An Incomplete History of the Art of Funerary Violin

An Incomplete History of the Art of Funerary Violin

"An Incomplete History of the Art of the Funerary Violin" is a book by Rohan Kriwaczek, purportedly tracing the lost history of funerary violin. Contrary to its title, the book is a work of fiction and not an actual account of history.

Peter Mayer, the publisher of Overlook Press, doubted the veracity of the book and the history that it was said to contain; nevertheless, he agreed to publish it. Violin dealers and stringed instrument publications quickly refuted the existence of a musical genre called "funerary violin," as reported by the "New York Times."

Defending his decision to publish the book, Mayer said::I decided it didn't really matter to me how much of this was actually accurate. It was a life's work. [Kriwaczek] was dedicated to this guild not being forgotten, dedicated to the music. I decided this is just an amazing piece of work, and I wanted to publish it,... Who knows if it's true, but it's unbelievable reading.

Book stores that have agreed to stock the book are unsure how to categorize it. The book doesn't really belong in fiction since it's not a typical narrative, but the art history section would be incorrect because all of the historical facts have been invented.

Kriwaczek argues that his book is neither a hoax nor an attempt to mislead. He issued a statement on October 5, 2006 saying that he wanted to "expand the notion of musical composition to encompass the creation of an entire artistic genre, with its necessary accompanying history, mythology, philosophy, social function, etc."

Publication info

*London ; New York : Duckworth, 2006 (ISBN 1585678260)

Table of Contents

Introduction
A Brief Summary of Early Funeral Music
The Subtle Art of the Funeral March
George Babcotte
The Birth of a Tradition
Bulstrode Whycherley
Herbert Stanley Littlejohn
John (Jane) Pemberton
Herr Hieronymous Gratchenfleiss
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Pierre Dubuisson
Charles Sudbury
Matthew Connisten
Paganini, the Vatican, and Rumours of Demonic Association
Father Elias Passmore Jarvis
Wilhelm Kleinbach
The Collection of Gunter II
Stanley Eaton
The Funerary Violinist Today
Epilogue: A Response from the Vatican
A Brief Tribute to the Many Silent Heroes

References

* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6202644 Uncovering the 'True' History of the Funerary Violin] by National Public Radio, accessed October 5, 2006.
* [http://www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive/stories/2007/1907579.htm The funerary violin] by Radio National, accessed April 28, 2007.


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