Sigma Alpha Iota

sai-national.org • Fall 2025 57 Bk Reviews DUET FOR ONE By Martha Anne Toll Regal House Publishing, 2025 As one who devours musical fiction, I was happy to receive an advance reading copy of Martha Anne Toll's new novel. Nevertheless, I am sometimes skeptical about this type of fiction, because no matter how earnestly they attempt it, authors who are not themselves musicians seldom write about musical life with complete authenticity. I was pleased to discover that such is not the case with Duet for One, written by someone who has a degree in music from Yale University. Life as a musician is the foundation of the novel, and it is depicted accurately and sensitively. Although advertised as a romance, and even though it has romantic elements in it, I see the novel as one that focuses on grief and loss, either of a loved one or of one's career aspirations. For Adam Pearl, the death of his mother—who was one half of the Pearl and Pearl piano duo—prompts him to address the truth of his relationship with a parent who spent most of his childhood on tour performing around the world, who loved him, and yet by her actions made it clear that he was not her priority. For Dara Kingsley, the end of her hopes to have a career as a professional violist not only causes pain but leads her to commit a rash action that alienates her from a vital support system. The book alternates between two time frames: when Adam and Dara first meet as teenagers and two decades later, when Adam has just lost his mother and Dara is going through a divorce. The circumstances of their estrangement and their experiences in the intervening years are also related and contribute to our understanding of the motivations of their characters. I found the book to have a lot of insight into the lives and psychology of musicians, as well as the vagaries of grief and coming to terms with the imperfections of our fellow humans, even those we love. I recommend this book for all lovers of musical fiction. WILLIAM L. DAWSON by Gwynne Kuhner Brown University of Illinois Press, 2024 As a long-time member of a church choir, I was already familiar with the many arrangements of spirituals by William Dawson (1899–1990) from the Tuskegee Choir Series published by Neil A. Kjos Music Company. They are unfailingly inventive and a lot of fun to perform. However, I knew little about the man behind the music until reading this new biography from University of Illinois Press' American Composers series. Brown's survey of Dawson's life introduces a man who was determined and persevering in his efforts to rise above the poverty and racism that too many African-Americans in the southern United States endured into and throughout the twentieth century. Born in Anniston, Alabama, Dawson's first act of extreme courage occurred when he left home at the age of thirteen to attend the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute (known today as Tuskegee University). It was there that he began his formal music education, performing as a vocalist and trombonist. Brown relates the course of Dawson's early life as he worked against many impediments to become a proficient musician/composer. His education was not straightforward and took many detours, some of which were caused by lack of income and racial barriers. He eventually earned degrees from the Horner Institute of Fine Arts in Kansas City and the American Conservatory of Music in Chicago. Eventually Dawson was hired by his alma mater, then known as Tuskegee Institute, in 1930 with the explicit mandate of establishing a school of music. The road to this goal was not without its failures, but included major successes such as his molding the Tuskegee Institute Choir into an ensemble of incredible precision and musicality, one that was in high demand throughout the country and in recordings, with a repertoire featuring many of Dawson's own compositions. Unfortunately, due to inconsistent institutional support, Dawson's tenure at Tuskegee ended in 1955 with no school of music in existence and waning interest in providing training for professional musicians. William Dawson's career did not end after he left Tuskegee. He traveled the world working on his own research, as a guest conductor, and in other musical endeavors, which Brown details in her last chapter. She also devotes individual chapters of the book to Dawson's vocal music, where his largest output lay, and his instrumental music, dominated by his monumental Negro Folk Symphony. Brown's book is a slim volume, but she covers the salient points of Dawson's life and career. She succeeds in illuminating an important American composer and argues persuasively for his importance in the musical pantheon of our nation, making this a worthwhile read. Kathi Bower Peterson is a graduate of Indiana University, where she majored in music history and oboe, and was a member of the Iota Epsilon chapter. She also has an MM (in musicology) from the University of Illinois at Urbana- Champaign and an MLIS from San Jose State University. She has been the librarian at the Athenaeum Music & Arts Library in La Jolla, California since 1997 and currently serves as the treasurer of the San Diego Alumnae Chapter. She recently finished serving three terms as Coordinator of Scholarships for SAI Philanthropies, Inc.

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