musical analogies in the defense

Musical Analogies in The Defense
by Alexander Drescher

Appendix: Log of Musical References in The Defense
(page references are to the Vintage International edition)

Page

Chapter 1

16

messy bunch of bluebells on lid of the piano

23

daguerreotype of his maternal grandfather---black sidewhiskers, violin in hand---stared down at him.......completely vanished, dissolving in the glass....

25

image of fair-haired lad, “headstrong,” “brooding,” who later turned into a violinist or painter, without losing his moral beauty in the process

25

[L. Sr.] ..father in law...composer..arid...doubtful splendors of virtuosity;

25

dream..lithograph.. Wunderkind...playing on an enormous , black piano.

Chapter 2

26

[at school, L. Sr] In the ensuing silence his steps range out with a stressed sonority

33

[boring books] Korolenko’s The Blind Musician**

33-34

[Holmes] ....injection of cocaine, would dreamily play the violin...

36

[magic] .....harmonious simplicity.....amaze far more than the most intricate magic [Mozart]

36-37

not stated: the “inexplicable miracle” of intersecting/parallel lines has characteristics of contrapuntal exposition [Bach]

37

again, not stated: the description of “poozles” plays on the tension through which a single element has meaning [or double meaning] within itself and a second [or third] meaning as a element of a larger harmony [i.e. the polyphonic play of tune within harmonic structure].

38

a large silent piano...thick glass...brocaded cloth [L. Sr. can not see]

Chapter 3

39

[L. Sr] anniversary father-in-law's death.....secret, shameful passion for La Traviata, ....watching pianists hands.....works of his late father-in-law

40

[L] through two rooms, came the tender wail of a violin

42

[violinist provides connection music/sex/chess]

43

“What a game, what a game” said the violinist, tenderly closing the box. “Combinations like melodies.....hear the moves.....I would rather have a game...The game of the gods. Infinite possibilities”

44

[L Sr] hinting....a good idea to take up music

46

[first instance of two melodies in conversation intertwine [chess piece’s moves and feminine life] in counterpoint]

49

[L] watched game, striving to perceive harmonious patterns the musician had spoken of.....

Chapter 4

54

grandfather’s study....bronze boy with violin    [site discovery chess problems]

56

notation.....father-in-law could read a score...hear in his mind all the movements of the music....”It must be a great pleasure,” his father had said, “to assimilate music in its natural state.” [L reads chess]

57

L. gradually ceased to reconstruct actually on the board and contented himself with perceiving their melody....[!]

68

..Philidor, who was also an accomplished musician.

71

[delirium reprise] ...the clean-shaven face of the musician holding for some reason the telephone receiver like a violin..semblance of monstrous game...

71

....same orchestra on the stand

Chapter 5

76

[L.sr] in the bar a violin and piano...selections..Traviata....music bemisted him so mellowly....forgot about time...inspiration

78

..endowed son ...musical rather than chess prodigy...

81

[music is not one among Valentinov’s many attributes,]

Chapter 6

75

[she] ...made him look like a musician

88

[she] ...a great artist.......except those inspired eccentrics, musicians and poets....

90

But this work was beyond the powers of her imagination....nor piano...

91

[she] into the avenue, where she could hear music coming from the kursaal...

97

L. present plight was that of a writer or composer....

Chapter 7

[Life attempts to compete with chess, without success. No musical references.

Pause between movements?   Intermission?

Chapter 8

129

...singer Mme. V....; .....Queen of Spades [after the well known opera]....

Luzhin/Turati

135

the long paragraph beginning on p. 135 could be an 'introduction'

complete with a re-"tard" and return 'a tempo' ["avanti"] leading into

the first theme. "Maestro" can be taken as a musical master as well.

137

138

139

The opening involves "muted violins," an arresting "chord

sang out" followed by a counter "trace of melody."   Then, as the

opponents feel each other out, music gives way to less organized sound:

"combination of sounds," "vibration," "chime"

"tinkle".   The first moment of real tension, Turati's "musical tempest", leads Luzhin to search for a "tiny clear [leading] note" that will modulate to a

different "harmony".

