SOLVED!: YA - pianist/composer in train accident - hands and head separated - "reincarnated" in two brothers [s]

[Jessica]

Wow - that sounds weird. I remember it being weird too. I read it when I was young. I remember the premise being that a famous composer was in an accident where his head and hands were separated from his body. Then there are brothers, and one is a struggling piano player and one a composer. Somehow this dead composer's music comes to the young composer like a dream and in full, and the young pianist, who isn't always good, can play these pieces flawlessly (he got the "hands," and the composer got the "head," get it?). There is some other character (mentor/teacher to young composer?) who knows the pieces are perfect but makes him change one note of every piece because he won't admit they're perfect. Then there's this old guy who comes up to the young composer after every performance and says - "that was perfect, except for the B flat" [or whatever note the teacher made him change].

I remember it being really bizarre, but I read it probably 15 years ago, so I could be remembering it all wrong.

Anyone?

[Wendy]

This is FINGERS by William Sleator, and believe it or not, you pretty much remembered it accurately.

[Jessica]

Wendy - thank you!! I kept wanting to search for "Hands" - I guess I wasn't too far off. This has been bugging me for ages - you're the best.