An Equal Music: A Novel
by Vikram Seth
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Book Summary Information
Author: Vikram SethEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2000-05-02
ISBN: 037570924X
Number of pages: 400
Publisher: Vintage
Book Reviews of An Equal Music: A Novel
Book Review: "Music is dearer to me even than speech"
Summary: 5 Stars
... explains Vikram Seth in the "Author's note" to this engrossing novel. His intimate connection to music and the process of bringing it to life is palpable throughout the book. The story closely follows the ups and downs in the life of violinist Michael Holme and, to a lesser degree, that of the mysterious pianist Julia McNicholl. What makes the story move far beyond a romantic novel is Seth's ability to convey the deep significance of chamber music by no lesser composers than Bach, Beethoven, Mozart and Schubert for his characters' psyche and everyday lives. You don't have to be knowledgeable about the music to feel absorbed by this rich, complex and intimate love story. *)
The story, told through Michael's eyes, is mostly set in north London, where he has found refuge after fleeing Vienna, the town of his professional training. Ten years have passed but his musings keep returning to events in Vienna: self-doubts in his talent as a soloist, amplified by the demands of an exacting, overbearing teacher, had resulted in a complete breakdown. His abrupt departure left Julia, his love, music partner and muse, without a word of explanation or good bye. As he slowly recovered, he tried to reconnect with her, wrote, contacted her father, only to meet a wall of silence. Seth's depiction of Michael's continuing emotional immaturity, his increasing despair at having lost what he now recognizes as his great love reveals the fragility of a character where musical brilliance and human weaknesses are interdependent. His solo career seemingly over, Michael joins the Maggiore Quartet as second violin. While in many ways a close knit group - the "family" gives his life the needed structure and support - it also is the source of inter-personal rivalries. The tensions, creative or destructive, between the quartet members are perceptively explored and the reader can appreciate the complex personalities of highly creative and sensitive virtuosi, whose captivating performances we tend to take for granted. Nonetheless, playing together, following the structural and harmonious intricacies of each composition, whether as duo, trio or quartet, overcomes any such impediments and leads to a level of intimacy and understanding that goes beyond speech. Getting into Michael's head with great skill, Seth creates a complex but believable character whose actions are often more the result of deeply felt emotions than rational analysis. To complement his protagonist's musings on his chamber musician colleagues and friends, and, of course, Julia, Seth turns to extensive passages of direct dialogue, thus energizing the narrative flow.
Michael's precious violin, an early 18th century Tononi, occupies one of the central themes in the narrative. It is another love affair of sorts and one he cannot abandon without losing his identity. Seth, well known also as a poet, finds the right lyrical tone when describing Michael's interaction with his violin, complementing the moods created by the music he plays or listens to. The violin, however, is only a long term loan from his violinist neighbour and music teacher in his home town in Northern England. She "discovered" and nurtured his talent from an early age and he keeps returning to her regularly for companionship and solace. Michael's family, while sympathetic, had no resources to support his ambitions. Seth very delicately raises the issues of family tensions, class and education as he contrasts Michael's upbringing with that of Julia, privileged daughter of an Oxford professor. Despite their differences, music can bridge any differences and misunderstandings between them.
It wouldn't be much of a story, if the former lovers were not to meet again... The romantic settings in Vienna and Venice add a beautiful and vivid backdrop to the concert tour by the Quartet. Those who have read the various reviews and book blurbs will no doubt know the main elements of the plot, unfortunately. I was cautioned by a friend not to read those and consequently explored the slow revelation of key events and secrets carried, with great pleasure. Seth has a wonderful sensitive touch in his exploration of the challenges faced by Michael and, in particular, Julia. This gives special depth to the story and take it beyond what one could have expected. [Friederike Knabe]
*) It is worthwhile exploring the music while reading or listening to it later on the companion CD Vikram Seth: An Equal Music
Summary of An Equal Music: A Novel
The author of the international bestseller A Suitable Boy returns with a powerful and deeply romantic tale of two gifted musicians. Michael Holme is a violinist, a member of the successful Maggiore Quartet. He has long been haunted, though, by memories of the pianist he loved and left ten years earlier, Julia McNicholl. Now Julia, married and the mother of a small child, unexpectedly reenters his life and the romance flares up once more.Against the magical backdrop of Venice and Vienna, the two lovers confront the truth about themselves and their love, about the music that both unites and divides them, and about a devastating secret that Julia must finally reveal. With poetic, evocative writing and a brilliant portrait of the international music scene, An Equal Music confirms Vikram Seth as one of the world's finest and most enticing writers.
The violinist hero of Vikram Seth's third novel would very much like to be hearing secret harmonies. Instead, living in London 10 years after a key disaster, Michael Holme is easily irritated by his beautiful young (and even French!) girlfriend and by his colleagues in the Maggiore Quartet. In short, he's fed up with playing second fiddle in life and art. Yet a chance encounter with Julia, the pianist he had loved and lost in Vienna, brings Michael sudden bliss. Her situation, however--and the secret that may end her career--threatens to undo the lovers.
An Equal Music is a fraction of the size of Seth's A Suitable Boy, but is still deliciously expansive. In under 400 pages, the author offers up exquisite complexities, personal and lyrical, while deftly fielding any fears that he's composed a Harlequin for highbrows. During one emotional crescendo, Michael tells Julia, "I don't know how I've lived without you all these years," only to realize, "how feeble and trite my words sound to me, as if they have been plucked out of some housewife fantasy." In addition to the pitch of its love story, one of the book's joys lies in Seth's creation of musical extremes. As the Maggiore rehearses, moving from sniping and impatience to perfection, the author expertly notates the joys of collaboration, trust, and creation. "It's the weirdest thing, a quartet," one member remarks. "I don't know what to compare it to. A marriage? a firm? a platoon under fire? a self-regarding, self-destructive priesthood? It has so many different tensions mixed in with its pleasures."
An Equal Music is a novel in which the length of Schubert's Trout Quintet matters deeply, the discovery of a little-known Beethoven opus is a miracle, and each instrument has its own being. Just as Michael can't hope to possess Julia, he cannot even dream of owning his beloved Tononi, the violin he has long had only on loan. And it goes without saying that Vikram Seth knows how to tell a tale, keeping us guessing about everything from what the Quartet's four-minute encore will be to what really occasioned Julia's departure from Michael's life. (Or was it in fact Michael who abandoned Julia?) As this love story ranges from London to Michael's birthplace in the north of England to Vienna to Venice, few readers will remain deaf to its appeals. --Kerry Fried
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