Lessons in Harmony by Jonathan Coe review – what can music tell us about national identity?

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According to the Guardian review by Clare Clark on 10 November 2026, Jonathan Coe's new novel Lessons in Harmony tells the story of the unlikely friendship between French composer Maurice Ravel and English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams, which began when Vaughan Williams went to study in Paris in 1907. Despite their vast differences, the three months spent together sparked a lasting bond that influenced their respective masterpieces. Written in the form of an unpublished memoir by a devoted friend of Ravel, Coe’s novel explores how their music came to embody their respective national identities and how the tragedy of the First World War eventually impacted their connection.