The Time of Our Singing
Encyclopedia
The Time of Our Singing (2003) is a novel by American writer Richard Powers
. It tells the story of two brothers involved in music, dealing heavily with issues of prejudice
.
Their parents met at Marian Anderson
's concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after she had been barred from any other legitimate concert venue.
The story goes back and forth between the generations describing the unusual coupling of a German-Jewish physicist who has lost his family in the holocaust and a black woman from Philadelphia both of whom have strong musical backgrounds. They impart their love of music to their family. Their two boys go on to study music and become professional musicians. One a singer, the other a pianist.
This is a complex epic novel juxtaposing historical events covering most of the 20th century, depicting racism and the development of civil rights efforts and the author's love and knowledge of music and physics. The book can be read on many levels but those who have at least some familiarity with music will find a plethora of references to music from all eras and styles.
Richard Powers
Richard Powers is an American novelist whose works explore the effects of modern science and technology.- Life and work :...
. It tells the story of two brothers involved in music, dealing heavily with issues of prejudice
Prejudice
Prejudice is making a judgment or assumption about someone or something before having enough knowledge to be able to do so with guaranteed accuracy, or "judging a book by its cover"...
.
Their parents met at Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson
Marian Anderson was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century...
's concert on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial after she had been barred from any other legitimate concert venue.
The story goes back and forth between the generations describing the unusual coupling of a German-Jewish physicist who has lost his family in the holocaust and a black woman from Philadelphia both of whom have strong musical backgrounds. They impart their love of music to their family. Their two boys go on to study music and become professional musicians. One a singer, the other a pianist.
This is a complex epic novel juxtaposing historical events covering most of the 20th century, depicting racism and the development of civil rights efforts and the author's love and knowledge of music and physics. The book can be read on many levels but those who have at least some familiarity with music will find a plethora of references to music from all eras and styles.
Music referenced in the book
Powers makes many references to specific composers, musicians and singers in the novel. Below are some examples.- "Time Stands Still" by John Dowland (1563–1626) - Page 4
- "CarmenCarmenCarmen is a French opéra comique by Georges Bizet. The libretto is by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy, based on the novella of the same title by Prosper Mérimée, first published in 1845, itself possibly influenced by the narrative poem The Gypsies by Alexander Pushkin...
" by Georges BizetGeorges BizetGeorges Bizet formally Alexandre César Léopold Bizet, was a French composer, mainly of operas. In a career cut short by his early death, he achieved few successes before his final work, Carmen, became one of the most popular and frequently performed works in the entire opera repertory.During a...
- Page 9 - Nina SimoneNina SimoneEunice Kathleen Waymon , better known by her stage name Nina Simone , was an American singer, songwriter, pianist, arranger, and civil rights activist widely associated with jazz music...
- "Concierto de AranjuezConcierto de AranjuezThe Concierto de Aranjuez is a composition for classical guitar and orchestra by the Spanish composer Joaquín Rodrigo. Written in 1939, it is probably Rodrigo's best-known work, and its success established his reputation as one of the most significant Spanish composers of the twentieth century. ...
" by Joaquín RodrigoJoaquín RodrigoJoaquín Rodrigo Vidre, 1st Marquis of the Gardens of Aranjuez , commonly known as Joaquín Rodrigo, was a composer of classical music and a virtuoso pianist. Despite being nearly blind from an early age, he achieved great success... - "Sketches of SpainSketches of SpainSketches of Spain is an album by Miles Davis, recorded between November 1959 and March 1960 at the Columbia 30th Street Studio in New York City....
" by Miles DavisMiles DavisMiles Dewey Davis III was an American jazz musician, trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. Widely considered one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century, Miles Davis was, with his musical groups, at the forefront of several major developments in jazz music, including bebop, cool jazz,... - "Der Erlkönig" by Franz SchubertFranz SchubertFranz Peter Schubert was an Austrian composer.Although he died at an early age, Schubert was tremendously prolific. He wrote some 600 Lieder, nine symphonies , liturgical music, operas, some incidental music, and a large body of chamber and solo piano music...
- "Bist du bei mirBist du bei mirBist du bei mir is an aria in the Notebook for Anna Magdalena Bach. It was therefore attributed to Johann Sebastian Bach, but the melody is part of the Gottfried Heinrich Stölzel opera Diomedes, oder die triumphierende Unschuld that was performed in Bayreuth on November 16, 1718. The opera score...
" attributed to Johann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian BachJohann Sebastian Bach was a German composer, organist, harpsichordist, violist, and violinist whose sacred and secular works for choir, orchestra, and solo instruments drew together the strands of the Baroque period and brought it to its ultimate maturity...
, actually by Gottfried Heinrich StölzelGottfried Heinrich StölzelGottfried Heinrich Stölzel was a prolific German composer.-Biography:Stölzel grew up in Schwarzenberg, Saxony in the Erzgebirge. From 1707 he was a student of theology in Leipzig, and of Melchior Hofmann, the musical director of the Neukirche. He studied, worked and composed in Breslau and Halle...
. - The VisitationThe VisitationThe Visitation is a serial in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was first broadcast in four twice-weekly parts from 15–23 February 1982.-Synopsis:...
by Gunther Schuller
Physics referenced in the book
- General RelativityGeneral relativityGeneral relativity or the general theory of relativity is the geometric theory of gravitation published by Albert Einstein in 1916. It is the current description of gravitation in modern physics...
- Page 9 - Second Law of ThermodynamicsThermodynamicsThermodynamics is a physical science that studies the effects on material bodies, and on radiation in regions of space, of transfer of heat and of work done on or by the bodies or radiation...
- Page 88
Political references
- The Daughters of the American Revolution refused permission for Marian AndersonMarian AndersonMarian Anderson was an African-American contralto and one of the most celebrated singers of the twentieth century...
to sing to an integrated audience in Constitution Hall.
External links
- Bibliography of editions of The Time of Our Singing.
- Listing of reviews and writings about The Time of Our Singing.
- The Chronicle of Higher Education Review of "The Time of Our Singing" in the context of artistic collaboration between Jewish & African American musicians.
- New York Times Review of "The Time of Our Singing".