Antonietta consists of five acts, four intermezzi, and a finale. Five periods of time ranging from 1699, the time of Antonio Stradivari, to 1989, the section featuring Spenser Ham, are presented.

The times of Mozart, Berlioz, and Stravinsky, 1778, 1830, and 1918 make up a sequence which features some highlights of history. "Act Five" has Antonietta playing the abstract, mathematical music of Schoenberg, Hindemith, Berg, and Bartok. Hersey who had taken violin lessons while still a child in China, was a music lover all of his life.

He quotes from all the composers presented in his novel. To what extent he succeeds in reproducing the creative acts of these musical geniuses and their resultant compositions is debatable.

If several historical periods are covered, equally varied are the styles Hersey employs in presenting them.

"Act One" uses straight narration with occasional dialogue in dramatic form.

"Act Two" consists of letters between Mozart and his...