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Death on the Down Beat: An Orchestral Fantasy of Detection
This addition to the Crime Classics series is an immersive musical mystery, featuring diagrams of the orchestra arrangement and four pages of musical notation with relevance to the plot.
First published in 1941 but out-of-print since, this is by a lost writer of the genre, Sebastian Farr (a pseudonym for Eric Walter Blom), a prolific Swiss-born and British-naturalised music lexicographer, music critic and writer.
The headline from The Maningpool Telegraph read
TRAGIC DEATH OF SIR NOEL GRAMPIAN – shot during performance – Symphony Concert Calamity
As a rousing Strauss piece is reaching its crescendo in Maningpool Civic Hall, the talented yet obnoxious conductor Sir Noel Grampian is shot dead in full view of the Municipal Orchestra and the audience. It was no secret that he had many enemies – musicians and music critics among them – but to be killed in mid flow suggests an act of the coldest calculation.
Told through the letters and documents sent by D.I. Alan Hope to his wife as he puzzles through the dauntingly vast pool of suspects and scant physical evidence in the case, this is an innovative and playful mystery underscored by the author's extensive experience of the highly-strung world of music professionals. First published in 1941, this new edition returns Farr's only crime novel to print to receive its long-deserved encore.
First published in 1941 but out-of-print since, this is by a lost writer of the genre, Sebastian Farr (a pseudonym for Eric Walter Blom), a prolific Swiss-born and British-naturalised music lexicographer, music critic and writer.
The headline from The Maningpool Telegraph read
TRAGIC DEATH OF SIR NOEL GRAMPIAN – shot during performance – Symphony Concert Calamity
As a rousing Strauss piece is reaching its crescendo in Maningpool Civic Hall, the talented yet obnoxious conductor Sir Noel Grampian is shot dead in full view of the Municipal Orchestra and the audience. It was no secret that he had many enemies – musicians and music critics among them – but to be killed in mid flow suggests an act of the coldest calculation.
Told through the letters and documents sent by D.I. Alan Hope to his wife as he puzzles through the dauntingly vast pool of suspects and scant physical evidence in the case, this is an innovative and playful mystery underscored by the author's extensive experience of the highly-strung world of music professionals. First published in 1941, this new edition returns Farr's only crime novel to print to receive its long-deserved encore.
204 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1941
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326 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
January 21, 2023
As I entered Grade 9, which included starting at a new school, I signed up for the Computer course, as did my buddy from grade school. We were told Computer classes were full, and we were assigned to the Music program - specifically, learning an instrument and playing in a band. I chose the tenor sax. I was pretty small. I chose the alto sax. The clarinet found my friend holed up in the Computer Room and dragged him out of there.
Roughly speaking, I knew how to read music and play a horn instrument a shade too loudly, for about a year. That did not help me in 2023, with Death on the Down Beat by Sebastian Farr. But I don’t care. Sure, I could not read the several pages of music by Strauss that, it was clear, would be helpful for perhaps sussing out a clue or two. I could only hope that my enjoyment of this book would not stand or fall based on this set of circumstances. It didn’t. I loved this book.
Rex Stout has got a whodunit from his wonderful series, called Where There’s A Will. I read a later edition, now old, where the Introduction explained that earlier editions included a “photo clue”, which was “not being included here”. I was assured it wasn’t crucial, or vital, or any of that. But I wanted that photo clue - why would you leave a clue out?! That’s one more clue, it could make or break me solving the Mystery earlier than usual (earlier than never). Leaving a clue out, do you have any clue how annoying that is? Put that back!
I loved Where There’s A Will. I guess some clues are bonus clues? Extra clues? “Listen, we gave you eight out of ten of the clues, there are still more than enough clues, it’s not like you’re gonna notice them anyway, you’re not even going to know they’re there until they’re pointed out at the end, so forget some smudgy photo or whatever. Look at at this way, one less thing to make you feel stupid.”.
Cards on the Table, by Agatha Christie. Went to it in my deep Christie phase, but with reluctance. I forget what the word actually was, but it boiled down to: “good book, but better if you know Bridge.”. Like, Bridge as a clue of some sort. I never played Bridge, I think I learned Euchre and Cribbage around the same time I learned to play alto sax - and now Euchre, Cribbage, and alto sax are lost in the mists of unstuck stick-to-it-ivness. And no Bridge. But I got to the end of Cards on the Table, and I thought it was pretty cool, the use of Bridge, four people at a Bridge table, someone dead, small pool of suspects, keep the whole Bridge thing in mind…
I think I liked Where There’s A Will with no photo a bit more than Cards on the Table with no working knowledge of Bridge. Other clues take care of business in the Rex Stout novel whereas in Cards on the Table, the “Bridge angle” can only look impressive at the end, when it’s explained, but yeah, I’m slightly locked out of a main clue by my ignorance. Well, or, maybe not - would a psychologist be able to…well never mind.
Music! Music in Crime & Mystery novels! I have actively pursued books in this sub-genre, even working off a list of recommended titles scrounged from the internet. There are basically three types of music-based Crime novels: (a) those that have to do with orchestras and live performances, and (b) those that focus on the recording industry, cutting records, and the artist/businessperson dynamic, and (c) the weird stuff that doesn’t fit in the other two categories - perhaps a great read like Devil Take The Blue-Tail Fly
Two of my favourites, when it comes to the (b), are Killer Tune by Dreda Say Mitchell, and The Whispering Master by Frank Gruber. Hidden messages, or sounds - clues?- perhaps lurking on popular records, factor into both these amazing books, but that’s not always a feature of the recording-industry Crime novels. Fun when it happens, though.
As far as great experiences I’ve had reading about murder at a live musical event, my big favourite is a fairly famous one called When the Wind Blows, by Cyril Hare. I should say, that WAS my big favourite; I really feel Death on the Down Beat has done a bit of a beat-down on even the total must-read that is the Cyril Hare book. Sebastian Farr’s effort is like, um, When the Wind Blows, ramped up. I thought When the Wind Blows was the most I could love a music-based whodunit that is so steeped in musical theory and musical terms. This is intricacy tied to music, with some actual musical clues, that ascends to the next level. And as it got explained to me at the end, I lapped it up - I loved that there were “non-musical clues” too…the best one being the one I could kick myself for missing, and I love when that happens. A second-best clue not tied to sheet music or performers’ seat location on stage is also something I feel silly about not noticing.
