Music in the life and work of Patrick White

Abstract

Arguably, Patrick White (1912-1990) is Australia’s best known and most celebrated writer. In a working life spanning almost seven decades, he produced twelve novels, eight produced plays, three books of short stories and several collections of poetry, as well as several film scripts (only one of which was produced during his lifetime), countless essays and possibly around 5,500 letters. This study traces the role of music in White’s life, and details the extent to which music played a part in his literary praxis, both at the narrative level, and as a structural framework. A survey of White’s exposure to, and subsequent embrace of music over the course of his life is followed by a critical overview the extent to which music shaped four significant works. These case studies comprise three published novels – The Aunt’s Story (1948), Voss (1957) and The Vivisector (1970) – as well as an unpublished film script – The Monkey Puzzle (1978). Together, they represent four distinct periods of his creative life and exemplify not simply the growing importance of music in his creativity, but the maturation of his musical tastes and knowledge of music.