Monthly Archives: May 2020

Musician Protagonists in SF, pt.13

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TITLE: “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” (short story)

AUTHOR: Fredric Brown, (with Carl Onspaugh)

YEAR: 1965

IS THIS SF?
No, though Fredric Brown is known a science fiction author. Many lump fantasy with SF, and so it could be considered that way.

PJE SYNOPSIS
A clarinetist searches the world for the perfect “Sound” which haunts him throughout his life and travels

REALLY A MUSICIAN?
YES, plays the clarinet and talks about musical things using musical terminology. Able to recognize a ‘hautboy’ instrument even though its particular build is hundreds of years old.

WHY A MUSICIAN?
See above—to recognize the hautboy puts the narrator in a situation of privilege in regards to the owner of the hautboy, who has never entertained guest previously. As a clarinetist the narrator is over-qualified to play the hautboy which leads to… the outcome (can’t say more without really ruining it…). Being a musician helps link the narrator to the hautboy-owner and to… Mythic considerations. Once the reader knows the ending, then someone drawn to sound was the only choice for the protagonist to be a musician.

RECOMMENDED?
YES—well written, well paced and well constructed. Will leave you thinking for a bit after you’ve finished.

© 2020 Peter J. Evans, theorist

Musician Protagonists in SF, pt.12

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TITLE: Orfeo

AUTHOR: Richard Powers

YEAR: 2014

IS THIS SF?
I believe so, though it’s close.  Based a bit on the story of Steve Kurtz, the SF in this book centers around tinkering with biological agents in home lab.  This is not so SF in itself, but in this story the protagonist, composer-teacher Peter Els, aims to tinker with bacterial DNA to a degree where he can code his music into it.  So the world of the book is the world of 2014, but with the science a bit speculative-ish…

PJE SYNOPSIS
See above, but then the FBI fears he might be a terrorist, so a chase ensues with many flashbacks along the way (Richard Powers style….)

REALLY A MUSICIAN?
YES, talks aptly and deeply about music and musicians.  Know full well the trials and tribulations of working creatively in music, finding performers, making recordings, etc.T ells a great story about Messiaen’s Quartet for the End of Time, witnessed a Cage happening.

WHY A MUSICIAN?
Why a composer (hahaha)?  Someone who is a good tinkerer, used to be being alone with their thoughts.  Someone who is good at ‘theory’, though most composers, like this one, mostly fake it 😉  Also, good to have a protagonist who is intellectually well-rounded and curious, and has been for the past 50 years or so.

RECOMMENDED?
YES—moves along quickly with all kinds of drama and flashbacks, I enjoyed it.  Perhaps for non-musicians there’s a bit of lull here and there.  The drama with the daughter helps tie things together, but only as a touchstone and move-along for the plot.

© 2020 Peter J. Evans, theorist