The author, obviously clever, creates a smart book, in every way. Great choice, making out Scotland Yard detective someone who doesn’t know a thing about music, thus making me feel better: the guy trying to solve the case didn’t even take a year of alto sax. But this is an epistolary novel, and Detective Hope’s letters to his wife show him working through what he can deduce while trying to narrow down the suspect list, and also responding to his wife’s sudden insights from a distance…and she DOES know music. Best of both minds, workin’ it through.
I should wrap this up. One of my fave Crime & Mystery novels of all time is The Documents in the Case, by Dorothy L. Sayers - also a novel made of just letters and documents and articles and so forth. I love when documents - personal letters, especially - are entertaining in and of themselves, slowly allowing us to know and love the relevant characters, by what they reveal, even accidentally, in missives that ultimately become documents in a case. This was like reading The Documents in the Case combined with When the Wind Blows, where everything that’s wonderful in those books is here…and I would say even better than the Cyril Hare extravaganza, because the bag of musical tricks is even bigger, more daring, more intricate, so beautifully done. Lastly, if you like Death on the Down Beat, it did also remind me, fondly, of Death in a Bowl, by Raoul Whitfield - another fun musical Mystery wherein someone gets shot during a packed musical concert. Striking similarities - though, stylistically the books differ quite a bit. Also - shot angle changes things! Is our sea of suspects the audience (Death in a Bowl), or the musicians (Death on the Down Beat)? And is even that suspect??
Where’s the next “Musical Mystery”, and can it be anything but second fiddle to something like this?…
Roughly speaking, I knew how to read music and play a horn instrument a shade too loudly, for about a year. That did not help me in 2023, with Death on the Down Beat by Sebastian Farr. But I don’t care. Sure, I could not read the several pages of music by Strauss that, it was clear, would be helpful for perhaps sussing out a clue or two. I could only hope that my enjoyment of this book would not stand or fall based on this set of circumstances. It didn’t. I loved this book.
Rex Stout has got a whodunit from his wonderful series, called Where There’s A Will. I read a later edition, now old, where the Introduction explained that earlier editions included a “photo clue”, which was “not being included here”. I was assured it wasn’t crucial, or vital, or any of that. But I wanted that photo clue - why would you leave a clue out?! That’s one more clue, it could make or break me solving the Mystery earlier than usual (earlier than never). Leaving a clue out, do you have any clue how annoying that is? Put that back!
I loved Where There’s A Will. I guess some clues are bonus clues? Extra clues? “Listen, we gave you eight out of ten of the clues, there are still more than enough clues, it’s not like you’re gonna notice them anyway, you’re not even going to know they’re there until they’re pointed out at the end, so forget some smudgy photo or whatever. Look at at this way, one less thing to make you feel stupid.”.
Cards on the Table, by Agatha Christie. Went to it in my deep Christie phase, but with reluctance. I forget what the word actually was, but it boiled down to: “good book, but better if you know Bridge.”. Like, Bridge as a clue of some sort. I never played Bridge, I think I learned Euchre and Cribbage around the same time I learned to play alto sax - and now Euchre, Cribbage, and alto sax are lost in the mists of unstuck stick-to-it-ivness. And no Bridge. But I got to the end of Cards on the Table, and I thought it was pretty cool, the use of Bridge, four people at a Bridge table, someone dead, small pool of suspects, keep the whole Bridge thing in mind…
I think I liked Where There’s A Will with no photo a bit more than Cards on the Table with no working knowledge of Bridge. Other clues take care of business in the Rex Stout novel whereas in Cards on the Table, the “Bridge angle” can only look impressive at the end, when it’s explained, but yeah, I’m slightly locked out of a main clue by my ignorance. Well, or, maybe not - would a psychologist be able to…well never mind.
Music! Music in Crime & Mystery novels! I have actively pursued books in this sub-genre, even working off a list of recommended titles scrounged from the internet. There are basically three types of music-based Crime novels: (a) those that have to do with orchestras and live performances, and (b) those that focus on the recording industry, cutting records, and the artist/businessperson dynamic, and (c) the weird stuff that doesn’t fit in the other two categories - perhaps a great read like Devil Take The Blue-Tail Fly
Two of my favourites, when it comes to the (b), are Killer Tune by Dreda Say Mitchell, and The Whispering Master by Frank Gruber. Hidden messages, or sounds - clues?- perhaps lurking on popular records, factor into both these amazing books, but that’s not always a feature of the recording-industry Crime novels. Fun when it happens, though.
As far as great experiences I’ve had reading about murder at a live musical event, my big favourite is a fairly famous one called When the Wind Blows, by Cyril Hare. I should say, that WAS my big favourite; I really feel Death on the Down Beat has done a bit of a beat-down on even the total must-read that is the Cyril Hare book. Sebastian Farr’s effort is like, um, When the Wind Blows, ramped up. I thought When the Wind Blows was the most I could love a music-based whodunit that is so steeped in musical theory and musical terms. This is intricacy tied to music, with some actual musical clues, that ascends to the next level. And as it got explained to me at the end, I lapped it up - I loved that there were “non-musical clues” too…the best one being the one I could kick myself for missing, and I love when that happens. A second-best clue not tied to sheet music or performers’ seat location on stage is also something I feel silly about not noticing.
The author, obviously clever, creates a smart book, in every way. Great choice, making out Scotland Yard detective someone who doesn’t know a thing about music, thus making me feel better: the guy trying to solve the case didn’t even take a year of alto sax. But this is an epistolary novel, and Detective Hope’s letters to his wife show him working through what he can deduce while trying to narrow down the suspect list, and also responding to his wife’s sudden insights from a distance…and she DOES know music. Best of both minds, workin’ it through.
