Set the right mood with the right chord

Do you need music to work to? I find that I do. Most things come better if there is music on in the background and writing is no less. That might be why there are so many books focused around music and the art of it. A good book, good music in the background — what more does one person need? So today, I thought instead of offering you just one book about music, I’d do a list and tell you my top four books about the art of melody.
First on the list is Nick Hornby’s 31 Songs. I might have mentioned this book in passing before. I’ve certainly recommended it to all my friends. If you like Hornby and you like discovering new music then this book is definitely something you should pick up. Published as Songbook in the US, the book details 31 songs that Hornby loves, from his past and his present with the memories that go along with them. It is almost as if he’s made a mixed CD for you, and is telling you why he chose the songs. Some memories are touching, like the only song his autistic son responds to, some make you laugh like his imagining Ani DiFranco and her lover and their perfect breakup. All in all, this book will make you go scurrying for your music download site of choice, like I did and play each song as you read the book.
Next, I loved Namita Devidayal’s The Music Room. This is quite a different vibe from Hornby’s but it talks of Indian classical music with the same love Hornby has for Western artists, with a slight difference. Devidayal’s book is a memoir and a biography, where she talks about her teacher’s life and how that life influenced her. Deep ensconced in the world of classical music it leads you into small town India and the life of musicians all over the country. You feel as though you are there, either with Devidayal or with her teacher when she was young. It made me wish I had persevered with my own music lessons as a child, but we can’t all have talent in that area. The next best thing is to read about it.
As a Beatles fan, I would be remiss not to put the biography of my favourite Beatle on the list. John Lennon by Ray Coleman is everything a biography should be — bristling with personal anecdotes on the singer’s life, and not biased. Even though the criticism of the book is that it’s too “pro-Lennon”, I find the fact that Coleman loves Lennon to be endearing. As a fellow fan, I like that the author is honest — not digging up dirt unnecessarily, but honest. All of Lennon’s flaws and virtues are laid out very clearly and you can see that Coleman had a personal relationship with the singer. If you like the Beatles, or even don’t have much of an opinion on them, this book is an interesting insight into the history of music and how some of the biggest sensations of all time came to be. There are many other versions of Lennon’s life out there, but I think this one is this definitive edition. Also, there’s no blame placed on Yoko Ono, much derided as the “woman who broke up the Beatles”. Coleman makes it clear that it was Lennon’s choice to leave and embark on his solo career. Play some Beatles in the background, in chronological order if you can and read on as Lennon and the others progress from playing small gigs to becoming superstars.
And finally, a relatively new addition to my shelf on Books About Music is Kazuo Ishiguro’s Nocturnes. This is a series of small vignettes, on the theme of music and love. It is a book meant to be read with something classical or jazzy in the background, the words are beautiful as they dip and fall around you and the way the stories are laid out reminds you of a musical piece in themselves. Each of the five stories talks about music and musicians, some successful, some not, moving to a tempo that Ishiguro keeps going. Even if the stories are distinct, they have the same feel. Okay, so the book itself is slightly melancholic, but then so is some music. If you have never read Ishiguro before, or if you are a fan who just hasn’t picked up this book yet, I urge you to do so. Read it in bed, or at the witching hour before the sun sets and feel the strange moods that music can throw you into.

The writer is an author