After a short "agitato" passage the tension

dissolves with loss of "rhythm". Luzhin begins to explore a

series of "variations" each of which, rondo-like, returns to a "perilous

echo". The final "harmony" has no musical referent, there is now no

existence other than chess.

[The promises of structure [harmonious simplicity of magic p. 36],

melody [Holmes p. 34], counter-point [Merry Mathematics p. 36], and

polyphony [poozles p. 37] are not evident in the narrative].

Chapter 9

144

anniversary of leaving school with a good sing and the sonorous ringing of clinked glasses

152

a collapsible opera hat bought in London....Valentinov

Chapter 10

[Life, no chess no music]

Chapter 11

171

[L memory child return to St. P.] .....burst of military music..beat of drum ...trumpets.

Chapter 12

188

brochures....The musical names....

189

190

[the phonograph] ...would exude music...Luzhin remembered the airs and even attempted to sing them.......ululating dances...American who sing in whisper..

....opera....with church bells ringing in one place and with sinister pauses

194

195

196

198

[the ball] music, and dancers circled

..the bursts of music now got on his nerves... a famous Russian singer

....strange marriage to an unsuccessful musician, or something....

...Arebuzov could play the piano?..

Chapter 13

202

[Berlin walk] from a shop of talking and playing machines came the sound of fragile music and someone closed the door so the music would not catch cold

Chapter 14

224

[unstated] Luzhin solving the immaterial chess problem and wife reading the prolix newspaper political commentary: fugal counterpoint.

246

[in V.’s office] To the sound of this voice, to the music of the chessboard’s evil lure....There were combinations, pure and harmonious....tender stirrings...a passionate explosion and the fanfare of the Queen going to its sacrificial doom...all the shades of love and mysterious paths it had chosen...

     The key was found.     [Does N. have enough formal musical training to take word key in musical sense? Does this passage suggest the return of the dominant themes in the tonic key?]