I should wrap this up. One of my fave Crime & Mystery novels of all time is The Documents in the Case, by Dorothy L. Sayers - also a novel made of just letters and documents and articles and so forth. I love when documents - personal letters, especially - are entertaining in and of themselves, slowly allowing us to know and love the relevant characters, by what they reveal, even accidentally, in missives that ultimately become documents in a case. This was like reading The Documents in the Case combined with When the Wind Blows, where everything that’s wonderful in those books is here…and I would say even better than the Cyril Hare extravaganza, because the bag of musical tricks is even bigger, more daring, more intricate, so beautifully done. Lastly, if you like Death on the Down Beat, it did also remind me, fondly, of Death in a Bowl, by Raoul Whitfield - another fun musical Mystery wherein someone gets shot during a packed musical concert. Striking similarities - though, stylistically the books differ quite a bit. Also - shot angle changes things! Is our sea of suspects the audience (Death in a Bowl), or the musicians (Death on the Down Beat)? And is even that suspect??
Where’s the next “Musical Mystery”, and can it be anything but second fiddle to something like this?…
November 26, 2022
A dying fall…
Two thousand people have packed into Maningpool Civic Hall for a performance by the Municipal Orchestra of a Strauss tone poem. Halfway through, the conductor, Sir Noel Grampian, seems to gesticulate even more wildly than is his wont just before he pitches head-first off the podium into the orchestra. Landing on his head probably didn’t help, but it transpires it was a bullet that killed him. And since he was shot in the front it seems that it must have been one of the orchestra who did the deed. Inspector Alan Hope of the Yard is in the area visiting friends, so is quickly put in charge of the investigation. But where to begin? It appears Sir Noel was roundly disliked by almost everyone who had anything to do with him, so anyone from the Piccolo to the Kettle-Drum could have had a motive. And despite there being two thousand eye witnesses, it seems no one saw anything...
Well, this is a unique little puzzle! It’s told almost entirely through letters from Inspector Hope to his wife, Julia, in which he encloses copies of lots of documents related to the case, including newspaper clippings, lots of statements from the orchestra members, a chart of the orchestra and even four pages of the score of the relevant part of the music being played at the time of Sir Noel’s demise! It’s from these documents that Alan hopes to find the clues that will identify the killer, with any help that his more musically minded wife can give him.
The denouement is probably the least successful part of the book, so I’ll mention it first. After being baffled for weeks, Alan suddenly leaps to the correct solution out of nowhere. In retrospect it is technically fair-play, in that the reader has all the same information as Alan, but I’d be amazed if anyone was able to make the necessary connections to have a shot at solving it. The main weakness, though, is that the format means the reader hasn’t ever “met” any of the suspects and there are a lot – a lot! - of them, most of whom never become more than names, and in fact are often referred to as the instrument they play – the 1st Clarinet, etc. So when Alan finally reveals the culprit, my first response was “Who’s that?” However, Alan then reveals what brought him to this conclusion and all becomes clear before the end.
For me, this weakness was well outweighed by the sheer fun and novelty of the musical clues. I’m no expert in classical music – far from it – but I found it helped that I basically know how the instruments are usually positioned in an orchestra, and the musical vocabulary wasn’t completely unfamiliar to me. Alan does explain as it goes along, but I think it might be quite a tedious read for someone with no interest at all in orchestral music. But for anyone with even a smidgen of knowledge, like me, it’s a lot of fun checking back to the chart of the orchestra whenever Alan is discussing who could have done the deed, and trying to use the score to see which orchestra members could have stopped playing for a few moments – just long enough to pull out a gun, fire and get rid of the weapon – without the audience noticing. I paused fairly early on in the proceedings to go to youtube and listen to the piece in question – Richard Strauss’ A Hero’s Life – and while that certainly isn’t necessary, it again all added to the fun and meant I knew what Alan was talking about when he mentions various passages as more suitable than others for covering up a bit of skulduggery.
Sebastian Farr was a pseudonym for Eric Walter Blom, and this was his only novel. He worked as a music critic for some of the top newspapers, and in the book we hear from the two local critics from the town’s rival newspapers, locked in a bitter battle of sarcasm over each other’s musical knowledge or lack thereof. One of them, Ransom, was also feuding with Sir Noel, who didn’t appreciate any form of criticism of his musical genius. All three had taken to insulting each other in the letters pages and music review sections of the papers, and I found these sections highly entertaining.
Definitely an oddity, this one, and I can quite see why it’s attracting a few pretty negative ratings on Goodreads. But its quirkiness appealed to me, I loved all the musical stuff and it’s very well written, so despite the reveal-from-nowhere issue I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. I love when the BL concentrate on the stars they’ve brought back to prominence, like Lorac and Bellairs, but there’s plenty of room in the series for the occasional more eccentric novel like this one, too.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
Two thousand people have packed into Maningpool Civic Hall for a performance by the Municipal Orchestra of a Strauss tone poem. Halfway through, the conductor, Sir Noel Grampian, seems to gesticulate even more wildly than is his wont just before he pitches head-first off the podium into the orchestra. Landing on his head probably didn’t help, but it transpires it was a bullet that killed him. And since he was shot in the front it seems that it must have been one of the orchestra who did the deed. Inspector Alan Hope of the Yard is in the area visiting friends, so is quickly put in charge of the investigation. But where to begin? It appears Sir Noel was roundly disliked by almost everyone who had anything to do with him, so anyone from the Piccolo to the Kettle-Drum could have had a motive. And despite there being two thousand eye witnesses, it seems no one saw anything...
Well, this is a unique little puzzle! It’s told almost entirely through letters from Inspector Hope to his wife, Julia, in which he encloses copies of lots of documents related to the case, including newspaper clippings, lots of statements from the orchestra members, a chart of the orchestra and even four pages of the score of the relevant part of the music being played at the time of Sir Noel’s demise! It’s from these documents that Alan hopes to find the clues that will identify the killer, with any help that his more musically minded wife can give him.
The denouement is probably the least successful part of the book, so I’ll mention it first. After being baffled for weeks, Alan suddenly leaps to the correct solution out of nowhere. In retrospect it is technically fair-play, in that the reader has all the same information as Alan, but I’d be amazed if anyone was able to make the necessary connections to have a shot at solving it. The main weakness, though, is that the format means the reader hasn’t ever “met” any of the suspects and there are a lot – a lot! - of them, most of whom never become more than names, and in fact are often referred to as the instrument they play – the 1st Clarinet, etc. So when Alan finally reveals the culprit, my first response was “Who’s that?” However, Alan then reveals what brought him to this conclusion and all becomes clear before the end.
