Will I love Quartet?

As the title suggests, this group biography is not so much a patchwork as an expertly conducted harmony. Broad transports us to the turn of the 20th century, and into the lives of four musical impresarios: Ethel Smyth, Rebecca Clarke, Dorothy Howell and Doreen Carwithen. All four entered the music world at a time when women were not openly welcomed as professionals. Broad’s description of their diverse characters, trials and triumphs is at once richly told and deeply satisfying. We get to know Ethel, the strong-willed, trailblazing bisexual composer of operas, who went everywhere with her half-St Bernard dog and… show more.