Chapter 219: An Outstanding Song
Chapter 217 – An Outstanding Song
Although the concert was placed on tomorrow, in order to welcome this feast of celebrities, the Coburg Theater, which had never been worried about renting out its stage, chose to close its doors for a day dedicated to setting up the concert hall in spite of the economic benefits.
From the decoration of the theater, to the lighting on the stage, and even the seating order of the orchestra, all of them were strictly regulated.
However, no one can fault the Coburg Theatre for its faulty behavior after reading the list of tomorrow night’s recitals.
Take a look at some of the shining stars of Britannia’s music scene who are about to take the stage.
Ignaz Moscheles, Felix Mendelssohn, Cipriani Potter, John Field & John Kramer.
There is only one reason why so many heavyweight pianists are gathered here, and that is because tomorrow night is the official curtain call for the absolute leader of the British music scene, the father of the piano, Mr. Muzio Clementi.
The absolute idol of the Romantic pianists like Beethoven and Cherny, the musician who dueled with Mozart at the Palais de Vienne and drew, will announce tomorrow night that he is leaving the world of music in order to enjoy his retirement.
Outside the theater at this moment, two young men on English thoroughbred horses are talking and laughing as they walk down the street.
Had Arthur been here, he would have recognized one of them as none other than his generous friend, Lionel Rothschild.
As for the other, he was a young man wearing a white frilly-trimmed shirt with a black tuxedo and a burgundy bow.
His name was not known, but judging from the Yiddish language he used to communicate with Lionel, this gentleman was a Jew from the German region.
The young man dismounted from his horse with the help of a servant and handed the reins over to the staff in front of the theater, who were in charge of the horses and carriages.
He spoke, “Lionel, I didn’t realize that fox-hunting could be so much fun.”
As a member of the hunting club, Lionel’s dismounting movements were obviously much smoother compared to his companions.
After a morning of hunting in the countryside, Lionel’s mental condition was obviously good, he took a long breath and said with a smile, “Felix, your grandfather and father are both famous bankers in the German region. Possessing this kind of financial power, did you never have any other recreational activities in the past besides playing the piano?”
Hearing this, Felix Mendelssohn simply spoke up in embarrassment, “Although my family is still quite wealthy, my mother’s discipline towards me is still very strict. She has trained me to play the piano and organ since I was four years old, and other than that, it’s Greek and drawing lessons. As for hunting and such, it was strictly forbidden in the Mendelssohn family’s home schooling.
My parents, as well as my grandparents, were somewhat old-fashioned in that they considered hunting to be a frivolous act. Throughout my childhood education, they were bent on making me behave in a more upper-class manner, like a decent, erudite, and refined aristocrat.”
Hearing this, Lionel couldn’t help but snicker, “It seems that every wealthy Jewish family is the same in this regard. We, the Rothschilds, have also begun to make our external image a little better as much as possible since we left our shabby ancestral home in the Jewish neighborhood of Frankfurt.
My grandfather Meyer hated his status as a poor little antique dealer, and my father Nathan abhorred the word thug. That’s why all of us third-generation Rothschilds had to go to college after we were homeschooled.
According to my father, they, the older Jews, referred to this as upgrading the personal grooming and academic taste of the younger generation in order to better integrate into high society.”
Hearing this, Mendelssohn couldn’t help but ask: “I seem to have heard you mention that you seem to have studied at the University of Göttingen with that cousin of yours, Anthony, right? Why don’t you guys study at a university in the UK, instead you want to run to Hannover in Germany to study?”
Lionel was not shy about it, he led Mendelssohn into the theater doors while explaining.
“You don’t understand, Felix. The universities in England are not like Germany; the schools here are basically church schools. Oxford and Cambridge can only be enrolled if they follow the state religion, while the equally old Durham University is a paradise for Catholics.
The University of London, which admitted students without regard to religion, hadn’t even been created when I was in college, and naturally I wouldn’t have had to go all the way to Göttingen to pursue my education if it hadn’t been for that.
But now, with the University of London in Britain, when my brother Nat and the others were of a suitable age, they could be admitted nearer home. The only doubt now is whether Nat will need to do a transitional study at Harrow or Winchester Public School before enrolling at the University of London.”
Mendelssohn said with a smile as he walked, “Home schooling first, then a public school, then university, and then a two or three year European tour after graduation. Your Rothschild’s education route is really getting closer and closer to a normal British upper class family.
