from her website:Click Here!

Cheerily,
Charley Noble

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Joe Offer
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 02:57 PM

Funny this thread should pop up today. A friend dropped in this morning and told us about Sharyn McCrumb's "ballad novels." She mentioned Songcatcher, Rosewood Casket, Ballad of Frankie Silver, and She Walks These Hills, and something about "Peggy-O." Any others?
Anybody have a favorite McCrumb novel they can recommend to me?
Hey, there's another coincidence - see my note above.
-Joe Offer-

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Ebbie
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 03:40 PM

What a great resource this thread is! I've bookmarked it and at my leisure will go through it and paste out all the names. Thanks, folks.

Books and songs- one lifetime is never long enough.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Burke
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 04:30 PM

Joe,
I thought I'd do a quick check on Sharyn McCrumb, but some of her titles are just too wonderful. Here's a list of all her books, in reading order based on the What Next? page. Many of her books are set in Appalachia, most seem to be mysteries.

Ballad series:
If ever I return, pretty Peggy-O
The hangman's beautiful daughter
She walks these hills
The rosewood casket
The ballad of Frankie Silver
Ghost riders
The songcatcher : a ballad novel

Elizabeth MacPherson mysteries:
Sick of shadows
Lovely in her bones
Highland laddie gone
Paying the piper
The Windsor knot
Missing Susan
MacPherson's lament
If I'd killed him when I met him --
The PMS outlaws

Science Fiction Series:
Bimbos of the death sun
Zombies of the gene pool
Published together as: Bimbos & zombies

Short Story Collections:
Foggy Mountain breakdown and other stories
Our separate days

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Margret RoadKnight
Date: 13 Jan 04 - 11:00 PM

Not a novel,but a recommended short story:
"O Yes" in Tillie O;sen's collection "Tell Me a Riddle"....
and Tim Winton's novel "Dirt Music"

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: rich-joy
Date: 14 Jan 04 - 02:17 AM

I'm sure there are other threads about this subject too, as I remember posting to one of them!!

I'm definitely a Charles de Lint fan (he's got 50 books out now!) and his website contains his newsletters which also talk of the music he's currently listening to and recommends. Very interesting!

Anne Rice (she of those great vampire chronicles) did "Cry to Heaven" - about the lives of 18th century castrated male sporanos in Italy.

There are other authors beside Sharyn McCrumb who have written novels around The Big Ballads too - I haven't read them but maybe they could be found on The Net via the sites of Charles Vess and GreenmanPress or Terri Windling e.g. (oh, Pamela Dean did an updated version of Tam-Lin, that I read ...)

There's also Brian Keenan's "Turlough", centred around the blind harper in Ireland ...

And Phil Rickman gets into the darker side of folklore and customs too, in many of his novels ...

Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Susan of DT
Date: 08 Apr 06 - 05:32 PM

A recent thread brought this subject up again.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 May 06 - 05:43 AM

there are a few other threads on this very excellent subject that need cross-linking too!

here's one :
thread.cfm?threadid=83864 ("references to folk music in books" - from 1985)

Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 May 06 - 05:50 AM

and then there's this one :

thread.cfm?threadid=3540 ("ballads used in literature" - from 1998-2004 ... the thread, not the ballad usage :~)

Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 May 06 - 05:55 AM

and there's this one :

thread.cfm?threadid=49185
("folk in current novels" - from 2002)


Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: rich-joy
Date: 12 May 06 - 06:03 AM

and even this one is sorta related :

thread.cfm?threadid=26174
("favourite stories in folk songs" from 2000-04)


now what about all the "folk in the movies/films" threads??!!!!!
- anyone??!!!

Cheers! R-J

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GUEST,Jim
Date: 12 May 06 - 10:26 AM

Charles Delint's TRADER is a fantasy book about a luthier. Charles didn't go into this blind, but did his research with Ed Dick and Grit Laskin. Charles is also a Celtic musician, I believe, with a regular weekly gig in Ottawa.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Tannywheeler
Date: 12 May 06 - 11:31 AM

Mary Higgins Clark also writes mystery novels with titles that are lines from songs, though not necessarily "traditional". She quotes verses as chapter headings, sometimes, too.             Tw

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Susan of DT
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 11:36 AM

Here is a list of (most of) the books listed on this and the related threads, if excel will past in well.

