MTHOME@BBNG.ARPA (07/20/85)
From: Mike Thome <MTHOME@BBNG.ARPA>
While I can't think of many authors who *often* use music
as a central theme (with McCaffrey as the one who first comes to mind),
there do seem to be a great many short stories that deal with music and
the other arts...
McCaffrey: Dragon{song,singer,drums} & Crystal singer
Sucharitkul: Many of his short stories that make up his books
(Inquestor series, Mallworld) have music/poetry/art as
a *very* important theme - on the other hand, most of
THESE arts don't exist here/now (darkweaver and dust
sculptor (?) stick in my mind). (Why haven't I seen much
(any) discussion of this author?)
Robinson: Many of his "crosstime saloon" stories use music -
"Wolfstroker" and the one about Bobbi Joy (is this the
right name?) stick in my mind... and, of course, you get
the puns for free...
Also, I remember a couple of very good short stories about music/art,
but don't remember who wrote them: a wonderful story about a woman who teaches
a forest to play classical music (what is this? I NEED to know!), and an
interesting one in analog a year or so ago about an art critic visiting a
"revolutionary" new artist (who isn't human) - called "The Critic", maybe?
Anyway - that's about 1/2 hour of thought on the subject - there
has got to be much more out there. I hope I gave enough clues to ID the
unknowns above to someone out there... I'de like to know too...
Oh yes, for SF-style music, try "The Essential Jean Michel Jarre"
which is a very good selection from his other albums.
Mike Thome
mthome@bbn
:-) :-) :-) 8-) :-) :-)
-------ddern@bbncch (07/21/85)
From: Daniel Dern <ddern@bbncch.ARPA> More Music In SF: "Nothing But Gingerbread Left" Cyril Kornbluth (the utlimate jingle strikes again) "A Work of Art" James Blish, found among other places in PERCHANCE TO DREAM (anthology of art & SF) [ if memory serves] "The Ninth Symphony of Ludwig Van Beethoven and Other Lost Songs", Carter Scholz "White Hole" (by yours truly), ASCENTS OF WONDER, ed Dave Gerrold "The Education of Drusilla Strange", Theodore Sturgeon (music figures heavily in this) "The Big Flash" Norman Spinrad (atomic rock) THE EINSTEIN INTERSECTION, "Empire Star", NOVA, Samuel Delaney (protagonists all are musicians [ flute/axe, ocarina, sensory syrinx respectively] ) The above topic has LOTS of entries - I don't know what the mystery is all about... More SF in Music: THE ROAD GOES EVER ON, Flanders & Swann -- settings of Tolkein songs Shadowfax -- a rock group a song on an early Tom Rapp ( of Pearls Before Swine) album which seems to be a Bradbury story [spacemen falling into the atmosphere] Daniel Dern ddern@bbn.arpa