Chapter 96
The next day, Professor Lee Chan-ho opened the door to the practice room for the first time in a long time and entered.
"Our Soo-hyun. Did you rest for a few days? I guess you practiced at home so your hands wouldn't get stiff."
Although he had won two international competitions, he still seemed to be worried that his students might become lazy. As Soo-hyun flexed his fingers as if it were not his fault, Professor Lee Chan-ho asked what had happened before class. Soo-hyun, who was talking about the class he had with teacher Kim Eun-joo and what happened with Junwoo yesterday, said with a dissatisfied expression,
"I thought I had a clear idea, but when I finished writing it, it turned out to be a song made up of pieces from different composers. When Junwoo heard it, he joked that it was like a medley."
Professor Lee Chan-ho, who had been quietly listening to Soo-hyun's explanation, smiled and patted him on the back.
"Our Soo-hyun. Don't you know the movie 'The Life of a Hollywood Kid'?"
'Soo-hyun, who doesn't even know the movies that are released these days, would never know about a Korean movie that was released in 1994.'
"It was a Korean movie. You can tell by watching it. A friend, a lifelong admirer of Hollywood, watched all the movies and eventually became a director, made a movie that moved everyone, became a hot topic, and finally won an award. But another friend, who had grown up with him since childhood, noticed it."
"What do you observe?"
The professor looked into Soo-hyun's eyes and said.
"Every scene in the movie is taken from a different movie, and every line of dialogue is taken from a different movie."
"Isn't that a crime?"
"The problem is that the person who made the movie didn't know it."
"Could that be?"
"Yes, there are hundreds of scenes in a single movie. The director thinks it's his own creation, but then he realizes it. And when he realizes that his creation is actually a mixture of other movies, he becomes frustrated. Perhaps what Soo-hyun experienced yesterday was something similar."
The professor continued to speak.
"We call it plagiarism. In music, it generally refers to cases where the actual expression between two works is similar, and even to cases where the overall feeling is similar, but the line between them is blurry. But, well, it can't necessarily be considered a bad thing. There is certainly a way to copy someone else's work and recreate it in your own way, and we call that imitation, not plagiarism."
"Isn't plagiarism a crime, sir? If the line between imitation and plagiarism is ambiguous, then it seems like it shouldn't have been done in the first place."
As Soo-hyun's expression revealed his thoughts, the professor patted him on the back and said.
"Learning by imitation is a very good educational method. Soo-hyun may not know this, but there was a famous painter named Picasso. He said, 'Good painters imitate, great painters steal.' Stealing something from someone else is also a skill."
Soo-hyun nodded slightly.
'I'm not sure, but I think there's also an area where you can take something from someone else, make it your own, and recreate it from scratch.'
The professor added with a smile.
"The same goes for the first piece of music he composed, SHN's Piano Sonata No. 1 in C-sharp minor, Op. 1. I think he probably studied Beethoven and paid homage to him out of respect."
Soo-hyun flinched slightly. But since it was something he couldn't confess to the professor, he quickly turned the page.
"What is homage?"
"Homage comes from French. It means respect. It refers to imitating a specific scene or segment with the intention of honoring the achievements and talent of another writer or musician. In this case, the listener can recognize it immediately and it is marked in the music. Even if it is the same plagiarism, if it is marked as a quotation, there is no problem. Of course, if the copyright is still in effect, there are cases where you have to pay royalties."
'It's difficult. Who made the laws? It must have been very difficult to create laws and order for everything in this world.'
The professor, who had seen Soo-hyun's interest again, opened the prepared score and spoke.
"Teacher Kim Eun-ju told me. She said that this time we will learn about joy and happiness, right?"
Soo-hyun, who woke up from his reverie, said.
"Happiness is not there yet, but I have learned the definition of joy."
"Yes, then I'll try to help in Teacher Kim Eun-joo's class."
When the professor opened the score, the name of the composer we would be meeting this time was written at the top.
'Franz Peter Schubert.''The coincidences are overlapping.'
"It's Schubert."
"He's a very famous person, so you probably know him, right?"
"Yes, I know."
"Then shall we talk about Schubert?"
"Yes, Professor."
"Doesn't our Soo-hyun know a man named Antonio Salieri?" said the professor.
"No. Ah… I think I've heard it before. I think they said he was a bad person. I think it was the story of a very famous musician who was suspected of being poisoned out of jealousy."
Professor Lee Chan-ho snapped his fingers after seeing Soo-hyun's expression.
"I know what you're thinking, but it's just a suspicion. There's no confirmation."
