Author Jacqueline Wilson on the music that shaped her
The famous children's and YA fiction author reveals the music that has had the most profound impact on her life
One of the world’s best-selling children’s authors, Jacqueline Wilson is a former children’s laureate and a staunch campaigner for the benefits of reading. Author of over 100 books, her stories about Tracy Beaker were made into a much-loved television series. Jacqueline Wilson’s Wonderful World with the BBC Symphony Orchestra was broadcast on Radio 3 on 31 December, 2021.
'The first time I was struck by music, it was the theme tune of the 1957 television adaptation of The Railway Children. This tune, the second of Grieg’s Symphonic Dances, is so haunting and beautiful that it summed up the experience of the book for me.
'Bizarrely, my latest book is a kind of reimagining of The Railway Children and when I was thinking about how I could take on this rather impertinent task, somebody mentioned that theme music. I tracked it down and it made the hairs on the back of my neck stand up to remember just how much it meant to me. The television company ran a painting competition based on The Railway Children and I’d just been given a painting set, so I got to work. I couldn’t make the train look right so I just painted the three main children waving their red flags and, astonishingly, I won!
'My second choice is Linda Ronstadt singing ‘Freezing’ from Philip Glass’s album Songs from Liquid Days. When I was writing my early books, I played it over and over again and it was just like the angel was singing to me. I discovered I really like that rhythmic repetition of music to get myself into a particular mood.
'I was working very hard in those days, writing many books that no one remembers now. An editor told me that they liked my stories but they would never be popular with children. ‘Freezing’ reminds me of those days, when I wasn’t selling many books but I wrote for the joy of it. Later The Story of Tracy Beaker, particularly the TV adaptation, changed my career around.
'I first came across Michael Nyman’s music via the stunning Peter Greenaway film The Draughtsman’s Contract. He’s another composer who uses repetition, and I’ve picked ‘The Heart Asks Pleasure First’ from his score for Jane Campion’s film The Piano. The piano plays such a crucial part in the film and that little piece expresses so many emotions, from danger to passion.
'As well as the wonderful Harvey Keitel, I loved the strong relationship between the mother and the daughter – Holly Hunter and Anna Paquin – which is so lovely and unusual. I’ve actually mentioned it in one of my books, although watching it again I realise it’s really not suitable for children!
'Tasmin Little’s recording of Vaughan Williams' The Lark Ascending is a great favourite and I’ve known and admired her playing for a long time. I made probably the biggest faux pas of my life when I met the 20-something Tasmin and her mother in a hotel in Hay-on-Wye.
- Hear Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending as it was originally written: for piano and violin duo
- When was the first performance, recording, broadcast and Proms performance of Vaughan Williams’s The Lark Ascending?
- A guide to Vaughan Williams's Fantasia on a Theme of Thomas Tallis and its best recordings
'She looked much younger and when her mother mentioned that Tasmin went to the Menuhin School, I said brightly, ‘Maybe you’ll be able to play the violin professionally’. Little did I know that she was already an international star with several recordings to her name! I’ve been to several of her concerts and she transmits such joyfulness in her playing.
'I had a wonderful time collaborating with the BBC Symphony Orchestra on a family concert that combined readings from my books with music, and it introduced me to some unfamiliar works, including Masquerade by the brilliant composer Anna Clyne. I didn’t grasp it on first hearing but after listening again and again, I realised it’s a bit like starting to read a 19th-century novel – you have to readjust yourself. Then it became very special to me.
'Mei-Ann Chen conducted the whole concert with such joy and respect, and it was good to show the children in the audience that music isn’t just made by men, it’s interpreted and imagined by women too. Since that lovely opportunity to be involved in a concert myself, I am going to pursue this interest in classical music and become a dedicated concert-goer from now on!'
Jacqueline Wilson's musical choices
Grieg Symphonic Dances, Op. 64 No. 2
Academy of St Martin in the Fields/ Neville Marriner
Hänssler CD 98.128
Philip Glass Songs from Liquid Days: Linda Ronstadt et al
Philip Glass Ensemble
Sony MK 39564
Michael Nyman The Piano: Music from the Motion Picture
EMI
Vaughan Williams The Lark Ascending
Tasmin Little (violin), BBC Philharmonic/ Andrew Davis
Chandos CHAN 10796
Anna Clyne Masquerade
BBC Symphony Orchestra/Marin Alsop
Avie AV 2434
Authors
Amanda Holloway is a freelance classical music journalist and former Features Editor of BBC Music Magazine. She writes features and interviews for many specialist titles, including BBC Music Magazine, Opera Now, International Piano and Classical Music Magazine, as well as writing opera and concert reviews for The Stage.
