Literary works by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji


As prolific a composer of articles, essays, reviews, letters-to-the-editor and personal correspondence as of music, Sorabji contributed much to the world of intelligent, thoughtful and penetrating criticism on a vast variety of subjects, including, of course, music. His style is as appealing as it is compelling; his wit is irrepressible, his erudition devastating and his terms of reference as wide-ranging as can be imagined. Jami, Leonardo, St. John of the Cross, Macchiavelli, Bach, Pareto, Liszt, Busoni, Guénon, Coomaraswamy, van Dieren, MacDiarmid, Godowsky, Sir Sacheverell Sitwell and Szymanowski are some of his idols; cant, humbug, democracy, egalitarianism, systematised mass education, cultural trendiness, sentimentality, linguistic imprecision, obscurantism, received opinion purveyors and busybodies are his bêtes noires. One who damns so-called “Musical Appreciation” classes as training in “how to obtain the highest rate of investment return from Beethoven” and the science of educational psychology as “the drawing of obscurity from fools” is arguably a preternatural controversialist; one who displays unfailing emotional and intellectual precision, pansophy and heroic sanctity in commending beaux idéaux to his readership is surely an instinctive and radiant communicator: one who does both is, uniquely and inevitably, Sorabji.

This Archive’s extensive collection of his published and unpublished literature is now indexed; items from these and many other files containing writings about him, including performance programme and review material, are issued subject to copyright as A4 single- or double-sided photocopies.

Published books / book chapters

Around Music

  • London, Unicorn Press (1932, A4P, 292)
    collected essays, 35 chapters; Annotated Index (Marc-André Roberge, 1992)
  • Copy of publication with corrections by Sorabji — Price: £40 (paper), £20 (pdf)

Mi Contra Fa: The immoralisings of a Machivellian musician

  • London, Porcupine Press (1947, A4P, 288)
    collected essays, 30 chapters; Annotated Index (Marc-André Roberge, 1992)
  • Copy of publication with corrections by Sorabji — Price: £40 (paper), £20 (pdf)

Annotated indexes to Around Music and Mi Contra Fa

  • Marc-André Roberge (1992, A4P, 65)
  • First edition — Price: £20 (paper), £10 (pdf)

The Validity of the Aristocratic Principle

  • London, Luzac & Co. (1947, A4P, 6)
    chapter XIII from Art and Thought, a 70th birthday tribute to Dr. Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy, ed. K. Bharatha Iyer; pp.214–218
  • Copy of Sorabji’s contribution with corrections by Sorabji — Price: £15 (paper), £10 (pdf)

The Greatness of Medtner

  • London, Dennis Dobson (1955, A4P, 12)
    a chapter from Nicolas Medtner (1879–1951), ed. Richard Holt; pp.122–132
  • Copy of publication — Price: £15 (paper), £10 (pdf)

Other writings

Collected Published Writings

  • 2 vols., unedited and unpaginated (1914–, A4P, c.1250)
    (i) Book Chapters (available separately [q.v.]), Articles, Essays, Notes, Letters-to-the-Editor;
    (ii) Reviews [various journal, newspaper etc. items]

  • Copy of publications — Price: £90 (paper), £40 (pdf)

An index of proper names to be found in the complete published writings of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji

  • George Alexander Ross (1994, A4P, 247)
    (see also previous item)
  • First edition — Price: £35 (paper), £20 (pdf)

An annotated bibliography of Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji’s collected published writings

  • Marc-André Roberge (1993, A4P, 156)
    (covers items from 5 serial publications; an edition covering the entire Collected Published Writings is in preparation and will replace the present volume)
  • First edition — Price: £20 (paper), £15 (pdf)

List of performances and broadcasts of musical works by Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji

  • Marc-André Roberge, updated by Alistair Hinton (1995–, A4P, 22+)
  • Price: £15 (paper), £10 (pdf)