For me, this weakness was well outweighed by the sheer fun and novelty of the musical clues. I’m no expert in classical music – far from it – but I found it helped that I basically know how the instruments are usually positioned in an orchestra, and the musical vocabulary wasn’t completely unfamiliar to me. Alan does explain as it goes along, but I think it might be quite a tedious read for someone with no interest at all in orchestral music. But for anyone with even a smidgen of knowledge, like me, it’s a lot of fun checking back to the chart of the orchestra whenever Alan is discussing who could have done the deed, and trying to use the score to see which orchestra members could have stopped playing for a few moments – just long enough to pull out a gun, fire and get rid of the weapon – without the audience noticing. I paused fairly early on in the proceedings to go to youtube and listen to the piece in question – Richard Strauss’ A Hero’s Life – and while that certainly isn’t necessary, it again all added to the fun and meant I knew what Alan was talking about when he mentions various passages as more suitable than others for covering up a bit of skulduggery.
Sebastian Farr was a pseudonym for Eric Walter Blom, and this was his only novel. He worked as a music critic for some of the top newspapers, and in the book we hear from the two local critics from the town’s rival newspapers, locked in a bitter battle of sarcasm over each other’s musical knowledge or lack thereof. One of them, Ransom, was also feuding with Sir Noel, who didn’t appreciate any form of criticism of his musical genius. All three had taken to insulting each other in the letters pages and music review sections of the papers, and I found these sections highly entertaining.
Definitely an oddity, this one, and I can quite see why it’s attracting a few pretty negative ratings on Goodreads. But its quirkiness appealed to me, I loved all the musical stuff and it’s very well written, so despite the reveal-from-nowhere issue I ended up thoroughly enjoying it. I love when the BL concentrate on the stars they’ve brought back to prominence, like Lorac and Bellairs, but there’s plenty of room in the series for the occasional more eccentric novel like this one, too.
NB This book was provided for review by the publisher, the British Library.
www.fictionfanblog.wordpress.com
November 26, 2022
This is such a brilliant and unique novel and I am so glad that it’s been reissued. I love the epistle style writing with letters going from the detective to his wife about his case.. (technically this would have been a big no no) but as it’s fiction it’s perfect. I love being given new knowledge in a subject that I am not au fait with such as music and composing. This feels like Dorothy L Sayers The Nine Tailors where we are taught about bell ringing. This is such a compelling mystery with both a rather complicated victim and villain. Superb!!
Read
January 31, 2024Sir Noel Grampian is shot while conducting Strauss’ Heldenleben in from of a full audience. DI Alan Hope investigates, and the book takes the form of letters to his wife, and documents he sends her, including the piece of the score at the time of the shooting.
Very enjoyable, if slightly let down by the ending, the clues were there but unless you made notes, I don’t think you could remember which character was which as you just have one letter basically from each of the suspects.
Hope reminded me of Wimsey.
Want to read
June 5, 2025Synopsis: when the obnoxious conductor of the Municipal Symphony is shot during a performance, Detective Inspector Hope must find the answer.
January 25, 2023
My husband and I tend to choose a book to listen to at bedtime and this was one we selected. My husband is very knowledgable about classic crime, but it isn't a genre I read often, but this seemed a good 'pick' as I am an orchestral musician.
The mystery revolves around the murder of a conductor in the middle of a concert attended by some 2000 people. Yet nobody seems to have seen anything. It soon becomes apparent that the conductor has been shot and that given the angle of the wound, he must have been shot from the stage. Thus the audience are elminated as suspects but the whole symphony orchestra remain under suspicion. Poor Detective Inspector Alan Hope has to unravel the mystery.
Most of the story is related in letters from the Inspector to his wife, with some other material such as press cuttings and concert reviews. As a musician I loved it as it told of all the funny little foibles the musicians had and referrred to the Strauss score that they were playing to look at times when different players had opportunity to shoot the conductor.
This is not particularly a who-dunnit that I think would be easily solved by the reader. The clues are there but are fairly well hidden. But the story romps along and it was just a pleasure to listen to the theories of the musicians, reviews and various others. I certainly enjoyed it.
Sadly this was the only book written by Farr. It seems to have been rather lost at the time of publication due to the war and maybe he was discouraged. It is sad as musically the book is very accurate. Farr was a pseudonym for Eric Blom, who was for many years the London music correspondent for the Mancheter Guardian and later became editor of the Grove Dictionary of Music. Maybe Blom's talents were best suited to writing non-fiction but I'm glad this mystery has been republished and it is worth a read.
The mystery revolves around the murder of a conductor in the middle of a concert attended by some 2000 people. Yet nobody seems to have seen anything. It soon becomes apparent that the conductor has been shot and that given the angle of the wound, he must have been shot from the stage. Thus the audience are elminated as suspects but the whole symphony orchestra remain under suspicion. Poor Detective Inspector Alan Hope has to unravel the mystery.
Most of the story is related in letters from the Inspector to his wife, with some other material such as press cuttings and concert reviews. As a musician I loved it as it told of all the funny little foibles the musicians had and referrred to the Strauss score that they were playing to look at times when different players had opportunity to shoot the conductor.
This is not particularly a who-dunnit that I think would be easily solved by the reader. The clues are there but are fairly well hidden. But the story romps along and it was just a pleasure to listen to the theories of the musicians, reviews and various others. I certainly enjoyed it.
Sadly this was the only book written by Farr. It seems to have been rather lost at the time of publication due to the war and maybe he was discouraged. It is sad as musically the book is very accurate. Farr was a pseudonym for Eric Blom, who was for many years the London music correspondent for the Mancheter Guardian and later became editor of the Grove Dictionary of Music. Maybe Blom's talents were best suited to writing non-fiction but I'm glad this mystery has been republished and it is worth a read.