Anderson         Poul        Arsenal Port
Armanno         Venero        Strange Rain
Baudino         Gail               Gossamer Axe
Brooks         Bruce               Midnight Hour Encores
Brust         Steven        Broke Down Palace
Bull         Emma               War for the Oaks
Burke         James Lee        
Card         Orson Scott        Songmaster
Carr         Jayge               Leviathan's Deep
Chatwin         Bruce               Songlines
de Bernieres        Louis        Corelli's Mandolin
De Lint         Charles        Into the Green
De Lint         Charles        Little Country
De Lint         Charles        Trader
Dean         Pamela        Tam-Lin
Foster         Alan Dean        Spellsinger
Frazier         Charles        Cold Mountain
Gilman         Greer Ilene        Moonwise
Greig         Andrew        When They Laid Bare
Guthrie         Woody               Bound for Glory
Guthrie         Woody               Seeds of Man
Hardy         Thomas        Far From the Maddening Crowd
Hardy         Thomas        Tess of the d'Urbervilles
Hardy         Thomas        Under the Greenwood Tree
Hawkes-Moore        Julia        Dancing in Circles
Hornby           Nick               High Fidelity
Huff           Tanya        Quartered Sea
Huxley           Alduous        Point Counterpoint
Ipcar         Dahlov        Dark Horn Blowing
Ipcar         Dahlov        Queen of Spells
Keane         John B        Bodhran Makers
Keenan         Brian               Turlough
Kushner         Ellen               Thomas the Rhymer
Lackey        Mercedes        Cast of Corbies
Lackey        Mercedes        Free Bards series
Lackey        Mercedes        Knight of Ghosts and Shadows
Lackey        Mercedes        Lark and the Wren
Lackey        Mercedes        Robin and the Kestrel
Lackey        Mercedes        Spirit White as Lightening
Lackey        Mercedes        Summoned to Tourney
Lee        Scott        
L'Engle         Madeleine        Severed Wasp
L'Engle         Madeleine        Small Rain
Llewellyn        Morgan        Bard
MacAvoy         RA               Damiamo trilogy
MacAvoy         RA               Tea with the Black Dragon
MacAvoy         RA               Twisting the Rope
MacLeod         Fiona               Under the Dark Star
McCaffrey        Anne        Crystal Line
McCaffrey        Anne        Dargonsong
McCaffrey        Anne        Dragonsinger
McCaffrey        Anne        Killashandra
McCaffrey        Anne        Powers that Be
McCaffrey        Anne        Ship Who Sang
McCourt               Frank        Angela's Ashes
McCrumb               Sharyn        Ballad of Frankie Silver
McCrumb               Sharyn        Ghost Riders
McCrumb               Sharyn        Hangman's Beautiful Daughter
McCrumb               Sharyn        If Ever I Return, Pretty Peggy-O
McCrumb               Sharyn        Rosewood Casket
McCrumb               Sharyn        She Walks these Hills
McCrumb               Sharyn        Songcatcher
McKillip        Patricia        
McLaverty        Brian        Grace Notes
McLaverty        Michael        Truit in the Night
McLeod               Alistair        No Great Mischief
McNeill       Brian        Busker
McNeill               Brian        To Answer the Peacock
Michener        James        Drifters
Modesitt        LE        Darksong Rising
Modesitt        LE        Soprano Sourceress
Modesitt        LE        Spellsong War
Morrison        Toni        Jazz
Murray               Neil        Sing For Me Countryman
Peters               Ellis        Black is the Color of my True Love's Heart
Peters               Ellis        Funeral of Figaro
Peters               Ellis        Horn of Roland
Pratchett        Terry        
Roberts                 Barrie        Crowner and Justice
Robinson        Kim Stanley        Memory of Whiteness
Rushdie               Salmon         Ground Beneath Her Feet
Scarborough        Elizabeth        Godmother series
Scarborough        Elizabeth        Phantom Banjo
Scarborough        Elizabeth        Picking the Ballad's Bones
Scarborough        Elizabeth        Songkiller Saga
Scarborough        Elizabeth        Strum Again
Seth               Vikram            An Equal Music
Sholokov        Michail           Quiet Flow the Don
Skvorecki        Josef           Bass Saxophone
Smith               L. Neil           Bretta Martyn
Smith               Lee        Devil's Dream
Wellman               Manley Wade        
Whitehead        Colson        John Henry Days

I just encountered another series (Haunted Ballad Series)
Grabien       Deborah   Weaver and the Factory Maind
                         Famous Flower of Serving Men
                         Matty Groves
                         Cruel Sister
                         New Slain Knight

Deborah is a mudcatter.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Gorgeous Gary
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 12:19 PM

Susan: Is Deb over here? Hadn't ever noticed that before. That would be amusing as Sheryl corresponds with her on another forum. (That would not be the first time our separate on-line worlds converged either...)

-- Gary

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GUEST,Deb Grabien
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 12:22 PM

"Is Deb over here?"

No, but I could be...

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Sugwash
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 01:13 PM

The Bodhran Makers by John B Kean.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Janie
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 02:13 PM

Add another Lee Smith novel - On Agate Hill.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Mark Ross
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 02:25 PM

The Ace Atkins books, great mysteries, based in New Orleans, with a tie to the blues.

Mark Ross

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: GUEST,Volgadon
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 03:28 PM

Himalayan Concerto. John Masters wrote a spy novel about a classical composer travelling India. Music is woven very well into it.

Not only is Where Have All the Flowers Gone from And Quiet Flows the Don, but Sholokhov included a lot of folk songs.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: catspaw49
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 03:51 PM

LMAO.......When this thread first ran nine years ago I recall being impressed with the books mentioned and having been around here only about a year at the time I hated to prove what a lowlife I was. Now after almost 10 years on the 'Cat I am positive everyone knows what a lowlife I am, so....................

