Music and musicians often prove to be popular fodder for fiction writers. Here are 12 great favourite reads that feature music in their plots...
Classical music in fiction: from Tolstoy to Jilly Cooper
1. The Kreutzer Sonata by Leo Tolstoy (1889)
Through his 1889 novella that takes its name from the fiendish Beethoven Violin Sonata featured, Tolstoy ventures much deeper into music as a whole. Through The Kreutzer Sonata, the great Russian composer explores music’s power to incite love, jealousy and – ultimately – murderous rage. ‘Music makes me forget myself, my true condition, it carries me off into another state of being, one that isn't my own,’ muses the protagonist Pozdnyshev.
2. An Equal Music by Vikram Seth (1999)
Vikram Seth’s An Equal Music weaves music through the personal lives of the members of a working string quartet in a story of love, loss and longing. The leading pair's performance of Beethoven's Piano Trio Opus 1 No.3, which they first performed in their college years, is a recurring feature. The Daily Telegraph described it as ‘The finest novel about music ever written in English’.
3. On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan (2007)
Ian McEwan’s passion for music was evident when he penned the libretto for composer Michael Berkeley’s 2008 opera For You. This riveting saga of love, desire, and obsession follows the composer and notorious philanderer Charles Frieth as his selfish pursuits lead to devastating consequences for himself and those in his orbit.
Later, McEwan made the female protagonist in his compelling novella, On Chesil Beach, a talented violinist with dreams of a career on the concert stage.
4. Appassionata by Jilly Cooper (1996)
Giving us a rather lighter read, Jilly Cooper offers up a romp about the highs and the lows of Tessa, ‘the sexiest, most flamboyant violinist in classical music’, who becomes undone by the male-dominated upper echelons of the music industry in Cooper's 1996 novel Appassionata.
With Cooper’s signature style, Appassionata explores themes of love, desire, betrayal, and the sacrifices one makes in the pursuit of both personal and professional dreams. It’s a compelling read for those who enjoy dramatic romance conveyed with artistic flair.
5. The Travelling Hornplayer by Barbara Trapido (1998)
Barbara Trapido keeps Schubert’s masterful song cycle Die Schöne Müllerin at the heart of The Travelling Hornplayer after the piece gets mentioned in the letters of a deceased girl at the start of the novel. And Stella, one of the more striking characters of the book, is a flame-haired cellist studying music at Edinburgh University.
Trapido explores themes of love, grief, fate, and personal reinvention as her characters navigate their relationships and ambitions. The novel is rich with literary and musical references, reflecting the passions and inner lives of its protagonists. With its nonlinear narrative and vibrant character portraits, The Travelling Hornplayer is both a darkly comic and deeply moving exploration of how chance events can shape destinies.
6. The Courage Consort by Michael Faber (2002)
The Courage Consort by Michael Faber is a compelling and atmospheric novel that delves into the complexities of relationships, identity, and the human condition, set within the context of a modern classical music ensemble. The story revolves around the members of the Courage Consort, a small vocal ensemble brought together to perform a unique piece of music in a remote location. As the group practises and prepares for their performance, they grapple with personal tensions, unspoken desires, and deep insecurities.
Faber masterfully explores the dynamics of the group, painting a rich picture of the characters' emotional and psychological lives, while interweaving themes of isolation, longing, and the impact of art. The novel is known for its introspective narrative and its exploration of the human soul, offering a poignant look at how music and personal connections intersect.
More classical music in fiction
7. The Lost Stradivarius by John Meade Falkner (1895)
John Meade Falkner's The Lost Stradivarius is a haunting and atmospheric novel that blends mystery, romance, and the supernatural. Set in 19th-century England, the story follows the life of a young man named John Maltravers, who becomes obsessed with a mysterious Stradivarius violin once owned by his late uncle. As Maltravers learns more about the violin’s history, he discovers unsettling secrets that tie the instrument to his uncle’s tragic fate.
The novel unfolds with a sense of eerie suspense, as Maltravers' growing obsession with the violin begins to have a strange and disturbing influence on his life. He finds himself drawn into a world of intrigue and darkness, with his mental and emotional state deteriorating as he tries to unravel the mystery surrounding the violin. Falkner expertly explores themes of obsession, the power of art, and the destructive nature of unchecked desires.
8. Grace Notes by Bernard MacLaverty (1997)
Shortlisted for the 1997 Man Booker Prize, this introspective and deeply moving novel explores the life of a gifted and conflicted musician, Catherine McKenna. Set in Northern Ireland, the story follows Catherine, a pianist who is grappling with the emotional aftermath of her mother’s death, a troubled relationship with her father, and the pressure of her musical career.
The novel is structured around Catherine’s reflections as she prepares a new symphony, and it delves into her personal struggles with identity, love, and the role that music plays in her life. Throughout the story, MacLaverty beautifully intertwines themes of loss, memory, and the pursuit of artistic excellence. As Catherine confronts her past and the demands of her profession, she must navigate her own desires for both personal and artistic fulfillment.
9. Doctor Faustus by Thomas Mann (1947)
The German author Thomas Mann is perhaps best known for his novella Death in Venice. Doctor Faustus, from 1947, is no less a masterpiece: a dense, philosophical novel that reimagines the legend of Faust in a 20th-century context, exploring themes of genius, morality, and the struggle between the individual and society. The story revolves around Adrian Leverkühn, a brilliant composer who makes a pact with the devil in exchange for unprecedented artistic creativity, mirroring the Faustian bargain of the original myth.
Set against the backdrop of Germany between the two World Wars, the novel follows Leverkühn’s descent into madness and moral decay as his music becomes more complex and alienating, while his personal life unravels. His rise to fame in the music world is paralleled with his increasing isolation and eventual spiritual downfall, embodying the conflict between the pursuit of art and the destructive nature of unchecked ambition.
10. Songs of Triumphant Love by Jessica Duchen (2009)
The fourth novel from novelist and BBC Music Magazine critic Jessica Duchen follows a mother and daughter through their respective relationships at a testing times in both of their lives. The division between contemporary London and wartorn Mostar in Bosnia-Herzegovina is thrown into sharp relief within the context of a celebrated opera singer having to contemplate the loss of her voice.
11. The Aerodynamics of Pork by Patrick Gale (1985)
Patrick Gale's 1985 debut The Aerodynamics of Pork is a novel of love, music and comedy. The Peake family travels to Cornwall for the Trenellion Music Festival, an annual classical music festival that the family helped found.
Seth, a violinist about to start music college, plays a prominent solo and falls in love. Meanwhile, in London, Mo is pursuing her own romance and may be about to arrest Seth's father.
Seth's rash pre-birthday wishes start to come true, including his sister being revealed as less than perfect - and his father absenting himself.
12. Music and Silence by Rose Tremain (1999)
Rose Tremain's Music and Silence is a beautifully crafted historical novel set in the early 17th century, during the reign of Denmark’s King Christian IV. The story intricately intertwines themes of love, power, betrayal, and the emotional weight of music, drawing the reader into a world of opulence and intrigue.
The novel revolves around Peter Claire, an English violinist who is summoned to the Danish court to perform for the King. As he becomes involved in the royal household, Peter finds himself entangled in the passions and power struggles of the court, including the complex relationships between the King, his wife, and the people around him.
At the heart of the novel is the tension between music and silence, with music serving as both a form of emotional expression and a metaphor for the unspoken struggles and desires of the characters. Through lyrical prose, Tremain explores the internal lives of her characters, particularly focusing on their emotional depth and the silent conflicts that simmer beneath the surface of their outward lives.