shadow of britain

Chapter 217 Outstanding Song

Although the concert will be held tomorrow, in order to welcome this celebrity-gathered feast, the Coburg Theater, which has never had to worry about renting out the stage, chooses to close its doors to thank guests for a day and specially arrange the concert hall regardless of economic interests.

From the decoration in the theater, to the lighting on the stage, and even the seating order of the band, all have been strictly regulated.

However, no one can fault the Coburg Theater for being picky after looking at tomorrow night's concert list.

Take a look at some of the shining stars of British music set to take the stage.

Ignaz Moscheles, Felix Mendelssohn, Cipriani Porter, John Field and John Kramer.

But there is only one reason why so many heavyweight pianists gather here, that is, tomorrow night will be the official end of the curtain for the absolute leader of the music scene in Great Britain - Mr. Muzio Clementi, the father of the piano.

The absolute idol of Romantic pianists such as Beethoven and Czerny, the outstanding musician who once held a piano duel with Mozart in the Vienna Palace and was tied, will announce his official farewell to the music world tomorrow night so as to enjoy himself better retirement life.

Outside the theater at this time, two young men riding English thoroughbreds came from the street talking and laughing.

If Arthur were here, he would surely recognize one of them as his generous friend Lionel Rothschild.

As for the other one, he was a young man wearing a white ruffled shirt, a black tuxedo, and a burgundy bow.

Although it is impossible to know his name, judging from his communication with Lionel in Yiddish, this gentleman should be a Jew from the German region.

With the help of the servant, the young man got off his horse and handed the reins to the staff in charge of guarding the horses and carriages in front of the theater.

He said: "Lionel, I never thought that fox hunting could be such an interesting thing."

As a member of the hunting club, Lionel's dismounting action was obviously much smoother than that of his companions.

After a morning of hunting in the countryside, Lionel was obviously in good spirits. He let out a long sigh of relief and said with a smile: "Felix, your grandfather and father are both well-known bankers in Germany. With this Waiting for money, don't you have any other entertainment besides playing the piano before?"

When Felix Mendelssohn heard this, he just said embarrassedly: "Although my family is relatively rich, my mother is still very strict with me. She has trained me to play the piano since I was four years old. Playing the organ, in addition to Greek and painting lessons. As for hunting and so on, it was strictly prohibited in the Mendelssohn family's family education.

My parents and my grandparents were somewhat rigid, and they thought hunting was frivolous.All through my childhood education, they were preoccupied with trying to make me behave more politely, like a decent, learned, refined nobleman. "

When Lionel heard this, he couldn't help joking: "It seems that every wealthy Jewish family is the same in this respect. Since our Rothschild family left the dilapidated ancestral home in the Jewish community in Frankfurt, it has also begun to Try to make your external image as good as possible.

My grandfather Mayer hated his status as a poor antiques dealer, and my father Nathan hated the word nouveau riche.Because of this, we, the third-generation members of the Rothschild family, had to go to college after receiving family education.

According to my father, they, the older generation of Jews, called this to improve the personal cultivation and academic taste of the younger generation so that they can better integrate into the upper class. "

Hearing this, Mendelssohn couldn't help asking: "I seem to have heard you mention that you seem to be studying at the University of Göttingen with your cousin Anthony, right? Why don't you study at a British university, but go to a German university?" How about studying in Hannover?"

Lionel did not shy away, he led Mendelssohn into the gate of the theater while explaining.

"You don't understand, Felix. British universities are not like Germany. The schools here are basically missionary schools. Only those who believe in the state religion can enter Oxford and Cambridge, while the same old Durham University is a paradise for Catholics.

When I was in college, the University of London, which admitted students regardless of religious beliefs, had not yet been established. If not for this, there was no need for me to go all the way to study at the University of Göttingen.

But now it’s all right, Britain has the University of London, and when my younger brother Nat and the others grow up to the right age, they can enroll nearby.The only question now is whether Nat needs to do a bridging study at Harrow or Winchester before enrolling at London University. "

Mendelssohn walked and said with a smile: "First receive a family education, then go to a public school, then go to university, and after graduation, do a two or three-year study tour in Europe. Your Rothschild education route is really getting better and better." It's closer to a normal upper-class British family.