"Schubert was a disciple of Antonio Salieri."
Soo-hyun's eyes widened.
'Professor Schubert was his student?'
"He died at the age of 31," the professor continued. "Despite the hardships he faced, such as poverty and a congenital disease, he was a genius of the time who composed over 600 songs, 13 symphonies, sonatas, and operas."
'31 years old. That's why he looked so young. Is he the same as when he died? It's a bit strange. According to the information I've seen, Uncle Franz lived to be 75. However, the old men in the pianist's village look to be in their late 30s at most. Mr. Beethoven looked to be in his 50s. Is there a reason why the old men are still like that?'
"What was amazing was that he played many instruments at an excellent level. He played the viola in the family string quartet, and also the cello and violin. Maybe he was able to do that because his father taught him music as a hobby. He started composing at the age of 18. He composed famous works such as Erlking, based on poems by Goethe. He deeply admired Beethoven, but although he spent time with his close friends, he was very shy and couldn't meet him. He only saw him once, a week before he died. He died of illness a year later, having lost his inner hero."
'Could it have something to do with Professor Beethoven's death?'
"What kind of illness was it?"
"Syphilis," the professor's speech was somehow ambiguous.
"Professor?"
"Falcon, syphilis."
"What is syphilis?"
"It's a type of sexually transmitted disease."
"What are sexually transmitted diseases?"
"Ahem… Anyway, it's now a disease that can be cured with a single injection, but in his time it was very scary. It is said that Schubert led a dissolute life, holding parties with his friends called Schubertiades. There is also a strong theory that he fell ill because of that."
'If you live a promiscuous life, you'll probably get syphilis. I should never live a promiscuous life. I see. I guess a promiscuous lifestyle is dangerous.'
"Huh? Hahaha, yes. It's dangerous. Our Soo-hyun shouldn't lead a promiscuous life. Understood?" said the professor, laughing.
Soo-hyun, with an expression that didn't let on why he was smiling, nodded without even knowing what "disorderly" meant. After all, he knew it was a bad thing.
"Professor."
"Huh?"
"Professor, have you ever composed a song?"
The professor, who was about to open the score and give a lesson on how to play the instrument, stopped and looked at Soo-hyun. He burst out laughing at the serious look in Soo-hyun's eyes.
"Yes."
"Where can I hear it?"
"You can't."
"Why?"
"Because I've never presented it before."
"You told me to register it because I have to protect the copyright."
The professor smiled bitterly.
"The child, so innocent, has no idea of the value of the music he composes. Unlike the song you made, mine wasn't that good. So much so that I don't care now if someone quotes or plagiarizes it."
In Soo-hyun's head, he recalled scenes of Professor Beethoven running around the room like a madman, transcribing the music that came to his mind into sheet music, and then shouting, "This is trash!", crumpling the score and throwing it in the trash.
'I guess the professor has also experienced something like that.'
"It is said that composing music, especially classical music, is a very difficult task," the professor said in a low voice. "I have been trying all my life, but I have not yet achieved what our Soo-hyun has achieved. In that sense, I truly envy you."
Soo-hyun, who was staring at the professor's face, which somehow looked sad, asked a question.
"Even if it wasn't a great song, were you happy after you finished it?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho flinched. An forgotten passion slowly rose in his heart.
'When did it start? I stopped composing, no, I gave up. Why did I give up? I just said with my own words that it was not an easy task. Is it because it was too hard for me to overcome?'
Professor Lee Chan-ho's eyes, which were deep in thought, wavered. Soo-hyun, unaware of how much the professor had been moved by that thoughtless question, just stared at him. The professor paused for a moment and smiled brightly at Soo-hyun.
"I was happy."
Soo-hyun smiled brightly.
'Composing music is truly a joy. Creations made with pain are joyful. I want to learn quickly and achieve it.'
"Do you want to continue to create happy things in the future?"
The professor smiled and nodded.
'I was going to. I just forgot for a moment.'
A practice room where it was unclear who was teaching whom. The professor, who had had countless conversations with his students through his eyes, clapped his hands and said,
"Well then, shall we start with Schubert's The Trout?"
"I'm more curious about the song 'Devil King'. The name is cool, right?"
"Haha, it's a song. Anyway, there's a piano part, shall we give it a try?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho seemed very excited today.
Great news, everyone!
For those of you following Pianist's Village, it's now fully translated and complete on my Patreon!
If you want to read the entire story from start to finish, now is the perfect time to join.
You can find it here: @Patreon/iLikeeMikee
Thanks for your support!