The Death of Music
In Cuba of All Places
by
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Alma and her husband are American professionals running a music institute in Havana, Cuba, in 2031. The institute depends on donations from US sponsors. The communist government is still in power. Alma suffers and escapes a rape attempt. A new political party wins an election in
response to freedom of expression. Cuba becomes democratic. A search for financial assistance from the new minister of culture disappoints her with a meager state subsidy. Alma manages to obtain needed support for the music institute through various companies.
Alma goes back in time and writes a chronicle of her background, including the strange story of her immediate ancestors and a “night of blood” in which her father accidentally shoots his best friend. Her family disintegrates. Her grandfather adopts bot Alma and a family’s little girl, Marivi. He takes the reins of the two girls’ upbringing with a severe training in music. After a critical spider bite, Alma is left with an unsightly scar. Marivi is killed in a car accident. Alma marries Sherman, a man with a suspicious background. Grandpa works obsessively in raising funds for the creation of the music institute in Havana.
Upon Grandpa’s death, Alma and Sherman are left in charge of completing the music institute project. They move to Havana to deal with numerous internal and external crises, culminating with the revolting behaviors of Estelle Rollings, a mentally ill piano student, and the consequences of a hurricane of unprecedented strength.
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About the Book
This is the account of a woman’s tempestuous life journey as she struggles to rise to musical prominence. The story traces the strange background of her ancestors, the crises that threaten her physical and emotional stability, and how she confronts them in the context of Cuba’s communist oppression. She faces the pressures of creating and sustaining a music institute. Overwhelmed by a multitude of destructive challenges, she must resolve life’s ultimate dilemma.
About the Author
The first time the author’s parents took him to the symphony, he was four years old. They were testing if he was capable of sitting still. Not only did he behave, he was mesmerized by the sounds of an orchestra. Two of his uncles were world-class musicians. Following their careers, attending hundreds of concerts, and listening to and reading about music have given him much pleasure through the years. He resides in Iowa with his wife and oldest son.