Fun with Music Theory
This article is only a portion of the full article. If you are already a premium subscriber please login. If you are not a premium subscriber, please subscribe for access to all of our content.

            This memoir truly is, as the subtitle states, “a love story”: Denk’s passion for and knowledge of music comes through on every page. The title comes from a mnemonic used by music students to remember the notes of the treble clef. Every chapter begins with a playlist of different musical works that he encounters in the period covered by that chapter. In an Appendix, he goes into detail about each piece, discussing the composer’s life while they wrote it, the experience of hearing and playing it, and even the best performances to listen to.

            The book is divided into three sections: Harmony, Melody, and Rhythm. For readers unfamiliar with music theory, some of the material might prove challenging. Denk recognizes this difficulty and tackles it with great humor, admitting, for instance, that when he tries to explain why a D-minor chord “doesn’t exist consecutively but simultaneously, or, really, abstractly,” he gets “flustered, realizing everything you just said is kind of wrong.” He uses metaphors, hand-drawn diagrams, and excerpts from scores to explain musical elements. For example, Bach “writes notes in groups of two,” but there is no way of knowing which note is the correct one. Denk imagines this puzzle like “a policeman with two conflicting witnesses and no security footage.”

            As he advances through his musical education, he also begins to apprehend his attraction to men. One of the few openly gay figures in classical music, he approaches this subject with humor, advising conservatory students “not to get involved musically with people you have even the remotest sense you might be in love with, which can be filed under Advice No One Will Ever Take.” While in New York, preoccupied by a piece of music, he stumbles on a cruising spot, coming across a man looking for a hookup. He simply stands there, not understanding the situation, until the man leaves.

            One disappointment in this part of the book is that Denk hardly talks about his romantic life. While his primary focus is obviously the music, his hesitancy in this respect feels a little strange, as he has no problem discussing other personal matters. He describes his need to connect as being “like someone who won’t stop talking, who won’t let anyone else speak, or even take a moment to breathe.” It would be interesting to know how this translates into some real connections in his life.