Music is a language as universal as human emotion, and it has the power to console, inspire, and even incite revolution or acts of heroism. It’s unsurprising, then, that it has featured so prominently in other forms of art, including the written word. Here are 11 novels by Canadian authors that explore classical music and its profound impact on the human soul.

The Canadian International Organ Competition (CIOC) opens this Friday, October 6 with a genre-bending concert at the Maison Symphonique: renowned organists Christian Lane and Jean-Willy Kunz will share the stage with Montréal singer-songwriter Leif Vollebekk, an artist more likely to be found onstage at Pop Montréal.