Chapter 94
Franz Liszt, 6 Consolations, S. 172: No. 1 in E major. Franz Liszt, Piano Sonata No. 21 in C major, Op. 53, "Waldstein". Frédéric Chopin, 24 Etudes, Op. 25. Frédéric Chopin, Baladas e Impromptus.
"Then let's see what you can do?"
A performance that began with a single word from Schubert. so-hyun froze in front of him, the composer of the century known as the king of songs. However, there was no way that so-hyun, who had played with Liszt, Chopin, and Beethoven, could not play in front of Schubert. He finished his performance, catching his breath and doing the best he could with the idea of performing before his teachers.
Schubert, who listened to all four songs without saying a word, sometimes moved his body as if dancing and other times just nodded his head. After appreciating the piece with his eyes closed, he smiled mischievously and touched so-hyun's shoulder.
"You met Liszt and Chopin before you came to see me, didn't you?"
so-hyun also knew that his colors were inevitably tainted. Schubert looked at so-hyun, who nodded, and then at a stack of sheet music.
"I can also see Professor Beethoven's colors. Especially in their hands."
so-hyun looked down at his hands. Day by day, they became thicker and his fingers stronger. At first glance, so-hyun's rough hands seemed to conflict with her delicate and beautiful appearance. Schubert took a piece of paper from a stack of sheet music and offered it to him.
"Well, then, shall we start the Schubertiada?"
so-hyun made a nervous expression. Schubert 's Schubertiades . They are generally referred to as the Schubert International Festival, founded by Hermann Prey in 1975, but they actually refer to an event where Schubert's friends gathered to party and play his music. He was getting nervous because he believed that from now on he would have to play authentic Schubert music. Performing in front of the original author was always exciting.
The score that Schubert gave him was the Impromptu, Op. 90, No. 3. As soon as he received it, so-hyun began to read it with serious eyes.
'Until now you have played music that you already memorized, but now you are reading it at first sight.'
Schubert smiled as he saw so-hyun reading intently without even touching the piano. He slowly turned the page to the last and began to play. It was a good song to practice for beginners, as it required little hand movement. For so-hyun, who was technically close to perfection, this song was as easy as breathing. He breathed a sigh of relief.
'I think I can show a good side of myself in our first encounter with this song.'
so-hyun, who had been treated badly by Beethoven, played to the end, thinking about the importance of first impressions. Of course, he couldn't express all the emotions it contained, but he finished playing it exactly as the score said. When he finished, he looked up and saw Schubert, who was still smiling and looking at him.
"so-hyun?"
"Yes, sir."
Schubert, with his fat body wobbling, stood under a zelkova tree and asked with outstretched arms:
"What is it that you hear in time in music?"
'Time in music? What does it mean? Does the story flow? Isn't it just a story and not the flow of time itself?'
Soo-hyun's expression became ambiguous. Schubert lowered his arms and put his hands on his waist.
"The score at the end of the segment. What does it say?"
so-hyun looked at the score.
"There's a fermata, sir."
"What does that mean?"
Soo-hyun's answer didn't hesitate.
"It means playing the notes two or three times as long."
Schubert still had a smile on his face, but he looked at so-hyun silently.
"Isn't that so?" he asked, hesitantly.
Schubert walked over, grabbed so-hyun's shoulder, and slapped the score.
"So, let me ask you. If the fermata means writing the quarter note two or three times as long, then there is no difference between this dotted quarter note and this one. Why is it written like that?"
"…"
Soo-hyun's expression hardened. Schubert was right. I knew how to play it, but I had never thought about its meaning, because precision was the priority.
"In what country do you say fermata?" asked Schubert kindly.
"Italian, sir."
"Ah, I see. By the way, do you know how to say 'bus stop' in Italian?"
'I don't know, I've never been to Italy.'
"So, do you know what's written on bus stops in English?"
"It says Stop, sir," so replied, since there were also many annotations in English in Korea.
