LandMammal.blogspot on 'Sonata Mullatica': 'Rita Dove's reading tonight was very good'

[Sonata Mulattica; Rita Dove; W.W. Norton Co. (2009)]

Anne Haines writes about hearing former U.S. Poet Laureate Rita Dove read from Sonata Mullatica, the book of poems which tells the story of George Bridgetower, a Black violin virtuoso.  He is profiled at AfriClassical.com by Dr. Dominique-René de Lerma, who writes that  the Beethoven work now known as the Kreutzer Sonata was originally dedicated to George Bridgetower:

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Wednesday, March 25, 2009

Rita Dove and other stuff 

“Rita Dove's reading tonight was very good. She read from her forthcoming book, Sonata Mullatica, which I am now seriously looking forward to -- it's good stuff, yes, but also it is sort of a biography-in-verse about this mixed-race violinist, George Bridgetower, who hung out with (Rebecca Loudon take note) Beethoven, until they had a falling-out and Beethoven took the sonata he'd written for Bridgetower and renamed it after someone else. 

“Narrative/lyric hybrid: check! Biographical story: check! Musicians having stupid interpersonal drama: check! I think I may learn a few things about how to deal with my own current project from this book.”
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