In 1994, French author and musician Pascal Quignard abruptly withdrew from the world of professional music. His new book “The Hatred of Music’’ (Yale University) is an explanation of sorts. He offers 10 treatises in which he explores music’s potential to be party to evil. “Of all the arts, music is the only one to have collaborated in the extermination of the Jews organized by the Germans between 1933 and 1945,’’ he writes. In their afterword, translators Matthew Amos and Fredrik Rönnbäck caution readers that instead of rejecting music outright, Quignard “presents an indictment of its inherent dangers.’’ In a world of ubiquitous music, this is food for thought.

JAN GARDNER