 First edition cover | |
| Author | Vikram Seth |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Fiction |
| Publisher | Phoenix House |
Publication date | 8 April 1999 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 383 pages (first edition, hardcover), 400 pages (hardcover edition) & 400 pages (paperback edition) |
| ISBN | 1-86159-117-9 (first edition, hardcover), (ISBN 0-7679-0291-2 (hardcover edition) & ISBN 0-375-70924-X (paperback edition) |
| OCLC | 41381950 |
An Equal Music (1999) is a novel by Vikram Seth.
The plot concerns Michael, a professional violinist, who never forgot his love for Julia, a pianist he met as a student in Vienna. They meet again after a decade, and conduct a secret affair, though she is married and has one child. Their musical careers are affected by this affair and the knowledge that Julia is going deaf.
A recurring element throughout the plot is the pair's performance of Beethoven's Piano Trio Opus 1 No.3, which they first perform in their college days.
Seth together with Philippe Honoré marketed a double CD of the music mentioned in An Equal Music, performed by Honoré.[1]
The book was especially well received by musical fans, who noted the accuracy of Seth's descriptions of music.[citation needed]
Paolo Isotta, one of Italy's most significant music critics, wrote in the influential newspaper Il Corriere della Sera of the Italian translation that no European writer had ever shown such a knowledge of European classical music, nor had any European novel before managed to convey the psychology, the technical abilities, even the human potentialities of those who practise music for a living.[2]
Several musical works figure prominently in An Equal Music. Among these are the Trout Quintet by Franz Schubert, the String Quintet in C minor by Ludwig van Beethoven, and The Lark Ascending by Ralph Vaughan Williams.