Page
	Chapter 1
16	messy bunch of bluebells on lid of the piano
23	daguerreotype of his maternal grandfather---black sidewhiskers, violin in hand---stared down at him.......completely vanished, dissolving in the glass....
25	image of fair-haired lad, “headstrong,” “brooding,” who later turned into a violinist or painter, without losing his moral beauty in the process
25	[L. Sr.] ..father in law...composer..arid...doubtful splendors of virtuosity;
25	dream..lithograph.. Wunderkind...playing on an enormous , black piano.
	Chapter 2
26	[at school, L. Sr] In the ensuing silence his steps range out with a stressed sonority
33	[boring books] Korolenko’s The Blind Musician**
33-34	[Holmes] ....injection of cocaine, would dreamily play the violin...
36	[magic] .....harmonious simplicity.....amaze far more than the most intricate magic [Mozart]
36-37	not stated: the “inexplicable miracle” of intersecting/parallel lines has characteristics of contrapuntal exposition [Bach]
37	again, not stated: the description of “poozles” plays on the tension through which a single element has meaning [or double meaning] within itself and a second [or third] meaning as a element of a larger harmony [i.e. the polyphonic play of tune within harmonic structure].
38	a large silent piano...thick glass...brocaded cloth [L. Sr. can not see]
	Chapter 3
39	[L. Sr] anniversary father-in-law's death.....secret, shameful passion for La Traviata, ....watching pianists hands.....works of his late father-in-law
40	[L] through two rooms, came the tender wail of a violin
42	[violinist provides connection music/sex/chess]
43	“What a game, what a game” said the violinist, tenderly closing the box. “Combinations like melodies.....hear the moves.....I would rather have a game...The game of the gods. Infinite possibilities”
44	[L Sr] hinting....a good idea to take up music
46	[first instance of two melodies in conversation intertwine [chess piece’s moves and feminine life] in counterpoint]
49	[L] watched game, striving to perceive harmonious patterns the musician had spoken of.....
	Chapter 4
54	grandfather’s study....bronze boy with violin [site discovery chess problems]
56	notation.....father-in-law could read a score...hear in his mind all the movements of the music....”It must be a great pleasure,” his father had said, “to assimilate music in its natural state.” [L reads chess]
57	L. gradually ceased to reconstruct actually on the board and contented himself with perceiving their melody....[!]
68	..Philidor, who was also an accomplished musician.
71	[delirium reprise] ...the clean-shaven face of the musician holding for some reason the telephone receiver like a violin..semblance of monstrous game...
71	....same orchestra on the stand
	Chapter 5
76	[L.sr] in the bar a violin and piano...selections..Traviata....music bemisted him so mellowly....forgot about time...inspiration
78	..endowed son ...musical rather than chess prodigy...
81	[music is not one among Valentinov’s many attributes,]
	Chapter 6
75	[she] ...made him look like a musician
88	[she] ...a great artist.......except those inspired eccentrics, musicians and poets....
90	But this work was beyond the powers of her imagination....nor piano...
91	[she] into the avenue, where she could hear music coming from the kursaal...
97	L. present plight was that of a writer or composer....
	Chapter 7
	[Life attempts to compete with chess, without success. No musical references. Pause between movements? Intermission?
	Chapter 8
129	...singer Mme. V....; .....Queen of Spades [after the well known opera]....
	*Luzhin/Turati*
135	the long paragraph beginning on p. 135 could be an 'introduction' complete with a re-"tard" and return 'a tempo' ["avanti"] leading into the first theme. "Maestro" can be taken as a musical master as well.
137 138 139	The opening involves "muted violins," an arresting "chord sang out" followed by a counter "trace of melody." Then, as the opponents feel each other out, music gives way to less organized sound: "combination of sounds," "vibration," "chime" "tinkle". The first moment of real tension, Turati's "musical tempest", leads Luzhin to search for a "tiny clear [leading] note" that will modulate to a different "harmony". After a short "agitato" passage the tension dissolves with loss of "rhythm". Luzhin begins to explore a series of "variations" each of which, rondo-like, returns to a "perilous echo". The final "harmony" has no musical referent, there is now no existence other than chess. [The promises of structure [harmonious simplicity of magic p. 36], melody [Holmes p. 34], counter-point [Merry Mathematics p. 36], and polyphony [poozles p. 37] are not evident in the narrative].
	Chapter 9
144	anniversary of leaving school with a good sing and the sonorous ringing of clinked glasses
152	a collapsible opera hat bought in London....Valentinov
	Chapter 10
	[Life, no chess no music]
	Chapter 11
171	[L memory child return to St. P.] .....burst of military music..beat of drum ...trumpets.
	Chapter 12
188	brochures....The musical names....
189 190	[the phonograph] ...would exude music...Luzhin remembered the airs and even attempted to sing them.......ululating dances...American who sing in whisper.. ....opera....with church bells ringing in one place and with sinister pauses
194 195 196 198	[the ball] music, and dancers circled ..the bursts of music now got on his nerves... a famous Russian singer ....strange marriage to an unsuccessful musician, or something.... ...Arebuzov could play the piano?..
	Chapter 13
202	[Berlin walk] from a shop of talking and playing machines came the sound of fragile music and someone closed the door so the music would not catch cold
	Chapter 14
224	[unstated] Luzhin solving the immaterial chess problem and wife reading the prolix newspaper political commentary: fugal counterpoint.
246	[in V.’s office] To the sound of this voice, to the music of the chessboard’s evil lure....There were combinations, pure and harmonious....tender stirrings...a passionate explosion and the fanfare of the Queen going to its sacrificial doom...all the shades of love and mysterious paths it had chosen... The key was found. [Does N. have enough formal musical training to take word key in musical sense? Does this passage suggest the return of the dominant themes in the tonic key?]