The Doctrine of Affections by Paul Headrick (Canadian Author)
Publisher: FreeHand Books (April 2010)
ISBN-10: 1551119781
ISBN-13: 978-1551119786
Product Description from http://paulheadrick.blogspot.com/
A poverty-stricken, nineteenth-century guitar virtuoso navigates the tricky political landscape of Parisian society as he comes out of retirement for one final concert. A sessional instructor competing for the prestigious interdisciplinary Chair in Aretha Franklin studies gets sidetracked by her obsession with a mysterious student in a yellow hat. A dying doo-wop DJ and his wife try to bridge the estrangement wrought by illness as they travel to the Caribbean in search of the horns, drums, and vocals of highlife. In the eleven stories that make up “The Doctrine of Affections”, Paul Headrick takes us on a fascinating journey into the heart of music. Examining an array of musical genres, and the humans that love and play them, Headrick’s stories question the subtle differences between hearing and listening, and communicating and understanding. Whether through the perfectly honed descresendo of a symphony’s string section, or the down-home chord progressions at a late-night kitchen party, Headrick’s characters grasp at the intangible and try to articulate the inexpressible, making indisputably beautiful music in the process.
Buy it from Amazon:
US/International: The Doctrine of Affections (Amazon.com)
Canada: The Doctrine of Affections (Amazon.ca)
Book Review: The Doctrine of Affections by Paul Headrick
by Bradford Werner
Canadian author Paul Headrick’s second book The Doctrine of Affections was sent to me a few weeks back and I was very pleased reading it on my recent vacation to Nelson BC. Among the collection of short stories in this charming little book is a story about Fernando Sor’s last days in Paris.
The book reminds me of another Canadian work, Stephen Leacock’s Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town. The story, like Leacock’s, is full of social interactions between characters striving to climb up the social ladder despite their fated position. The tale traces Sor’s reflections and reactions to the social web of nineteenth-century Paris and the humorous nagging of his landlady. Mme Renard insists that he name his studies something other than ‘Study Number Twelve’, to Sor’s dismay, suggesting ‘The Sweethearts Promenade’. The reluctant, yet poverty-stricken guitarist is then coerced by M. Guillemt, a friend of Mme Renards bourgeois circle, into giving a final concert and his experience is not what he expected.
The author has prepared a short video promotion for the story:
Coincidentally, I just read a blog post by Christopher Davis titled Ask Your Teacher to Tell Stories where Davis insists on the importance of stories in acquiring knowledge. You can expand on that theme to include stories that motivate, inspire, or intrigue you and your love of music.
After reading Headrick’s story I felt inspired to read through some Sor studies as I wanted to connect with Sor himself (rare for me as I’ve never been a huge fan of Sor). The story might be fictional but it gave me a little push toward the composer and how a poverty-stricken life in a dank apartment in Paris might change the sound of his loneliest melodies.
Conclusion:
Paul Headrick has written a charming collection of stories! Don’t just buy the book for the Sor story but also enjoy the variety of other musical tales.
Question:
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