In “The Echo of Time: War, the Shoah, and the Music of Memory,” Jeremy Eichler reflects on the essence of listening. Rather than focusing on how to listen to music like many other works, the author shifts the question to why. His book challenges us to rethink the role of art in our contemporary lives by examining classical music’s ability to connect with the past.
At the core of his argument is a compelling idea: music can serve as a sensitive memory of history. It not only preserves the tragedies of the 20th century, including the Holocaust, but also conveys the hopes, aspirations, and struggles of past generations. In doing so, music becomes a channel for empathy and understanding, a way to engage with historical experiences that are otherwise challenging to grasp.
The book has received widespread acclaim internationally, earning several major awards in 2023, including the title of Best Book of the Year by the New York Times.
Born in 1974, Jeremy Eichler is an American music historian specializing in the relationship between musical creation and historical memory. From 2006 to 2024, he served as the principal classical music critic for the Boston Globe, writing the column “Third Ear.” Additionally, he taught music history and the humanities at Tufts University.
His interdisciplinary work at the intersection of criticism, history, and essays has garnered numerous accolades and acknowledgments.
Four winners for the 2026 edition
In addition to the Grand Prize, three other distinctions were awarded:
Special Prize: Alain Galliari, for “The Illustrated Catalog of the Works” by Pierre Boulez (Philharmonie de Paris)
Jury Award: Claire Paolacci, for “Jacques Rouché and the Paris Opera: From the Great War to Liberation” (Sorbonne University Press)
Favorite Pick: Dorothée de Monfreid, for “Lyric Fantasy: Behind-the-Scenes at the Paris Opera” (Dargaud)
The four winners will be publicly announced on Monday, March 30 at 7:00 p.m. at the Maison de la Radio et de la Musique in Paris.
For the 2026 edition, the jury, comprising nine distinguished figures from the music world, selected fifteen titles from 102 books published in 2025. The prize continues to serve as a benchmark in music-related publishing, recognizing academic works, popularization pieces, and graphic proposals alike.
The awarded authors will be featured on the program “Relax!” hosted by Lionel Esparza on France Musique at 3:00 p.m. on the same day, providing insights into their works and significance.
The France Musique Book Prize – Claude Samuel honors books dedicated to music across various perspectives each year. It pays tribute to Claude Samuel, a prominent figure in French musical life.
The previous edition in 2025 notably honored Jean-Christophe Branger for his work “Jules Massenet” (Fayard).
[Context: The content discusses Jeremy Eichler’s book on the role of classical music in preserving historical memory and the winners of the 2026 music-related book awards.]
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