"Haha, it's true. Fermata also means 'to stop' in Italian."
'Stop. Does it mean stopping the music? Not simply lengthening it, but stopping it.'
"Music is the art of time," Schubert continued. "It's a story written on paper using time. Normally we don't feel the passage of time. We just think, 'Oh, how fast it flies!' but in music, you can feel the ever-changing flow. Unlike reality, time in music can slow down, speed up, or even stop."
Schubert played some very slow notes from Tchaikovsky's Overture 1812. Time seemed to pass more and more slowly.
"Should we try to turn back time quickly this time?" he said with a smile.
This time he played the "Waltz of the Flowers" by the same composer. As he played, time in music passed faster and faster.
"In any case, ritardando and accelerando do not simply mean 'gradually slower' or 'faster.' They refer to the speed of the passage of time in music. Fermata does not mean pause, but stops time."
'Time in music. I see, there's time in music.'
"There's something we check before we play a score. What is it?" asked Schubert.
"It's the tempo, sir," so so replied.
"What does that mean?"
"I mean, speed."
"Yes, but the word 'tempo' is also Italian. Did you know?"
Although so-hyun had been learning Italian, he had never thought about the meaning of the word.
"Tempo... it means 'time' in Italian...", he murmured with a surprised face.
Schubert's smile deepened.
"Even without the need for words, we can express the blooming of buds, their bursting and the unfolding of leaves in music. This is because the composer controls the time."
The little man who had caught Soo-hyun's attention, Schubert, fat, ugly, and with a weird smile, was a little giant. so-hyun got up from the stool and bowed.
"Please teach me more, master."
Schubert smiled, adjusting his glasses.
"The river can encompass all the waters of the valley because it flows downwards. Only by descending can he eventually ascend. Perhaps the most valuable thing you learned from Chopin and Liszt was not technical skill, but courtesy itself."
Schubert, laughing, patted him on the shoulder.
"How could I refuse this request from our respected Professor Beethoven? I'll start teaching tomorrow. Are you talking about your life today? I'm a person who likes people, and I haven't known anyone for a long time."
Schubert said, winking at him.
"Even more so to living people."
Counseling room at Korea University's Center for Music Education for the Talented. Teacher Kim Eun-joo, sitting opposite so for the first time in a long time, spoke first.
"Did you have a nice trip to Germany?"
"Yes, teacher."
"I found out that you came back after winning the Beethoven Competition. Congratulations!"
He said, holding a small gift box.
"What is it?" asked so-hyun with his eyes wide open.
"Congratulatory gift."
'Is there such a thing as a congratulatory gift? I guess people often exchange things like that.'
"Do you usually give gifts when you celebrate something?" asked so-hyun, who received the gift.
"No, a gift is something you give when you feel like it."
"Haha... I feel strange. It's similar to how I felt when Ji-ye said he would stay by my side, or when I won the contests."
"Do you want to open it?" said Kim Eun-joo, nodding.
so-hyun opened the box and looked at Eun-ju Kim.
"What is this?"
"A wallet. Don't you have one?"
'I don't even know what it is. It looks like flat leather.'
"It's where you put your money. Also your card and your ID. You can't carry them everywhere."
'Come to think of it, I remember Professor Lee Chan-ho, Sister Ji-ye, and even Junwoo taking money out of places like this.'
Only then did so-hyun show a happy expression. Perhaps, having what ordinary people had was what he had dreamed of the most. Kim Eun-joo, who saw him open and close his wallet, asked:
"How do you feel?"
so-hyun smiled.
"My elder sister, Ji-ye, said that this is joy."
Kim Eun-joo replied with a smile.
"Yes, it's true. Gifts make people happy. so-hyun, what's the difference between being happy and being cheerful?"
'I don't know. I don't even know what joy is, so how can I define other similar emotions?'
When so-hyun pouted, Eun-ju Kim smiled.
"That's precisely what we need to learn. Shall we start?"