Seven Touches of Music by Zoran Živković

Seven Touches of Music by Zoran Živković is an example of what the Serbian author refers to as one of his "mosaic novels" - that is, a handful of individual chapters that might appear to share only a common overarching theme, in this case, the theme of an older, solitary man or woman beholding the power of music, but, in its concluding chapter, via the storyteller's art, the novel is brought together as a cohesive, unifying whole.

Seen in one way, with its beautifully crafted, emotionally charged, understated, minimalist prose, Seven Touches of Music can be likened to Japanese author Yasunari Kawabata’s Snow Country, Thousand Cranes or House of the Sleeping Beauties. Yet from another angle, Zoran Živković’s short novel is a metaphysical fantasy in the spirit of Jorge Luis Borges. Quite the delectable combination. But so much for generalizations. Since in this novella the music's the thing, let's turn to each chapter:

1. The Whisper
Dr. Martin is a teacher of five autistic students - Ana, Sofia, Alex, Maria, Philip - all rather docile and ranging in age from six to eleven. He has spent his days watching the children sitting at their low desks in silence, expressing themselves as they draw or scribble on the blank paper provided. Although the drawing program does not call for music, an idea occurs to Dr. Martin: play selections of classical music for the children in order to observe if the music influences their drawing in any way.

His first choice is Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21. The music plays and the students sit at their desks as silent as ever, filling the paper. No change, not even one iota of difference. But then it happens: Dr. Martin detects an unusual focus and intensity from Philip. He takes long, quick strides to Philip’s desk to scrutinize the contents of the boy's paper. Dr. Martin is taken aback – what he sees is nothing short of miraculous, an impossible event speaking to the deep mystical connection between music, mathematics and the underlying structure of nature.

Dr. Martin now faces a series decision: make Philip's creation public or spare the boy further testing or intrusive examination that might cause him pain and suffering. I truly love the way in which Zoran Živković ends his sweet, sweet tale.

2. The Fire
Switching from music’s soft touch to one that’s harsh in the extreme, in Zoran Živković’s second chapter we follow the plight of a librarian by the name of Mrs. Martha who wakes from a frightful dream where tall, dark figures wearing dark brown hooded robes and carrying musical instruments entered a temple and began playing. “There was something deranged about the sounds. She couldn’t determine exactly what it was, but she was overcome by a strange certainty that something in addition to music was issuing from the instruments of those hooded figures who had magically passed into the doorless temple.” Particularly disturbing for a librarian since the fire within the temple consumed many books.

However, Mrs. Martha witnesses an even more disconcerting occurrence: the following morning when at work, sitting at her computer in the library, it appears some demonic force has taken over her computer screen: there they are, those hooded musicians playing in an ancient library, probably the famous library at Alexandria. And again – fire! “She watched in despair as the fiery orgy gobbled up the scrolls one after the other, reducing their invaluable contents to nothingness. Accompanied by the deranged music, the fire quickly gained momentum and finally occupied the screen completely.”

And if this isn't freakish enough, the next thing that happens shakes Mrs. Martha as she has never been shaken before. I dare not say another word; rather, let me conclude by noting Zoran Živković adds yet another tantalizing touch: the name of Mrs. Martha’s husband is Constantine.

3. The Cat
Mr. Oliver is an introverted widower. His dearly departed wife, Mrs. Katerina, entrusted him with the care of her beloved cat, her snow white Oscar. She also left Mr. Oliver the memory of her frequenting second hand shops and bringing home all sorts of second hand items.

Gradually, following his deceased wife's lead, Mr. Oliver also pays visits to second hand shops. On one such visit he's cajoled into buying an old music box in need of repair. With much repeated tinkering, Mr. Oliver finally gets the music box working, working well enough that he's magically transported back in time to a period in his life that could have been but never was. What the old widower discovers watching this fantastical scene taking place in his dining room prompts him to develop a closer, more tender relationship with Oscar. Ah, the intoxicating and, in this case, the soft, sweet power of music.



4. The Waiting Room
Poor elderly Miss Adele. She so much dislikes traveling. And now she’s obliged to take the train to visit her younger sister, Mrs. Teresa, who has been taken ill. When Miss Adele sits in the station’s waiting room, wouldn’t you know it, she is forced to listen to a ragged old organ grinder play his hand organ. And Miss Adele has always hated music, always too loud. Then, horror of horrors, the music causes poor Miss Adele to have a series of visions.

Reading The Waiting Room, I was reminded of the author saying in an interview: “Love and Death. These are the pivotal themes of the art of fiction. We write fiction in the first place because this is probably our best way to approach the two major determinants of our lives: our greatest sentiment and our mortality.”

5. The Puzzle
Mr. Adam began painting in his retirement, following a career as a laboratory scientist. As Sunday was for cooking, Monday for cycling, Tuesday for reading at the library, Wednesday for visits to the zoo, Thursday for visits to churches, Friday for going to the movies, so Saturday was the designated day Mr. Adam earmarked for painting in the park.

Mr. Adam follows his routine until something involving music happens when he's in the park. As a consequence, there's a radical change. "He returned home in a dejected mood and sat in the armchair facing the wall covered with paintings. The canvases formed a large square: four paintings in each of four rows. He stayed there for seven full days, only leaving the armchair to take a quick bite or go to the bathroom." As to why such a radical transformation, that's the puzzle.

6. The Violinist
Albert Einstein on his deathbed. Music crosses over into mysticism. "The violin began to build shapes out of sound that slotted perfectly into the empty spaces. Each part represented a distinct revelation: amazingly simple, magnificently complex, wondrously unbelievable, insanely unacceptable." To say more would be to say too much.

7. The Violin-Maker
A famous violin-maker jumps to his death. His assistant, Mr. Umbertini, takes to drinking at the local tavern. Then, one rainy day in late autumn, six people walk in and take their seats at a large table. I suspect you can guess who those six people just might be.

Seven Touches of Music is available as either a stand-alone novel or as part of Impossible Stories 1, both published by Cadmus Press.


Serbian author Zoran Živković, born 1948