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Maestro Study Guide

by Peter Goldsworthy

The Maestro study guide contains a biography of Peter Goldsworthy, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

Maestro is the coming of age story of Paul Crabbe. The novel is written as a memoir, and it centers on Paul's relationship with his piano teacher, Herr Eduard Keller. Fifteen-year-old Paul has just moved with his parents from southern Australia to Darwin, in the country's far north. The story begins with Paul's first lesson with Keller, an old Austrian immigrant who lives in a room at the Swan hotel that overlooks the hotel's beer garden.

Keller begins the first lesson, seating Paul at an old, peeling upright piano and himself at a grand piano. Paul examines Keller's hands and notices that Keller is missing most of his right little finger, a fact accentuated by the presence of a gold ring on the stump. Keller refuses to let Paul play during…

Read the full Maestro Summary

• Maestro Summary
• About Maestro
• Character List
• Glossary of Terms
• Major Themes
• Quotes and Analysis
• Summary and Analysis of Darwin, 1967
• Summary and Analysis of Intermezzo
• Summary and Analysis of 1968
• Summary and Analysis of Adelaide
• Summary and Analysis of 1974
• Summary and Analysis of Vienna, 1975
• Summary and Analysis of 1977
• The Real Piano Teachers in Maestro
• Related Links on Maestro
• Suggested Essay Questions
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 1
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 2
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 3
• Test Yourself! - Quiz 4
• Author of ClassicNote and Sources

• Maestro: Major Themes
• Maestro: Essays
• Maestro: Questions
• Maestro: Purchase the Novel and Related Material
• Peter Goldsworthy: Biography