October 29, 2023
Well this was a lot of fun. It's both a musical mystery and a story told entirely through correspondence so that makes it a touch different to a lot of the other Golden Age Murder mysteries that you might come across. Our victim is a much-disliked conductor shot dead mid performance, seemingly without anyone seeing anything amiss until he keeled over. Our Detective is DI Alan Hope and the story is told thorugh the letters that he sends to his wife about the case - and the documents he includes in with that - which are a mix of letters from suspects, newspaper clippings and other similar items. It's a really clever way of doing things - and it's a shame that Farr never wrote any more, although I suspect it would not be an easy trick to pull off more than once. If you know a bit about music you'll be able to follow this - I think if you know more about music than I do (grade 6ish clarinet and piano, bad at music theory) then you'll get even more out of it. How it would work for a non-musician I don't know!
February 22, 2024
This is a unique way of telling a story. The protagonist relates his investigation of the murder of a conductor of a symphonic orchestra, during live performance, in letters addressed to his wife back home. It is also interesting in revealing a bit of orchestra life and its musicians. How the investigator had the time to author detailed letters daily to his wife while investigating the murder requires disconnect of belief. Also the fact that a shot can be got off during performance in an orchestra, in full view of the audience, is also questionable. The style of writing is very descriptive and not unlike authors like Poe or Conan Doyle. One night read.
May 24, 2025
This was such a fun read. The love of D. I. Hope for his wife and kids in this epistolary mystery was so engaging and endearing.
I am satisfied by the ending and thought it was plausibly defended. Also inspired a great interest for me to listen to more classical music like the piece used in this book.
I am satisfied by the ending and thought it was plausibly defended. Also inspired a great interest for me to listen to more classical music like the piece used in this book.
July 20, 2024
I liked the format of the book, letters and newspaper articles, and the setting in the world of an orchestra as seen from an outsider. I was less pleased with the solution and wrap-up.
April 6, 2024
This was such a unique mystery novel—a rare thing in a crowded genre. It will be of particular interest to musicians, but you don’t need to fully follow all the details of orchestral performance to appreciate and enjoy this.
September 27, 2022
When I read that "Sebastian Farr" was a pseudonym of Eric Blom, the distinguished music critic and musicologist, and that the murder takes place during a performance of Strauss' "Ein Heldenleben", my expectations and anticipation rose. However, as with another recent BLCC offering, the book failed to deliver on a number of counts.
The structure is of interest as it is mainly epistolary, with letters from the principal investigating officer, Alan Hope, to his musical wife, interspersed with letters from members of the orchestra, extracts from the score, newspaper cuttings and details of the players.
However, the plot is pretty poor. Even with some knowledge of the music and of orchestras garnered from a lifetime of choral singing and concert-going, it was difficult to hazard a solution, especially as it ultimately depended on information only divulged during the denouement. Often this does not matter to me, as a surprise perpetrator coming at the conclusion of a tricksy plot can be a salutary reminder of my limitations as a reader-detective. But here the answers came so out-of- the-blue that I almost did not realise that this WAS the solution.
In the main, the letters from D-I Hope, when not excruciatingly lovey-dovey, are quite exasperatingly condescending towards almost everyone, while the orchestral players are gross caricatures.
Fun can be had from speculating about the real-life models for the victim, conductor Sir Noel Grampian, and the orchestra, but the only humour in the text was in the all-too-brief exchanges between the rival music critics.
An oddity with a brilliant idea behind it, but not surprisingly, Blom's only foray in the genre.
Martin Edwards' Introduction is interesting, but I cannot agree with the critics he quotes, Edmund Crispin and Nicholas Blake, no less, in their enthusiasm for this work.
3.25 stars.
The structure is of interest as it is mainly epistolary, with letters from the principal investigating officer, Alan Hope, to his musical wife, interspersed with letters from members of the orchestra, extracts from the score, newspaper cuttings and details of the players.
However, the plot is pretty poor. Even with some knowledge of the music and of orchestras garnered from a lifetime of choral singing and concert-going, it was difficult to hazard a solution, especially as it ultimately depended on information only divulged during the denouement. Often this does not matter to me, as a surprise perpetrator coming at the conclusion of a tricksy plot can be a salutary reminder of my limitations as a reader-detective. But here the answers came so out-of- the-blue that I almost did not realise that this WAS the solution.
In the main, the letters from D-I Hope, when not excruciatingly lovey-dovey, are quite exasperatingly condescending towards almost everyone, while the orchestral players are gross caricatures.
Fun can be had from speculating about the real-life models for the victim, conductor Sir Noel Grampian, and the orchestra, but the only humour in the text was in the all-too-brief exchanges between the rival music critics.
An oddity with a brilliant idea behind it, but not surprisingly, Blom's only foray in the genre.
Martin Edwards' Introduction is interesting, but I cannot agree with the critics he quotes, Edmund Crispin and Nicholas Blake, no less, in their enthusiasm for this work.
3.25 stars.
October 21, 2023
This is definitely NOT one of my favorite British Library Crime Classics. The concept was interesting: a conductor is killed in the middle of a performance, the killer has to be a member of the orchestra, and the story is told in a series of letters and various documents that the police inspector sends to his wife. So far so good.
But the story relies on knowledge of music, and orchestra placement, and the music world of the early 1940s, all of which are beyond me, and the explanations tend to drag the story. When the case is solved, it seems that the reader wasn't really given the chance to figure it out... or maybe we did, but it was all lost in the various letters and names and positions and assorted other distractions.
But the story relies on knowledge of music, and orchestra placement, and the music world of the early 1940s, all of which are beyond me, and the explanations tend to drag the story. When the case is solved, it seems that the reader wasn't really given the chance to figure it out... or maybe we did, but it was all lost in the various letters and names and positions and assorted other distractions.
April 1, 2024
What I liked: the premise (orchestra conductor killed during performance—culprit likely a musician), the epistolary and primary document structure, and the way in which the music score played a key part in solving the mystery. What I didn’t like: the investigator’s voice, which I think was supposed to be endearing but for some reason edged towards condescension and kind of grated on me. All the prose was just stodgy and made this one more of a slog than it should have been. Also thought there could have been a better way of infusing more life into the various suspects and characters, to make them more alive and allow the reader to be more able to figure out and understand whodunnit (most of the focus was on the how it was done).
