"Unaccompanied Sonata" is a short story by American writer

Orson Scott Card Orson Scott Card (born August 24, 1951) is an American writer known best for his science fiction works. He is the first and (as of 2022) only person to win both a Hugo Award and a Nebula Award in consecutive years, winning both awards for both ...

, first published in the March, 1979 issue of '' Omni'' magazine. It appears in his short story collections ''

Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories ''Unaccompanied Sonata and Other Stories'' (1980) is a collection of short stories by American writer Orson Scott Card. Although not purely science fiction and definitely not hard science fiction, the book contains stories that have a futuristic ...

'' and ''

Maps in a Mirror ''Maps in a Mirror'' (1990) is a collection of short stories by American writer Orson Scott Card. Like Card's novels, most of the stories have a science fiction or fantasy theme. Some of the stories, such as "Ender's Game", " Lost Boys", and ...

''. It was nominated in 1979 for the

Nebula Award for Best Short Story The Nebula Award for Best Short Story is a literary award assigned each year by Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA) for science fiction or fantasy short stories. A work of fiction is defined by the organization as a short stor ...

and in 1980 for the

Hugo Award for Best Short Story The Hugo Award for Best Short Story is one of the Hugo Awards given each year for science fiction or fantasy stories published or translated into English during the previous calendar year. The short story award is available for works of fiction o ...

Plot summary

A child is brought up to be a musical prodigy. He is raised alone in a cabin by unsinging servants, in order to guarantee that his only musical influences are natural. He plays on a complicated instrument capable of a wide range of sound, but is absolutely disallowed from hearing the music of others, for, he is told, that would corrupt his originality and make his work derivative. At some point he is, against the wishes of his keepers, introduced to the music of Bach, and when this is discovered by a "Watcher", he is uprooted from his composition at the age of thirty, and is then barred by law from ever again making music. The story then follows him as he struggles to repress his desire for musical expression.

External links

The official Orson Scott Card website
Short stories by Orson Scott Card Works originally published in Omni (magazine) 1979 short stories {{1980s-story-stub

Plot summary

See also

External links