Ernestine Whitman

 

 

 

Countermelodies: A Memoir in Sonata Form

Ernestine Whitman

Publisher: She Writes Press Pages: 320 Price: (paperback) $17.99 ISBN: 9781647427320Reviewed: July, 2024Author Website: Visit »

Inspired by the three-part structure of a sonata, Ernestine Whitman's layered memoir recounts her journey to forge a successful career as a professional musician.

The daughter of an Emory University professor, Whitman's Atlanta childhood was shaped by the pursuit of academic excellence—a value dictated by her strict father and the relentless comparisons to her talented sister Melinda. In junior high, Whitman discovered the flute. Bolstered by the encouragement of her teacher, Mr. Little, she developed a hunger for classical music.

After high school, Whitman enrolled at Emory. While studying there in the 1960s, she became the youngest second flutist to join the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Having ascended from Mr. Little's student to his orchestra colleague, it seemed like a dream come true until Whitman became the target of Mr. Little's cruelty and manipulation.

 

Mr. Little constantly attacked her abilities in public and in private. Her self-esteem shattered, she spiraled into depression and sought therapy. Whitman's psychological recovery was slow but steady, aided by her deep connections to other musicians. When she relocated to Boston for graduate school, Whitman tried to suppress the lingering trauma of Mr. Little's verbal abuse and emotional terrorism. Yet her inner turmoil impacted her romantic relationships and overall well-being, ultimately forcing her to face her demons.

 

Whitman's memoir richly explores themes of power dynamics, patriarchal oppression, and music as personal salvation. She embraces honesty, and the narrative skillfully captures the painful reveal and damaging aftermath of Mr. Little's Jekyll and Hyde-like transformation. Descriptions of music performances are crafted with reverence; discussions of heavy topics like suicide, rape, and abortion are handled with empathy and introspection.

 

The granular details focused on music theory and orchestral history may deter some readers, but these instances are infrequent within the larger scope of the narrative.

Whether classical music lovers or casual fans, readers will become absorbed in Whitman's story of persistence and survival in a world at the mercy of toxic misogyny.

 

Author's Current Residence

Appleton, Wisconsin

Available Sept. 24 at: Barnes & Noble, Amazon, The Book Store (Appleton,WI), Target

Category:  Memoir

Sub Category: Musician

 

© 2010-2024 BlueInk Review. All rights reserved.

 

What was it like to forge a path as a woman in a male-dominated field generations before the #MeToo movement? Ernestine Whitman shows us in this courageous, engrossing, and exquisitely written portrait of the artist as a young woman. Part coming of age, part coming to terms, Countermelodies is the story of a gifted flutist making her way in classical music at a time when men got away with unimaginable abuses of power. Like the most sophisticated sonatas, it's stirring, unsettling, and, in the end, triumphant."

—Eleanor Henderson, professor at Ithaca College and author of Ten Thousand Saints and Everything I Have Is Yours: A Marriage

 

In her candid and courageous memoir, flutist Ernestine Whitman traces the long term impact of psychological abuse encountered within a dysfunctional family, during her years as a member of the Atlanta Symphony, and in her graduate studies at two well-known institutions. This will be of great interest to music lovers curious about the professional music world and the need for steely determination in order to survive and succeed. Highly recommended!
—Leone Buyse, Professor Emerita, The Shepherd School of Music, Rice University; former principal flutist, Boston Pops Orchestra and acting principal flutist, Boston Symphony Orchestra 

 

When Ernestine Whitman became a professional flutist, classical music was a man's world. Opposed by her judgmental father, she learned to fight for her art, navigating encounters with dangerously insecure men and holding fast to her flute until it became the means of her transcendence. At turns funny and frightening, Countermelodies is a glorious masterclass in music history, feminist resilience, and memory.

—David McGlynn, author of The End of the Straight and Narrow and One Day You'll Thank Me: Lessons from an Unexpected Fatherhood

 

 

Whitman has composed a remarkable work, a musical memoir that is symphonic in scope, emotional range, and musical nuance. With narratives that whisper as softly as an off-stage flute, and roar as loudly as a full orchestra playing a final cadence, she expertly weaves together themes of heart wrenching tragedy and despair with themes of uplifting joy and triumph.  And pulsing beneath each word, sentence, and melodic phrase, the undeniable transformational power of courage, resilience, and hope. Once I began the musical journey, I couldn't put it down. Brava!

--Brian Pertl, Dean, Lawrence Conservatory of Music

 

Despite her father's insistence she would never make a living playing the flute, Ernestine Whitman was only twenty when she landed a job the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Her father is the first in an appalling succession of men she encounters: teacher, rapist, and therapist, each belittling, degrading, and thwarting not only her artistic integrity but her very sense of self. In this memoir you will learn about the inner workings of professional orchestras and brush shoulders with luminaries, but the most important lesson it delivers is how to overcome pernicious self-doubt.

--Jean Feraca, author of I Hear Voices: A Memoir of Love, Death, and the Radio; the poetry collection "Crossing the Great Divide," and the chapbook, "Rendered into Paradise."

 

From Kirkus Review:

Classical music forms the structure and provides the energy for this beautifully composed and occasionally heart-wrenching memoir. The author's passion for the subtleties and mechanical complexities of great orchestral productions flows from her pages. Although the copious minutiae about individual pieces and conductors will be best appreciated by those already well versed in orchestral music, there are passages here that soar, and even the uninitiated ... are likely to be intrigued by this behind-the-curtain portrait of the highly competitive classical music arena. Engaging details concerning pitch, range, and techniques of mastering the flute are descriptive enough to fine-tune the attention of the most casual concert attendees. There are incidents in this personal saga that would qualify for inclusion in any compendium of "Me Too" accounts; still, this is a robust story of remarkable perseverance and success in the face of many obstacles.

A disturbing and compelling tale of resilience, determination, and musical passion.