August 27, 2024
This 1941 mystery novel has been reprinted in the excellent British Library crime Classic series.
It has a first-rate murder to solve. Sir Noel Grampian is the conductor of the Maningpool Civic Orchestra. He is conducting the orchestra in a packed hall. Just he is reaches the crescendo of a Strauss symphony, he is shot dead in front of a hall full of spectators. The forensics establish that the shot came from his front where the orchestra was seated.
Maningpool was an unpleasant philanderer who had many enemies in the orchestra, including several who had recently been told they were being fired. A recently fired pistol was found on the ground in front of the podium.
The book is cleverly structured. Detective Alan Hope of Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate. He writes his wife every day. He tells her about the investigation and includes copies of important documents. She makes suggestions and comments on the case. This novel is composed of Hope's letters to his wife and the documents of the case. We get newspaper clippings, music reviews, a copy of several pages of the score from the moment of the murder, a seating diagram of the orchestra, letters from the orchestra members and official reports.
The solution slowly develops from the documents. Farr seems to know small town orchestras. He gets the petty rivalries. He has a very funny duo of dueling newspaper music critics. The fragile egos and thin wallets of the musicians are on display.
The solution is satisfying. According to the forward to this edition, the book did not sell well when it came out. He had a career as a music critic, but he never wrote another mystery.
It has a first-rate murder to solve. Sir Noel Grampian is the conductor of the Maningpool Civic Orchestra. He is conducting the orchestra in a packed hall. Just he is reaches the crescendo of a Strauss symphony, he is shot dead in front of a hall full of spectators. The forensics establish that the shot came from his front where the orchestra was seated.
Maningpool was an unpleasant philanderer who had many enemies in the orchestra, including several who had recently been told they were being fired. A recently fired pistol was found on the ground in front of the podium.
The book is cleverly structured. Detective Alan Hope of Scotland Yard is assigned to investigate. He writes his wife every day. He tells her about the investigation and includes copies of important documents. She makes suggestions and comments on the case. This novel is composed of Hope's letters to his wife and the documents of the case. We get newspaper clippings, music reviews, a copy of several pages of the score from the moment of the murder, a seating diagram of the orchestra, letters from the orchestra members and official reports.
The solution slowly develops from the documents. Farr seems to know small town orchestras. He gets the petty rivalries. He has a very funny duo of dueling newspaper music critics. The fragile egos and thin wallets of the musicians are on display.
The solution is satisfying. According to the forward to this edition, the book did not sell well when it came out. He had a career as a music critic, but he never wrote another mystery.
February 12, 2024
Sir Noel Grampian, conductor of a symphony orchestra out in the provinces, is murdered, quite spectacularly, in the middle of a Richard Strauss performance. It looks like almost anyone in the symphony orchestra could have done it, given where the bullet came from. it’s a tall order for DI Alan Hope, Scotland Yard, to come up with the killer as well as an explanation on how this was done. Fortunately, Hope has a wise and seemingly tolerant wife who gets pages and pages of anxious and charming letters from him, and helps him put it all together.
This is not a classic novel, but it is a great example of what golden age mysteries are like when they work. The prose (or letters — this is an epistolary novel)is witty and charming. There is enough intrigue in the orchestra and eventual suspects to keep things from dragging. Red herrings are introduced and disposed of at a decent pace. The complicated solution is the typical “nobody’s going to guess that” sort of thing that John Dickson Carr was good at, but was quite fairly suggested. And for the enthusiast of these 30s thing —- there is a musical score (rather than the usual plan of the location of the murder).
The one problem, and why I think this is a 3.5 star novel, is that the spectacular murder really complicates the willing suspension of disbelief. John Dickson Carr knew how to do these and make them so entertaining that you didn’t care the concept felt like nonsense. Here, this is a one time novelist, and he’s not quite a master. His novel, however, was worth the revival.
This is not a classic novel, but it is a great example of what golden age mysteries are like when they work. The prose (or letters — this is an epistolary novel)is witty and charming. There is enough intrigue in the orchestra and eventual suspects to keep things from dragging. Red herrings are introduced and disposed of at a decent pace. The complicated solution is the typical “nobody’s going to guess that” sort of thing that John Dickson Carr was good at, but was quite fairly suggested. And for the enthusiast of these 30s thing —- there is a musical score (rather than the usual plan of the location of the murder).
The one problem, and why I think this is a 3.5 star novel, is that the spectacular murder really complicates the willing suspension of disbelief. John Dickson Carr knew how to do these and make them so entertaining that you didn’t care the concept felt like nonsense. Here, this is a one time novelist, and he’s not quite a master. His novel, however, was worth the revival.
December 2, 2023
This is another of the series of stand alone novels published as part of the British Crime Classics Library. All are novels from the 'golden age' of detective fiction in the early to mid 20th century and are curated by Martin Edwards.
In this one, the conductor of a large orchestra is killed on stage during a performance. No shot is heard but he's clearly been shot. A pistol is found in the orchestra right in front of the Violas. But, how could someone in the orchestra have done it? Weren't they all playing? And why was no shot heard.
The story is told in a series of letters sent by the main investigator, DI Alan Hope to his wife Julia. In them he shares what he finds as well as his thoughts, and also sends her other clippings and copies of statements of the various orchestra members. All very irregular, but he values her insights, completely trusts in her discretion, and knows her superior knowledge of music will be a help in reaching a conclusion.
The epistolary form is not for everyone, but it works will in getting all the relevant info out. And the DIs style as he writes to his wife is quite enjoyable. The ending did feel like a bit of a surprise, but then, as he explains his conclusions in his final letter to her, it's clear that all the clues were there. The author was himself an accomplished musician and music critic so he has the character of the musicians down pat. Sadly, this was the only novel he published.
In this one, the conductor of a large orchestra is killed on stage during a performance. No shot is heard but he's clearly been shot. A pistol is found in the orchestra right in front of the Violas. But, how could someone in the orchestra have done it? Weren't they all playing? And why was no shot heard.
The story is told in a series of letters sent by the main investigator, DI Alan Hope to his wife Julia. In them he shares what he finds as well as his thoughts, and also sends her other clippings and copies of statements of the various orchestra members. All very irregular, but he values her insights, completely trusts in her discretion, and knows her superior knowledge of music will be a help in reaching a conclusion.
