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The year is 1629, and King Christian IV of Denmark is living in a limbo of fear for his life and rage over his country's ruin, not to mention his wife's not-so-secret adultery. He consoles himself with impossible dreams and with music, the latter performed by his royal orchestra in a freezing cellar while he listens in his cozy chamber directly above. Music, he hopes, will create the sublime order he craves. The queen, meanwhile, detests nothing more. The duty of assuaging the king's miseries falls to his absurdly handsome English lutenist, Peter Claire, who resigns himself to his (so to speak) underground success:
They begin. It seems to Peter Claire as if they are playing only for themselves, as if this is a rehearsal for some future performance in a grand, lighted room. He has to keep reminding himself that the music is being carried, as breath is carried through the body of a wind instrument, through the twisted pipes, and emerging clear and sharp in the Vinterstue, where King Christian is eating his breakfast.... He strives, as always, for perfection and, because he is playing and listening with such fierce concentration, doesn't notice the cold in the cellar as he thought he would, and his fingers feel nimble and supple.Other stories, each of them full of fabulous invention, intertwine with these musical machinations. There is the tale of the king's mother, who hoards her gold in secret; the tormenting memory of his boyhood friend, Bror; and the romance between Peter Claire and the queen's downtrodden maid, Emilia. And while the author paid meticulous mind to her period settings, her take on desire and longing has a very modern intensity to it, as if an ancient score were being performed on a contemporary (and surpassingly elegant) instrument. --Ruth Petrie
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. Now reissued with a stunning new jacket look, Music & Silence is a story of love and divided loyalties set in seventeenth century Denmark'The best thing from Denmark since Hamlet.' John Julius NorwichIn the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. From the moment when he realises that the musicians perform in a freezing cellar underneath the royal apartments, Peter Claire understands that he's come to a place where the opposing states of light and dark, good and evil, are waging war to the death.Designated the King's 'Angel' because of his good looks, he finds himself falling in love with the young woman who is the companion of the King's adulterous and estranged wife, Kirsten. With his loyalties fatally divided between duty and passion, how can Peter Claire find the path that will realise his hopes and save his soul?'The best historical novelist of her generation. She evokes the past with sensuality, wit and superb sleights of hand. The plot is ingenious.an unforgettable tapestry of Eros and art.' A. N. Wilson 'The best thing from Denmark since Hamlet.' John Julius NorwichIn the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780099268550
Book Description Condition: New. pp. 464. Seller Inventory # 3317300
Book Description paperback. Condition: New. Language: ENG. Seller Inventory # 9780099268550
Book Description Soft Cover. Condition: new. Seller Inventory # 9780099268550
Book Description Paperback / softback. Condition: New. New copy - Usually dispatched within 4 working days. In the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. Designated the King's 'Angel' because of his good looks, he finds himself falling in love with the young woman who is the companion of the King's adulterous and estranged wife, Kirsten. Seller Inventory # B9780099268550
Book Description Paperback. Condition: New. BRAND NEW ** SUPER FAST SHIPPING FROM UK WAREHOUSE ** 30 DAY MONEY BACK GUARANTEE. Seller Inventory # 9780099268550-GDR
Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 464 pages. 7.80x5.08x1.06 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0099268558
Book Description Condition: New. In the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. Designated the King's 'Angel' because of his good looks, he finds himself falling in love with the young woman who is the companion of the King's adulterous and estranged wife, Kirsten. Num Pages: 464 pages. BIC Classification: FV. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 196 x 130 x 30. Weight in Grams: 334. . 2000. New Ed. Paperback. . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780099268550
Book Description Condition: New. In. Seller Inventory # ria9780099268550_new
Book Description Condition: New. In the year 1629, a young English lutenist named Peter Claire arrives at the Danish Court to join King Christian IV's Royal Orchestra. Designated the King's 'Angel' because of his good looks, he finds himself falling in love with the young woman who is the companion of the King's adulterous and estranged wife, Kirsten. Num Pages: 464 pages. BIC Classification: FV. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 196 x 130 x 30. Weight in Grams: 334. . 2000. New Ed. Paperback. . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780099268550