The Findlings Details: A Look at the Meaning of Victor's Music

There's a lot of music in The Findlings, and not all of you will recognize every piece by name. So here's some help.

For most of The Findlings, torment understandably festers in the hugely talented Victor’s mind, and, dare I say, his soul. So the music that came to me that would best underscore the state of his mind and life came from composers ranging from Wagner and Schumann to Prokofiev and Stravinsky.

Chapter one ("Her Children were Leaves") sees Victor choosing Wagner’s "Pilgrim’s Chorus" (Tannhauser) to be the soundtrack of his life. It cues the reader to know he is on some form of journey or quest. Here is:

"Joanne Wilshin's THE FINDLINGS is an emotional exploration of the impact of adoption on identity. Through its believable and struggling characters, readers are able to understand the complexity of family in all of its forms." IndieReader.com

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Read "The Findlings Blog" for fascinating background details and for more on Joanne's continued search to find her birthfather's side of her family.

Later, in chapter five ("The Demanding Path"), the reader notices I’ve given Victor a different Wagner opera to be the background of his life: Lohengrin. I chose that opera for Victor and Bibi’s conversation because of its magic, mythology, and sibling relationships. You'll probably notice that Wagner shows up a several more times in the book, even when Ella and Noah are watching Sesame Street and Disneyland. To me, adding Wagner to The Findlings accentuates its complexity and tragedy. Here is the "Bridal Chorus":

In chapter three ("Darkness Being Precarious"), Victor does more than listen to Prokofiev’s “Dance of the Knights” (Romeo and Juliet); he moves to it. I wanted the vulnerable Victor to be driven by something more than himself, and this music does the trick. It reminds him who he is, and who he isn’t. Have a listen and watch:

The reader’s first opportunity to see Victor playing the piano is in chapter seven ("Moving in the Dark"), where he accompanies his talented wife Phoebe as she develops a dance. I wanted Victor and Phoebe to have a piece where the clefs are at odds, yet working together. My choice for them: Stravinsky’s Piano Rag Music. I have no idea if anyone has ever created a dance to this piece, but I'd definitely like to see it whenever it comes to pass. Here’s Stravinsky himself playing it:

And last, the reader’s next opportunity to see Victor playing the piano occurs in chapter eight ("Still Motion"). I give him the simple but poignant “From Foreign Lands and People” from Schumann’s Scenes from Childhood. I wanted something evocative that Grace would have played for him when she was still mothering him. I was helpless to choose something different because of the movie My Brilliant Career; I definitely tried to substitute something else, but couldn't. Maybe that's because I remember watching My Brilliant Career perhaps twenty times just to see and hear the Sybylla Melvyn character play this exact piece because it touched me so. For your enjoyment, Vladimir Horowitz:

I hope these tidbits add to your enjoyment and understanding of The Findlings.