First thing that popped under my low brow was "Christine" by Stephen King. Basically the story of a boy and his car which happens to have an evil mind of its own and the special powers to carry out its twisted and murderous wishes. The car is a '58 Plymouth and the radio constantly plays '50's rock which King quotes many times in each chapter to aid the plot/character development. There are probably 40+ songs used. King said it was a huge mistake and something he'd never do again as he had to pay royalties on each song, each usage, and for every copy sold, which cut his $$$ on the book to almost a loss.

Spaw

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 04:44 PM

This is NOT about a novel, but a wonderful book about a great musician's sometimes tragic life and ending.

When the Music Stopped; Discovering My Mother is written about a woman top-flight concert pianist, by her son, Thomas(?) Cottle.

The significance of the title will become apparent when I tell you that Gitta Gradova, the artist-mother, was a phenomenal musician, hobnobbing and performing on an equal level with such giants as Rachmaninoff, who was also a close personal and family friend, and others of that level of artistry. She was a big name of that time.

She had terrible personal stress because her demanding though personally rewarding concert life conflicted with what she saw as her duty to her husband and children, and finally she chucked the concert career, nearly chucked music altogether ("when the music stopped"--I told you it would be apparent), and the rest of her life was blighted by the cold-turkey withdrawal.

All of this is told through the eyes of her son, Cottle. The story of an amazing concert career, and of a tortured human being. I can't recommend it enough.

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Ref
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 06:38 PM

Astonishing that this thread has run this far with nobody mentioning "Edson" by Bill Morrisey. Yes, THAT Bill Morrissey!

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Amos
Date: 29 Mar 08 - 07:15 PM

One of the finest musical novels of all time, more classically inclined, is Doctor Faustus, by Thomas Mann, whose hero is partly molded on Schšnberg and the development of the 12-tone scale. Mann won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1939, but not for that book.


A

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: open mike
Date: 30 Mar 08 - 06:49 PM

BTW - just my personal opinion, but Annie Proulx' "Accordion Crimes" was a little too bleak a view of humanity for my tastes. regarding this book-
i am reading it. fascinating info on accordion building details.

also i believe cormac mccarthy is both a musician and author.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: open mike
Date: 04 Apr 08 - 09:15 PM

In April 2003, Bruce Forman's first published fiction novel, Trust Me, was released by Lost Coast Press. The story is a Faustian frolic, a guitarist's personal odyssey through jazz, mysticism, and human folly. It has received rave reviews for its portrayal of playing music and the jazz life. his site is here: http://www.bruceforman.com/about.html

His other writings are non-fiction: Bruce Forman's music publications exemplify his passion for music and educating. The Jazz Guitarists Handbook, (GSP Publications), is a critically acclaimed method book that clarifies the concepts of jazz from a performance-based point of view. Jazz Band Guitar, (Mel Bay Publications), is a no-nonsense approach to the big band for guitarists of all levels. His video, Jazz Guitar Soloing, (GSP), encompasses the important musical aspects that make up an expressive and swinging solo.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: meself
Date: 05 Apr 08 - 01:30 AM

Coming Through Slaughter, by Michael Ondaatje. A poetic novel - or a novelistic collection of poems - based on the richly-imagined life of early jazz cornetist Buddy Bolden.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Apr 08 - 06:26 PM

Halldor Laxness, "The Fish can Sing" (mysterious celebrity singer where it isn't clear for most of the book whether he can in fact sing or not) and "The Atom Station" (subplot involving a sorta-Tolstoyan-anarchist organist with an up-to-the-minute knowledge of contemporary European art music).

W.S. Merwin, "The Mays of Ventadorn" (troubadour music).

Gunter Grass, "The Tin Drum".

Alan Spence, "The Magic Flute".

David Lindsay, "The Haunted Woman" (mysterious viol music as the key to another world) and passing mentions of music (mostly Scriabin or in the Scriabin ethos) in "A Voyage to Arcturus".

Alan Warner, "The Sopranos" (gritty story about a school choir).

Iain Banks, "Espedair Street" (rise and fall of a major-league rock band).

John Wain, "Strike the Father Dead" (hero is a 1950s British jazz trumpeter).

Isn't Ishmael Reed's "The Freelance Pallbearers" about New Orleans musicians? I've read some of his books but not that one.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Apr 08 - 06:33 PM

Also:

Samuel Butler, "The Way of All Flesh" (obsessed with Handel).

Malcolm Lowry, "Hear Us O Lord From Heaven Thy Dwelling Place" (long story with the hymn of that name printed in full score at the start).

Samuel Beckett, "Watt" (the voices in his head sing in polyphony and Beckett includes a score for what they sing).

I am trying to remember if James Dickey's "Deliverance" included banjos. I think they might have been added in the film.

Subject: RE: 'Musical' Novels
From: Jack Campin
Date: 05 Apr 08 - 07:18 PM

And four more:

Elfriede Jelinek, "The Piano Teacher".

Daniel Mason, "The Piano Tuner".

Paolo Maurensig, "Canone Inverso".

William Kotzwinkle, "The Fan Man".