A few years ago, Canadian writer
Mary Hughes acquired a copy of the flyleaf of her grandmother Violet
Courtenaye's Bible in which had been recorded key moments of her
early life. Hughes took these clues, along with the little she knew
about her relation, as the starting point to imagine her story.
The resulting work of (mainly)
fiction takes the form of letters written by Violet to her family and
friends, covering seven years in the 1890s, and beginning when the
16-year-old sets out for Leipzig, aiming to study the violin at the
conservatoire there. We hear of her trials in finding a teacher and
auditioning for a place and the months of waiting before she is
finally allowed to begin her studies.
...Through Hughes's diligent
research into the language and preoccupations of the period, we gain
a thoroughly credible insight into this 'imagined' life. Violet's
streak of independence shines through as she negotiates her way in a
Leipzig boarding house, complaining bitterly about her landlady's
'perpetual stew', working hard at her violin lessons, skating with
friends on the frozen river and enjoying the city's vibrant music
scene. Among the numerous concerts she attends at the famous
Gewandhaus are Joseph Joachim playing Mendelssohn's Violin Concerto
and an apparently underappreciated performance of Dvorak's Symphony
no 9. 'Audiences don't care for it'.
Violet's musings on topics as the
importance of votes for women and the fierce competitiveness of the
German nation feel a little clumsy … but the book is not without
charm, following Violet through her studies and back home to
Edinburgh.
The
Strad, “Essential reading for the string music world since 1890: -
July 2019
