Eric Blom (1888–1959)

Given this is Farr's only crime novel , it is not surprising that he is new to me. But I am very pleased that the British Library Crime Classics series continues to bring back books like this for people to discover.

A murder of a conductor is committed in front of a full house in the middle of an orchestral performance of Strauss.

Who is responsible and how was it committed?

I am not one who can read music nor know much about classical music more generally, and whilst both play a part in show more resolution of this mystery, it did not detract my enjoyment.

The book is also notable in that it is told largely by way of the passage of letters from D I Alan Hope to his wife, alongside extracts from news reports and the like.

The detection is believable and intelligent.

Very enjoyable

Big Ship

15 January 2025 show less

He spent his childhood years as a combination prodigy and freak show, carted around Europe with his father and sister to dazzle the aristocracy with his ability to perform and improvise on the keyboard and violin. One result of this, surely, was the cultivation of his powers to entertain; another was his later impatience with listeners unable to grasp the scope of his achievement.

That impatience only grew during his years as an employee of the archbishop of Salzburg, a period during which show more he felt constrained by the limitations of his provincial hometown. After moving to Vienna in 1781, he struggled to find and keep a steady job, the victim not only of his own political shortcomings but also of the shifting economic and sociological landscape in European musical life. He died 10 years later, at 35, of a mysterious illness whose exact identity scholars are still debating (the leading contender is rheumatic fever).

It's possible to identify some concrete links between Mozart's life and the music he wrote, but they're mostly matters of style or artistic technique. The most telling, for instance, was his belated discovery of the music of Bach, which sent him into a frenzy of study and self-improvement in an effort to integrate the older composer's contrapuntal techniques into his music. show less

This selection of reviews and other pieces written by Eric Blom for the (UK) Birmingham Post is of more than purely historical interest; many of his thoughts on classical music are still relevant, although some are obviously out of date (such as his view that "As champions of lost causes, we are not unlikely to start a Mahler boom in this country.") Some of his opinions would still be controversial - his comments on the relative merits of "Cavelleria Rusticana" and "The Gondoliers" would show more almost certainly provoke outrage in many modern opera buffs. I think anyone who likes classical music would find this an excellent bedside book - it's ideal for bedtime reading, as most of the pieces are no more than 4 pages long. show less