Bach piece strikes chord with writer

Novel sparked by composer's 'Chaconne' work

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In 1720, Johann Sebastian Bach returned from a journey with fellow musicians and his employer Prince Leopold of Anhalt-C?then to find that his wife, Anna Barbara, had died and was buried while he was away. Specifics are unknown, but Santa Barbara, Calif.-based author Joseph C. Mastroianni thinks Bach wrote the incomparable "Chaconne" after he received news of his beloved's untimely demise.

"If you listen, you can hear the love, the passion and the anger," said Mastroianni, who built his book "Chaconne the Novel" around the music.

"Chaconne the Novel" follows Bach's story and the tale of a modern-day character, focusing on their involvement with the piece of music, written originally for violin but often performed on guitar.

A discussion and book signing with Mastroianni is set for 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 22 in the Clark County Library's Jewel Box Theater, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

Players with the Guitar Society of Las Vegas, along with guitar students of Bill Swick, music department chairman for the Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts, will bring Bach's music to life during the event, titled Bach To Books -- Musical Influences in Today's Literature.

Various works by the composer will be performed by Las Vegas Academy of Performing Arts students Rebecca Neher, Travis Lyons, Zak Forn, David Malone, Amanda Caporicci and Ryan Lewis.

The audio accompaniment perhaps comes as no surprise considering how integral music was to Mastroianni's book. Music is a way to convey feelings and invoke images, Caporicci explained.

"When you hear certain music, you see a dancer or when you hear a march, you see a king," Caporicci said.

When Mastroianni heard "Chaconne," he heard inspiration for two life stories that on the surface appear to have little to do with each other besides having been impacted by music.

In alternating chapters, Mastroianni follows the life of Milo, a helicopter pilot wh o finds himself in a life and death situation; and Bach, who wrestles with the death of his wife while composing a masterpiece.

"My Bach is completely different than the academic view of Bach," Mastroianni said.

Scholars have painted Bach as primarily motivated by religious convictions. Mastroianni hears a much more complex person behind Bach's music. He said the fact that Bach wrote so much religious music is merely a sign of the era during which he lived. Basically, working for the church was the only way to make a living as a musician at the time, Mastroianni said.

An avid guitar player himself, Mastroianni created his version of Bach's life based solely on what he hears in the music.

The book also contains autobiographical elements, Mastroianni said. He himself was working as a helicopter pilot when he was involved in a serious accident in 1988. He was hit by a car in New York, forcing him into retirement. Mastroianni said he had never really planned on becoming an author, but learned the craft during his convalescence.

Suzanne Scott, Performing Arts Center coordinator for the Clark County Library, and Julie Okabayashi, the library's scheduling specialist, planned Mastroianni's book-signing event, which is part of a new monthly series coordinated by the Clark County Library called Meet the Authors.

"There are a number of authors that use music to create an atmosphere," Scott said.

Not all of them feature a piece of music specifically, like Mastroianni, but many cite musical influences, she said.

Okabayashi mentioned bestselling Irish author John Connolly specifically. The main character of his series of thrillers is named after a famous jazz musician, and his latest book "The Black Angel" includes a soundtrack to his novels.

The idea of Meet the Authors is to bring regional writers to Clark County and have them interact with library patrons.

"There's so much talent right here," Okabayashi said.

The Meet the Authors event in March, Vegas Or Bust Locals Writing About Locals, will feature four Las Vegas-based writers, including David Roland, author of "The Last Drive To Las Vegas" and "Homeless In Las Vegas." The other three writers have yet to be announced. The event will be at 6:30 p.m. on March 29 at the Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road.

Mastroianni, who said the public library in his hometown was a sanctuary for him growing up, will donate a portion of the proceeds from the sale of his book locally to Clark County libraries. For more information about Meet the Authors, call 507-3458.