The epistolary form is not for everyone, but it works will in getting all the relevant info out. And the DIs style as he writes to his wife is quite enjoyable. The ending did feel like a bit of a surprise, but then, as he explains his conclusions in his final letter to her, it's clear that all the clues were there. The author was himself an accomplished musician and music critic so he has the character of the musicians down pat. Sadly, this was the only novel he published.
December 18, 2023
While an orchestra is playing a Strauss symphony (A Hero's Life) before 2,000 people, the conductor is shot and murdered. Forensics indicate the shot had to have come from the orchestra. Detective Hope is tasked with solving the murder.
This book was originally published in 1941 under the pseudonym Sebastia Farr. This is the only novel that he wrote as his specialty was musicology and a music critic. It is published in the form of an letters to the detective's wife along with newspaper articles about the murder, and even a music score from the symphony. Epistolary novels can be an effective way to tell a story with Bram Stoker's Dracula in my opinion one of the best. However, in this story it seems strange to have the detective send letters to the potential suspects. He forwards the responses to his wife. If he wants to do it that way, he should also show the correspondence from her to him.
As a mystery better knowledgle of classical music might have helped me, but I doubt it would have made a different because of so many potential suspects. What was really interesting though was the author's sharing some thing he observed in the classical music community. So it is not a great mystery per se, but it was still entertaining and informatice
This book was originally published in 1941 under the pseudonym Sebastia Farr. This is the only novel that he wrote as his specialty was musicology and a music critic. It is published in the form of an letters to the detective's wife along with newspaper articles about the murder, and even a music score from the symphony. Epistolary novels can be an effective way to tell a story with Bram Stoker's Dracula in my opinion one of the best. However, in this story it seems strange to have the detective send letters to the potential suspects. He forwards the responses to his wife. If he wants to do it that way, he should also show the correspondence from her to him.
As a mystery better knowledgle of classical music might have helped me, but I doubt it would have made a different because of so many potential suspects. What was really interesting though was the author's sharing some thing he observed in the classical music community. So it is not a great mystery per se, but it was still entertaining and informatice
June 27, 2023
Death on the Down Beat is an entertaining murder mystery set in 1938. During a performance the conductor, Sir Noel Grampian, is shot dead. Initially everyone in the concert hall is a suspect, but soon the audience is eliminated from enquiries, as it is clear that the shot must have been fired from the orchestra. That still leaves plenty of potential murderers however, and it seems that many of them are less than keen on their late conductor.
The novel is told as a series of letters, newspaper cuttings and reports sent by DI Alan Hope to his wife Julia. He relies on her superior musical knowledge as he works his way through the puzzle, although we never see her replies to his missives. There is a wealth of evidence, including a section of the musical score and the orchestra seating plan. This all helps the reader follow the detective's thought processes as he works out who in the orchestra would have been able to stop playing for long enough to pick up a gun, fire it, and dispose of the evidence without being noticed by either the audience or their fellow musicians. Well worth reading if you like a detective novel, but fancy something a little different.
The novel is told as a series of letters, newspaper cuttings and reports sent by DI Alan Hope to his wife Julia. He relies on her superior musical knowledge as he works his way through the puzzle, although we never see her replies to his missives. There is a wealth of evidence, including a section of the musical score and the orchestra seating plan. This all helps the reader follow the detective's thought processes as he works out who in the orchestra would have been able to stop playing for long enough to pick up a gun, fire it, and dispose of the evidence without being noticed by either the audience or their fellow musicians. Well worth reading if you like a detective novel, but fancy something a little different.
August 19, 2023
Het enige fictiewerk dat Eric Walter Blom schreef en publiceerde onder het pseudoniem Sebastian Farr, lang uitverkocht en vergeten, maar nu heruitgegeven in de onvolprezen reeks British Library Crime Classics.
Een dirigent wordt tijdens een concert neergeschoten en de lezer krijgt mondjesmaat via brieven, verslagen, bladzijden notenbalken, namenlijsten van orkestleden, een plan met de schikking van het orkest, enzovoort, informatie die de ware toedracht van het gebeuren moeten onthullen.
Tot mijn verrukte verbazing moest ik vaststellen dat mijn intuïtie en deductie op basis van het notenpapier, de namenlijst van de orkestleden en de schikking van het orkest me tot de juiste conclusie gebracht hadden.
Wat het verhaal zelf betreft, moet gezegd dat er nogal wat rond de pot gedraaid wordt en dat er heel wat overbodig gepraat is in de brieven met informatie die de detective aan zijn echtgenote stuurt.
Een dirigent wordt tijdens een concert neergeschoten en de lezer krijgt mondjesmaat via brieven, verslagen, bladzijden notenbalken, namenlijsten van orkestleden, een plan met de schikking van het orkest, enzovoort, informatie die de ware toedracht van het gebeuren moeten onthullen.
Tot mijn verrukte verbazing moest ik vaststellen dat mijn intuïtie en deductie op basis van het notenpapier, de namenlijst van de orkestleden en de schikking van het orkest me tot de juiste conclusie gebracht hadden.
Wat het verhaal zelf betreft, moet gezegd dat er nogal wat rond de pot gedraaid wordt en dat er heel wat overbodig gepraat is in de brieven met informatie die de detective aan zijn echtgenote stuurt.
March 24, 2024
I've had this on order to come in for a while, and I only wish I had enjoyed it more than I did. That's not to say it's not good, it certainly is, and the epistolary style I always love, but it just didn't captivate me as much as I would hope. I'd still recommend this to every fellow fan of classic mysteries, especially to those who are classical music fans/musicians themselves, just to see the cleverness of this one-hit wonder of an author. For those that are not as musically minded, be prepared to perhaps get a bit lost in the sauce a bit.
My rating: 3.75/5 (rounded up)
Would I read it again?: Not necessarily.
TW: Size-related Discrimination (Era-Accurate), Referenced Child Abuse
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed on the down beat.
How difficult was the mystery?: Like I said, if you're not musically-minded, this might prove trickier for you, but Farr plays completely fairly here.
My rating: 3.75/5 (rounded up)
Would I read it again?: Not necessarily.
