Seeking the Spotlight and Shut Out from the Stage: Composers in Fiction

Like any creative field, the world of music composition can be cut-throat. In Brendan Slocumb’s new thriller, “Symphony of Secrets,” the author once again takes his real life experience as a music teacher and professional musician to craft a suspenseful story within the world of classical music. This time he creates a fictional composer, Frederic Delaney, who was famous for his infectious and technically impressive popular songs, and then infamous for losing the score of his last opera in a cycle and rewriting it only to face critical failure.  

The foundation Delaney founded makes a discovery of the original opera’s score and, under great secrecy, contracts with a professor to have it prepared for performance. However, Ben Hendricks, the professor in question, uncovers a bombshell about the true origin of Delaney’s genius and becomes the target of the foundation’s considerable power and influence when he threatens to reveal it. 

But Slocumb is not the only author to get inside the head of those who practice the alchemy that is musical composition. Elisa Alberts describes the way one indie musician competes against her own expectations of success and fame, and integrity as a writer. Minnie Darke weaves romance and connection from a song abandoned by a life cut short. Mary Sharratt imagines the life of a real historical figure – a woman who must choose between creative independence and the patronage of a powerful lover. Stephanie Clifford inhabits the thoughts of a woman at the end of a long career as a musician and her possible regrets for the choices she has made. 

Check out one of these titles to explore how musical manifestations bring deeply personal expressions into the public sphere, and the effect that choice has on their creators.