Explore the role of classical music across several famous novels by discussing how music contributes to the plot and assessing how much specialist knowledge, if any, is required by the reader. Texts include Sarrasine by Honoré de Balzac and An Equal Music by Vikram Seth.
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Mrs Honeychurch disapproved of music, declaring that it always left her daughter peevish, unpractical and touchy,’ wrote EM Forster in A Room with a View (1908). It’s a sentence so intriguingly specific as to perk up anyone’s musical antennae. If Mrs Honeychurch doesn’t tempt you to reach – mid-chapter – for a brooding C minor sonata, how about the title of Edmund White’s devastating chronicle of the Aids pandemic, The Farewell Symphony (1997), does that provoke a very particular sense of loss and loneliness?
Both examples reference classical music works that border on the edges of general knowledge and that tells us something about the intended audience at the time of writing. On this course we’ll look at several examples and explore the musical connections contained in them. It would be helpful if you could read synopsis of each book listed below before the session and it would be also advantageous if you could read Sarrasine via this link https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1826/1826-h/1826-h.htm
What will we cover?
Topics will include:
How do authors portray music in their novels?
What assumptions do they make about audience’s taste and knowledge
Writing musical memories: auto-fiction in novels?
Books we will discuss:
Sarrasine: (1830, by Honoré de Balzac)
The Seven Crystal Balls &The Castafiore Emerald (Hergé, Tintin series)
An Equal Music (1999, by Vikram Seth)
The Farewell Symphony (1997, Edmund White)
A Terrible Kindness (2022, Jo Browning Wroe)
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
discuss one or two themes in the book with confidence
voice opinions with fellow music enthusiasts
discuss related works (films inspired by the book, or other similar books)
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is suitable for anyone with an interest in listening to music - you don’t need technical skills to join in. However, we do suggest that you read at least one listed book (or as much of it as possible) so that you can get the most out of the course.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
This single session will comprise combinations of mini-lecture, question-and-answer, guided listening, video and discussion. At all times you are encouraged to present your own opinions and knowledge to the group and join in thoughtful and respectful discussion.
You may wish to enjoy extra reading after this class and suggestions will be listed on Google Classroom afterwards.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
You may wish to bring a pen/pencil and a folder to keep notes. You may also wish to purchase some of the other music books or recordings discussed in class, links to these materials will be available online after the session.
Edward teaches music history and theory at City lit. His specialism is early music (medieval, renaissance and baroque) and he completed a PhD in historical musicology at King's College London (2013) on the performance of medieval music. Outside of teaching, Edward is a regular contributor to Gramophone magazine and has lectured for Dartington International Summer School, London's Southbank Centre and The British Library. He has also worked as a researcher for BBC Proms and written for the journal Early Music (OUP). His essays are published in: The Cambridge Encyclopaedia of Historical Performance in Music, (Cambridge University Press); The Montpellier Codex: Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Music 16 (Boydell Press); Recomposing the Past: Representations of Early Music on Stage and Screen (Ashgate 2018); and 30-Second Classical Music (Ivy Press).
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
product
https://www.citylit.ac.uk/exploring-classical-music-in-novels2991125Exploring Classical Music in Novelshttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/fiction-1024.jpg2929GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Fiction22851177118711881228511771187<p>Explore the role of classical music across several famous novels by discussing how music contributes to the plot and assessing how much specialist knowledge, if any, is required by the reader. Texts include <em>Sarrasine</em> by Honoré de Balzac and <em>An Equal Music </em>by Vikram Seth.</p>002991113Exploring Classical Music in Novels2929https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/category/fiction-1024.jpgInStockDaytimeSatKeeley StreetAvailable coursesOne-off onlyWeekend2026-07-04T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allJul 2026Culture, history & humanitiesHLT3942929Exploring Classical Music in Novels231929Edward Breenexploring-classical-music-in-novels/hlt394-2526<p>Explore the role of classical music across several famous novels by discussing how music contributes to the plot and assessing how much specialist knowledge, if any, is required by the reader. Texts include <em>Sarrasine</em> by Honoré de Balzac and <em>An Equal Music </em>by Vikram Seth.</p>0000-Available|2026-07-04 00:00:00<p>Mrs Honeychurch disapproved of music, declaring that it always left her daughter peevish, unpractical and touchy,’ wrote EM Forster in <em>A Room with a View</em> (1908). It’s a sentence so intriguingly specific as to perk up anyone’s musical antennae. If Mrs Honeychurch doesn’t tempt you to reach – mid-chapter – for a brooding C minor sonata, how about the title of Edmund White’s devastating chronicle of the Aids pandemic, <em>The Farewell Symphony</em> (1997), does that provoke a very particular sense of loss and loneliness? </p><p><br/>Both examples reference classical music works that border on the edges of general knowledge and that tells us something about the intended audience at the time of writing. On this course we’ll look at several examples and explore the musical connections contained in them. It would be helpful if you could read synopsis of each book listed below before the session and it would be also advantageous if you could read <em>Sarrasine</em> via this link <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1826/1826-h/1826-h.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1826/1826-h/1826-h.htm</a><br/> </p><p>Explore the role of classical music across several famous novels by discussing how music contributes to the plot and assessing how much specialist knowledge, if any, is required by the reader. Texts include <em>Sarrasine</em> by Honoré de Balzac and <em>An Equal Music </em>by Vikram Seth.</p><p>Topics will include:</p><ul><li>How do authors portray music in their novels? </li><li>What assumptions do they make about audience’s taste and knowledge</li><li>Writing musical memories: auto-fiction in novels?