However, wouldn't it be a little ill-considered to go to University of London to go to university?After all, it was just a school that had just been established, and their educational level had not yet been formally tested.And I heard that it seems that they can't even issue a degree there, right? "Lionel just smiled when he heard the words: "Felix, you are an outstanding pianist, but you don't understand politics.In my opinion, the Royal Charter of the University of London will be settled soon, and there are many scholars there. The school that can get Mr. Bentham's platform should not be inferior to Cambridge and Oxford in terms of education.

And most importantly, the University of London has now begun to emerge a batch of outstanding talents, and being able to train so many outstanding graduates is a strong proof of their superb teaching level. "

Hearing this, Mendelsohn asked curiously: "Excellent graduates? Please forgive my ignorance, Lionel, can you remind me, are there any university scholars or famous people there? I I've been in the Apennines, Florence and Rome for a while, and I don't know anything about what's going on in Britain."

When Lionel heard this, he just put his fingers between his lips with a smile on his face: "Shh! If you want to know who happened to the University of London, you don't need me to answer, you just need to listen quietly. "

Mendelssohn frowned, completely unaware of what his friend was doing mysteriously.

But when he held his breath and the front hall fell into silence, he suddenly heard a gust of playing sound from the performance hall of the theater.

Mendelssohn's eyes gradually widened. He fixed his eyes firmly on Lionel. It took a long time before he gave a comment: "This is a lunatic."

"Yes. A madman indeed, but a genius at the same time."

Lionel laughed out loud at Mendelssohn's expression.

"Felix, when I first heard this piece, my reaction was similar to yours. This "Clock" is simply a joke with people, from section B2 to the end of the piece, all octave major chords, Using a piano to play the feeling of a hundred bells in unison. High-speed fingers and hands jumping in reverse can be seen everywhere, and they are played so fast.

To be honest, if I hadn't known who the performer was, I would have thought it was Mr. Muzio Clementi himself sitting in front of the piano. In the field of piano, I am afraid that only one person can be so obsessed with technical difficulty. He did. "

When Mendelssohn heard this, he was surprised and said: "Isn't the performer Mr. Clementi? I thought he was the only one who liked to add a large number of such ultra-high-speed sixths and octaves to the music. Wait... "

Mendelssohn shut his mouth suddenly, listened for a while, and then spoke suddenly.
"It's Paganini's La Campanella, played by that Scotland Yard Inspector Arthur Hastings?"

Lionel nodded slightly and said, "Do you remember what you said just now? Felix, Mr. Hastings graduated from the University of London."

Hearing this, Mendelssohn couldn't help but rubbed his forehead and said, "Is the University of London also so successful in music education? In this way, it seems that the Royal Academy of Music with Mr. Mochelles and Mr. Porter must do more. Great."

Lionel said with a smile: "That's not true. I personally think that the birth of a figure like Mr. Hastings is random. In a short period of time, no school should be able to shake the Royal Academy of Music's reputation in British music." Leadership in Education.”

Mendelssohn was tickled by the song "The Bell", and now he is eager to give it a try.

He quickened his pace and asked as he walked: "Now I seem to understand why Mr. Mochelles insisted on inviting Mr. Hastings to join this concert. Just from the perspective of music style, Mr. Hastings and Mr. Mr. Clementi does have similarities.

Mr. Clementi will surely be pleased to meet a young man worthy of passing on his legacy before retiring.A future Clementi, well... I think the audience will also be happy to see this title. "

Upon hearing this, Lionel smiled and complimented: "One is the future Clementi and the other is the future Bach. I am really glad that I have booked four copies in advance to witness these two talented pianists on stage at the same time. tickets."

Mendelssohn just smiled and waved his hand. He said modestly: "I just compiled some of Mr. Bach's manuscripts and tried to imitate his style. As for Mr. Bach's greatness, that is something I can never compare to."

The two talked all the way to the performance hall of the theater. When their boots stepped on the dark red carpet of the theater, Arthur's hand was like drawing a knife out of its sheath, and firmly clasped the last note.

The hair on the forehead was scattered randomly, and the sunlight from the skylight glass slowly tilted and shifted, and finally fell on Arthur's face with closed eyes.

Mendelssohn and Lionel stood in place and couldn't help applauding: "Excellent song."

(End of this chapter)