TW: Size-related Discrimination (Era-Accurate), Referenced Child Abuse
Does the animal die?: No animals are harmed on the down beat.
How difficult was the mystery?: Like I said, if you're not musically-minded, this might prove trickier for you, but Farr plays completely fairly here.
July 13, 2025
A rather tedious whodunnit that takes the form of a series of letters, mostly from the detective to his wife. I could not believe that this man was a cop, let alone a famous Scotland Yard detective, for he neglected to do the routine activities always performed in a murder case. For instance, he discovers early on that the shot that killed the conductor came from the orchestra, but refuses to interview all the musicians. Too much work! But any police detective would have had the help of other cops to do the first round of interrogations. In addition, the jocular tone of his letters, meant I assume to charm, just irritated me. And the conclusion comes out of nowhere—we’re just told who did it and then there’s a long, tedious exposition of how the murder was done.
August 1, 2025
I was lucky enough to receive this book in a conference bag a few years ago and it rested on my TBR shelf ever since, for the simple reason that I’m not musical.
Inspired by the Tandem Collective challenge prompt for “books with orange on the cover” I read it at last, and I’m glad I did. I’m sure that I would have stood more chance of solving the puzzle if I knew more about orchestras, but on the other hand, this was a really interesting dip into that world. I was happy just to be a fly on the wall as Hope solved the crime, sharing his thoughts with his wife.
The British Library Crime Classics series is always a good idea. I’ve not read them all, but of those I have read already, they have all been brilliant.
🧡🧡🧡🧡
Inspired by the Tandem Collective challenge prompt for “books with orange on the cover” I read it at last, and I’m glad I did. I’m sure that I would have stood more chance of solving the puzzle if I knew more about orchestras, but on the other hand, this was a really interesting dip into that world. I was happy just to be a fly on the wall as Hope solved the crime, sharing his thoughts with his wife.
The British Library Crime Classics series is always a good idea. I’ve not read them all, but of those I have read already, they have all been brilliant.
🧡🧡🧡🧡
December 1, 2022
A very unusual novel written in 1941 and lost because of when it was written.
The book is a series of letters, along with clippings and a few diagrams sent by the Detective, DI Alan Hope, to his wife. It’s a very clever structure, written by a music journalist who wrote for the Manchester Guardian among other publications.
It doesn’t all work, there is a feeling I got of being kept at arms length from the “action” and apart from the detective I didn’t really get much of a feel about the personalities of the other characters in the story.
But despite the few reservations, above, I did enjoy the book, not least because it is so different.
The book is a series of letters, along with clippings and a few diagrams sent by the Detective, DI Alan Hope, to his wife. It’s a very clever structure, written by a music journalist who wrote for the Manchester Guardian among other publications.
It doesn’t all work, there is a feeling I got of being kept at arms length from the “action” and apart from the detective I didn’t really get much of a feel about the personalities of the other characters in the story.
But despite the few reservations, above, I did enjoy the book, not least because it is so different.
October 28, 2023
This enjoyable novel in letters mainly consists of detailed descriptions of his activities by Scotland Yard detective Alan Hope to his beloved wife Julia. Apparently Hope often did this when working (although I believe this is the only novel in which the character appears), but in the case of an unpopular symphony conductor killed during a performance of Strauss's "A Hero's Life," Julia's knowledge of music and musicians is a helpful addition to Hope's work. The town's two competing music critics add humor to the story. One minus, to me, was the absence of characterization, beyond the briefest, among the suspects--there are just so many of them!
February 27, 2024
This is a very clever novel, in subject, solution, and in how it is written. A conductor is murdered in the middle of a concert, in full view of 2000 people. Who did it? Anyone who is familiar with orchestral music will enjoy the discussions of scores, instruments, parts, etc.
The book is written almost entirely in epistolary form - I saw "almost," because there are clipping from newspaper articles, etc. It is very well done, and is an interesting departure from the usual way in which detective novels are written. I can imagine, though, that some readers might find the lack of conversations between characters tiresome.
The book is written almost entirely in epistolary form - I saw "almost," because there are clipping from newspaper articles, etc. It is very well done, and is an interesting departure from the usual way in which detective novels are written. I can imagine, though, that some readers might find the lack of conversations between characters tiresome.
August 2, 2023
Well what a strange read!I have loved every one of the British Library Crime Classics so far but this is alas the first one I have really not enjoyed.It was just so weird.An orchestra conductor is shot dead and to find the murderer the policeman discusses the case and all the possible suspects in letters to his wife.How bizzare.I just felt it didn't really work,I was becoming bored especially with all the many references to musical scores notes instruments and who knows what!I really couldn't wait to get it finished which is such a shame.
September 17, 2023
It's an intriguing and hard to solve whodunit, mostly epistolary. It's written by a music expert and you can feel his skills in how he talks about orchestra and conductors
It was fascinating but some less gripping than others.
Note that it's a slow burning story and the plot is not always easy to follow
I enjoyed it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
It was fascinating but some less gripping than others.
Note that it's a slow burning story and the plot is not always easy to follow
I enjoyed it and it's recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
September 22, 2023
Hmmm.
I just can't make my mind up about this book, and I've only just finished it! In some ways it's clever and yet I found it quite frustrating. Maybe you need to a better understanding of how orchestras work to fully get to grips with the whole thing as I am somewhat bewildered by it. Though maybe that's another clever ploy in that most of it isn't really relevant. Or perhaps it is, and it's all gone over my head.
I just can't make my mind up about this book, and I've only just finished it! In some ways it's clever and yet I found it quite frustrating. Maybe you need to a better understanding of how orchestras work to fully get to grips with the whole thing as I am somewhat bewildered by it. Though maybe that's another clever ploy in that most of it isn't really relevant. Or perhaps it is, and it's all gone over my head.
March 26, 2024
A very silly and obscure mystery from the Golden Age of detective fiction. A famous maestro is shot while conducting a symphony orchestra. A detective from Scotland Yard narrates the ensuing investigation through a series of letters to his wife. It’s all very saccharine at times, but there is enough goody charm in his prose and plenty of potential suspects (nearly every musician had a viable motive).
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