</li></ul><p>Books we will discuss:</p><ul><li><em>Sarrasine</em>: (1830, by Honoré de Balzac)</li><li><em>The Seven Crystal Balls &The Castafiore Emerald</em> (Hergé, Tintin series)</li><li><em>An Equal Music</em> (1999, by Vikram Seth)</li><li><em>The Farewell Symphony</em> (1997, Edmund White)</li><li><em>A Terrible Kindness </em>(2022, Jo Browning Wroe)<br/> </li></ul><ul><li>discuss one or two themes in the book with confidence</li><li>voice opinions with fellow music enthusiasts</li><li>discuss related works (films inspired by the book, or other similar books)<br/> </li></ul><p>This course is suitable for anyone with an interest in listening to music - you don’t need technical skills to join in. However, we do suggest that you read at least one listed book (or as much of it as possible) so that you can get the most out of the course.</p><p>This single session will comprise combinations of mini-lecture, question-and-answer, guided listening, video and discussion. At all times you are encouraged to present your own opinions and knowledge to the group and join in thoughtful and respectful discussion.</p><p><br/>You may wish to enjoy extra reading after this class and suggestions will be listed on <a href="https://help.citylit.ac.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/11273523970845-What-is-your-City-Lit-student-IT-account" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Classroom</a> afterwards.<br/> </p><p>You may wish to bring a pen/pencil and a folder to keep notes. You may also wish to purchase some of the other music books or recordings discussed in class, links to these materials will be available online after the session.</p><p>To find out more about city Lit literature courses please use this link <a href="http://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature</a></p><p><br/>You may also enjoy our Music department book club: <a href="http://www.citylit.ac.uk/blog/music-history-your-guide-our-programme" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.citylit.ac.uk/blog/music-history-your-guide-our-programme </a><br/> </p>LiteratureFictionvirtual232919HLT394NONESat04/07/2610:30 - 13:3010:3013:301 session1One-off onlyDaytimeWeekendKSKeeley StreetEdward BreenBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-07-04T00:00:00+00:00Jul 2026Culture, history & humanities2929Exploring Classical Music in Novelsexploring-classical-music-in-novels/hlt394-2526<p>Explore the role of classical music across several famous novels by discussing how music contributes to the plot and assessing how much specialist knowledge, if any, is required by the reader. Texts include <em>Sarrasine</em> by Honoré de Balzac and <em>An Equal Music </em>by Vikram Seth.</p>0000-Available|2026-07-04 00:00:00<p>Mrs Honeychurch disapproved of music, declaring that it always left her daughter peevish, unpractical and touchy,’ wrote EM Forster in <em>A Room with a View</em> (1908). It’s a sentence so intriguingly specific as to perk up anyone’s musical antennae. If Mrs Honeychurch doesn’t tempt you to reach – mid-chapter – for a brooding C minor sonata, how about the title of Edmund White’s devastating chronicle of the Aids pandemic, <em>The Farewell Symphony</em> (1997), does that provoke a very particular sense of loss and loneliness? </p><p><br/>Both examples reference classical music works that border on the edges of general knowledge and that tells us something about the intended audience at the time of writing. On this course we’ll look at several examples and explore the musical connections contained in them. It would be helpful if you could read synopsis of each book listed below before the session and it would be also advantageous if you could read <em>Sarrasine</em> via this link <a href="https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1826/1826-h/1826-h.htm" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1826/1826-h/1826-h.htm</a><br/> </p><p>Explore the role of classical music across several famous novels by discussing how music contributes to the plot and assessing how much specialist knowledge, if any, is required by the reader. Texts include <em>Sarrasine</em> by Honoré de Balzac and <em>An Equal Music </em>by Vikram Seth.</p><p>Topics will include:</p><ul><li>How do authors portray music in their novels? </li><li>What assumptions do they make about audience’s taste and knowledge</li><li>Writing musical memories: auto-fiction in novels?</li></ul><p>Books we will discuss:</p><ul><li><em>Sarrasine</em>: (1830, by Honoré de Balzac)</li><li><em>The Seven Crystal Balls &amp;The Castafiore Emerald</em> (Hergé, Tintin series)</li><li><em>An Equal Music</em> (1999, by Vikram Seth)</li><li><em>The Farewell Symphony</em> (1997, Edmund White)</li><li><em>A Terrible Kindness </em>(2022, Jo Browning Wroe)<br/> </li></ul><ul><li>discuss one or two themes in the book with confidence</li><li>voice opinions with fellow music enthusiasts</li><li>discuss related works (films inspired by the book, or other similar books)<br/> </li></ul><p>This course is suitable for anyone with an interest in listening to music - you don’t need technical skills to join in. However, we do suggest that you read at least one listed book (or as much of it as possible) so that you can get the most out of the course.</p><p>This single session will comprise combinations of mini-lecture, question-and-answer, guided listening, video and discussion. At all times you are encouraged to present your own opinions and knowledge to the group and join in thoughtful and respectful discussion.</p><p><br/>You may wish to enjoy extra reading after this class and suggestions will be listed on <a href="https://help.citylit.ac.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/11273523970845-What-is-your-City-Lit-student-IT-account" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Google Classroom</a> afterwards.<br/> </p><p>You may wish to bring a pen/pencil and a folder to keep notes. You may also wish to purchase some of the other music books or recordings discussed in class, links to these materials will be available online after the session.</p><p>To find out more about city Lit literature courses please use this link <a href="http://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature</a></p><p><br/>You may also enjoy our Music department book club: <a href="http://www.citylit.ac.uk/blog/music-history-your-guide-our-programme" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.citylit.ac.uk/blog/music-history-your-guide-our-programme </a><br/> </p>LiteratureFictionconfigurable
11881187Fictionhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/literature/fiction1/2/285/1177/1187/11881/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Literature/Fiction