However, wouldn’t it be a bit ill-considered to go to the University of London for college? After all, that’s just a school that hasn’t been established for long, and their education level hasn’t been formally tested yet. And I’ve heard that it seems like they can’t even issue degrees there, right?” Lionel just laughed at that, “Felix, you’re an outstanding pianist, but you don’t understand politics. In my opinion, the Royal Charter of the University of London will be done soon, and there are many scholars there, and a school that can get Mr. Bianqin to stand up for it shouldn’t be inferior to Cambridge or Oxford in terms of education.
And most importantly, the University of London has now begun to emerge batches of outstanding talents, and to be able to produce so many outstanding graduates is in itself a strong proof for their high level of teaching.”
Hearing this, Mendelssohn asked curiously, “Outstanding graduates? Forgive my ignorance, Lionel, can you remind me of any great scholars or famous figures that have come out of there? I stayed over in Apennine, Florence, and Rome a while ago, and I simply know nothing about what happened in Britain.”
Hearing this, Lionel just put his finger between his lips with a smile on his face, “Hush! You don’t need me to answer if you want to know what has come out of the University of London, you just need to listen quietly.”
Mendelssohn frowned, not understanding at all what his friend was mysteriously doing.
But as he held his breath, and a silence fell upon the antechamber, he suddenly heard a sound like a blistering recital from the performance hall of the theater.
Mendelssohn grew wide-eyed, and with both his eyes fixed dead on Lionel, he gave the comment after a long time, “This is a madman.”
“That’s right. It is indeed a madman, but at the same time a genius.”
Lionel was amused by Mendelssohn’s expression.
“Felix, I had a similar reaction to you when I first heard this piece. The bells are literally playing a joke on people, from the B2 section all the way to the end of the piece, all octave major chords, played on one piano with a hundred bells. High-speed finger wheeling and big two-handed reverse jumps are everywhere, and it’s played so fast.
To be honest, if I didn’t know who the player was, I would have thought that it was Mr. Muzio Clementi himself sitting at the piano, and I’m afraid that in the field of piano, he is the only one who can be so obsessed with the difficulty of technique.”
Mendelssohn was surprised to hear this and said, “Is it not Mr. Clementi who plays? I thought he was the only one who liked to include a lot of these super-fast sixths and octaves in his compositions. Wait a minute ……”
Mendelssohn suddenly closed his mouth and after listening for a moment longer, he suddenly spoke .
“Is this the Paganini piece ‘La Campanella’ played by that Scotland Yard officer Arthur Hastings?”
Lionel nodded slightly and said, “Remember what you just said? Felix, Mr. Hastings is none other than a graduate of the University of London.”
Hearing this, Mendelssohn couldn’t help but cover his forehead and said, “Is the University of London also so successful in music education? In that case, it seems that the Royal Academy of Music with Mr. Moscheles and Mr. Porter in charge will have to step up their game.”
Lionel smiled and said, “That’s not so much, I personally believe that there is randomness in the fact that a figure like Mr. Hastings can be born. In a short period of time, there should be no school that can shake the Royal Conservatory of Music’s leading position in the music education sector in Britain.”
Mendelssohn was tickled by the song “The Bells”, and he now desperately wanted to try it out.
He quickened his pace as he walked and asked, “Now I seem to understand why Mr. Moscheles insisted on inviting Mr. Hastings to join this concert. Judging from the musical style alone, there are indeed similarities between Mr. Hastings and Mr. Clementi.
Mr. Clementi will be pleased to see a young man who can carry on his legacy before he retires. A future Clementi, well …… think listeners will be happy to see that title as well.”
Hearing this, Lionel smiled and complimented, “A future Clementi and a future Bach, to be able to witness these two gifted pianists on stage at the same time, I’m really glad I booked four tickets in advance.”
Mendelssohn just laughed and waved his hand at this, as he humbly said, “I just compiled a portion of Mr. Bach’s manuscripts and tried to imitate his style. As for Mr. Bach’s greatness, that is something I will never be able to match.”
The duo talked all the way to the theater’s performance hall, and as their boots stepped on the theater’s crimson carpet, Arthur’s hand clasped the last note as forcefully as if he had unsheathed his sword.
The hair on his forehead fell in a slightly disheveled haphazard fashion, and the sunlight from the skylight glass slowly tilted and deflected, eventually falling on Arthur’s face with his eyes closed.
Mendelssohn and Lionel stood still and could not help but applaud, “An outstanding piece of music.”
(End of chapter)