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technovelist
2024-05-20 18:09:41 UTC
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Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer is "brought back from the dead"
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant" (my term, I'm not sure what it
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer" realizes just before they take
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of the composer, a complete hack
with no actual original ability.

I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
Michael F. Stemper
2024-05-20 19:22:10 UTC
Permalink
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer is "brought back from the dead"
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant" (my term, I'm not sure what it
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer" realizes just before they take
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of the composer, a complete hack
with no actual original ability.
"A Work of Art", by Blish.

<https://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/title.cgi?40770>
--
Michael F. Stemper
Galatians 3:28
William Hyde
2024-05-20 21:22:22 UTC
Permalink
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer is "brought back from the dead"
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant" (my term, I'm not sure what it
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer" realizes just before they take
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of the composer, a complete hack
with no actual original ability.
I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
It is "A work of art" by James Blish. The composer was Richard Strauss.

Robert Mills edited an anthology in which authors were invited to submit
their best stories. This was Blish's choice.

William Hyde
Chris Duck
2024-05-20 23:13:46 UTC
Permalink
Thanks!
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer is "brought back from the dead"
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant" (my term, I'm not sure what it
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer" realizes just before they take
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of the composer, a complete hack
with no actual original ability.
I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
It is "A work of art" by James Blish. The composer was Richard Strauss.
Robert Mills edited an anthology in which authors were invited to submit
their best stories. This was Blish's choice.
William Hyde
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
2024-05-21 00:34:30 UTC
Permalink
Post by Chris Duck
Thanks!
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer
is "brought back from the dead"
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant"
(my term, I'm not sure what it
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer"
realizes just before they take
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of
the composer, a complete hack
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
with no actual original ability.
I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or
Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
It is "A work of art" by James Blish. The composer was Richard Strauss.
Robert Mills edited an anthology in which authors were invited to submit
their best stories. This was Blish's choice.
William Hyde
That's interesting, in that it certainly doesn't sound as good as say,
"Surface Tensin".
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
2024-05-21 00:34:52 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Post by Chris Duck
Thanks!
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer
is "brought back from the dead"
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant"
(my term, I'm not sure what it
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer"
realizes just before they take
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of
the composer, a complete hack
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
with no actual original ability.
I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or
Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
It is "A work of art" by James Blish. The composer was Richard Strauss.
Robert Mills edited an anthology in which authors were invited to submit
their best stories. This was Blish's choice.
William Hyde
That's interesting, in that it certainly doesn't sound as good as say,
"Surface Tensin".
Or "Surface Tension" even..
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
Paul S Person
2024-05-21 15:43:47 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Post by Chris Duck
Thanks!
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer
is "brought back from the dead"
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant"
(my term, I'm not sure what it
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer"
realizes just before they take
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of
the composer, a complete hack
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
with no actual original ability.
I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or
Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
It is "A work of art" by James Blish. The composer was Richard Strauss.
Robert Mills edited an anthology in which authors were invited to submit
their best stories. This was Blish's choice.
William Hyde
That's interesting, in that it certainly doesn't sound as good as say,
"Surface Tensin".
Or "Surface Tension" even..
That's because it is what the /author/ regarded as his best story.

Or so I presume.
--
"Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"
William Hyde
2024-05-21 18:56:55 UTC
Permalink
Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Post by Chris Duck
Thanks!
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer
is "brought back from the dead"
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant"
(my term, I'm not sure what it
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer"
realizes just before they take
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of
the composer, a complete hack
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
with no actual original ability.
I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or
Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
It is "A work of art" by James Blish. The composer was Richard Strauss.
Robert Mills edited an anthology in which authors were invited to submit
their best stories. This was Blish's choice.
William Hyde
That's interesting, in that it certainly doesn't sound as good as say,
"Surface Tensin".
It's a complex story about identity, and while the context is distinctly
secular, I think it resonates with some of the religious issues which
form part of Blish's fiction.

Also, it's quite an original story, and the twist at the end is nice,
the kind you should have foreseen, but probably did not. I can't imagine
any other SF author writing it.


In addition, he seems to have known a fair amount about Strauss, and
this gave him a chance to look at the composer's work from the
perspective of the reconstructed Strauss. The latter does not like some
aspects of the original's work, perhaps giving Blish a chance to air
longstanding irritations.

If I were to write a similar story about Dvorak, for example, I'd have
the reconstructed Anton wonder how he could have marred so great a work
as this eighth symphony with such a slapdash ending (as I understand it,
the musical world somehow disagrees with me about this, perhaps as much
as I disagree with Blish about Strauss. How inexplicable!)




William Hyde
Ted Nolan <tednolan>
2024-05-21 19:19:39 UTC
Permalink
Post by William Hyde
Post by Ted Nolan <tednolan>
Post by Chris Duck
Thanks!
On Mon, 20 May 2024 17:22:22 -0400, William Hyde
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer
is "brought back from the dead"
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant"
(my term, I'm not sure what it
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
was called in the story)? The twist is that the "revived composer"
realizes just before they take
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
away the personality transplant is that he is the critics' version of
the composer, a complete hack
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
with no actual original ability.
I read this in a short story collection. It might be James Blish or
Arthur C. Clarke but I haven't
Post by William Hyde
Post by technovelist
seen any titles that ring a bell in their bibliographies.
It is "A work of art" by James Blish. The composer was Richard Strauss.
Robert Mills edited an anthology in which authors were invited to submit
their best stories. This was Blish's choice.
William Hyde
That's interesting, in that it certainly doesn't sound as good as say,
"Surface Tensin".
It's a complex story about identity, and while the context is distinctly
secular, I think it resonates with some of the religious issues which
form part of Blish's fiction.
Also, it's quite an original story, and the twist at the end is nice,
the kind you should have foreseen, but probably did not. I can't imagine
any other SF author writing it.
In addition, he seems to have known a fair amount about Strauss, and
this gave him a chance to look at the composer's work from the
perspective of the reconstructed Strauss. The latter does not like some
aspects of the original's work, perhaps giving Blish a chance to air
longstanding irritations.
If I were to write a similar story about Dvorak, for example, I'd have
the reconstructed Anton wonder how he could have marred so great a work
as this eighth symphony with such a slapdash ending (as I understand it,
the musical world somehow disagrees with me about this, perhaps as much
as I disagree with Blish about Strauss. How inexplicable!)
William Hyde
Thanks!

I haven't read the story (obviously), and from the initial description,
it sounded like a "gimmick" story like the one where Asimov had
Shakespeare fail a class on Shakespeare...
--
columbiaclosings.com
What's not in Columbia anymore..
Scott Dorsey
2024-05-21 00:59:56 UTC
Permalink
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer is "brought back from the dead"
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant" (my term, I'm not sure what it
was called in the story)?
This only works because he hadn't decomposed yet.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
Scott Lurndal
2024-05-21 14:52:55 UTC
Permalink
Post by Scott Dorsey
Post by technovelist
Anyone have a reference for a short story in which a famous composer is "brought back from the dead"
by giving a completely nonmusical person a "personality transplant" (my term, I'm not sure what it
was called in the story)?
This only works because he hadn't decomposed yet.
Groan.
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