Featured by Frederick Floyd
Chapter 3 1955 years
Chapter 3 [-]
In March 1955, Fu Cong, as the only Chinese player, broke into the top three in the Fifth Chopin International Piano Competition.This is the first time that an Oriental has achieved excellent results in this competition, and Fu Lei and his wife, who are far away across the ocean, cannot sleep with joy.
1955.1.26
Dear children:
On New Year's Day, I held a cane in one hand and put the other on my mother's shoulder. I tried half a step, but I could barely walk. I have been half sitting and half lying down for the past two days.But like a disabled person, you need someone to serve you in everything, and you can't walk alone.It will probably take another week to rest before returning to normal.
Budget early. We will definitely receive your letter during the New Year. We are all waiting for some gift.Sure enough, I received a letter from you (Bo 11) yesterday morning, and it is such gratifying news.child!If we were in the meeting, we would definitely not be able to hold back the tears.The highest and purest joy in the world is to appreciate art, and still less to appreciate the art conveyed by the hands and hearts of one's own children!Secondly, we are also happy because you have brought glory to the motherland!Even more joyful because of how many people you can make laugh with your music!Thinking that you will achieve greater achievements in the future, make endless progress, serve more people and the masses, inspire their hearts, and soothe their pain, our hearts really want to jump out!What a sacred and glorious mission it is to carry forward the immortal works of the immortal masters and spread them to every corner of the earth!Child, you are so happy, God treats you too kindly.What I am happier and more comforting is: No amount of excessive flattery or praise will make you lose your self-knowledge, and the applause, hugs and compliments of celebrities will not reduce your humility towards art!At last my education was not in vain, and your 20 years of torture were not in vain!You can be strong (not being dazzled by victory is the best proof of being strong), as long as you can be strong, I will rest assured for the rest of my life!The size and level of achievements are not within our control, half depends on manpower, and half depends on talent, but as long as you are strong, you are not afraid of failure, setbacks, and blows—whether it is personnel, life, or technology. , learning - strike; from now on you can fight alone.What's more, in fact, how many good teachers and helpful friends are around to help you and support you.It also adds ancient and modern masterpieces to give you spiritual nourishment all the time!Children, from now on, you will never be alone, even if you are lonely, you will not be afraid!
I have always remembered the words "Children's Heart".Chizi just doesn't know loneliness.Chizi is lonely, he will create a world and create many spiritual friends!Always keep the heart of a child, and you will never fall behind when you grow old, and you will always be able to connect with the hearts of children all over the world!That friend of yours said it right, the moving artistic expression must come from the purity of the heart!If it is not as pure as a mirror, how can it understand the hearts of the predecessors?How can it touch the hearts of the audience?
What Smanzianka said about the Chopin Concerto reminded me of what you said about Richter playing Tchaikovsky's Concerto in the previous two letters.All real achievements must be truly appreciated by others.
The dean of the music academy said that your performance is like flowing water and a river; it reminds me of the symbol of Christophe.Uncle Tian said that when you were young, you often called yourself Christophe; and your personality is actually somewhat similar to Romain Rolland's ideal.The river, the Rhine, the sound of the river is mighty... The bell rings again, and the sky is already dawn... China is coming to the dawn of "Fudan", I hope you will be China's—the new China's—the bell, ringing all over the world, ringing All over everyone's heart!The torrential water flows into everyone's heart, and takes everyone with you to the boundless ocean of sound!The Yangzi River and the Yellow River, which are famous all over the world, are even more powerful than the Rhineland! ... The water of the Yellow River comes up from the sky, rushing to the sea and never returning! ... The boundless fallen trees are rustling, and the endless Yangtze River is rolling in! ...A nation with such a tradition of poetic souls should have the performance of arrogance.
You said that you are always in contradictions and joys, but I believe that without contradictions, artists will not progress, evolve, or deepen.Contradictions are evidence of vitality.What you feel right now is only the contradiction between skills and ideals. In the future, you will have repeated and even bigger contradictions: the exactness of form and content, and many unpredictable contradictions in your heart are waiting for you in the future.Don't worry, solving a contradiction is a step forward!Contradictions are endless, so there is no end to art, there is no perfect [perfect] day, and there is no perfect day in life!Only if this is the case, we need to pursue and practice hard day and night throughout our lives; otherwise, everyone will become Master Xihuang, and the world will be ruled by hand, and being a human being is too boring!
Has the big dress been made yet?Once you are done, you have to put on a hard shirt and a stiff collar, and practice the piano for two or three days behind closed doors (of course you also need to wear a dress on your body).On weekdays, we feel restrained when we wear clothes and do nothing, and all actions are unsatisfactory.Playing the piano is even harder.I was worried about this because I kept asking you about your frock coat in my previous letters.You must try it on several times at home beforehand, practice the piano after wearing it, and get used to it before going on stage.Otherwise, you will suffer a lot for the time being.Children, do remember!This is related to your competition results, don't be sloppy!
The second thing I want to remind you is: it is stated in the rules of the competition that the scores of the first, rematch, and final three times must be added up for the total average.Maybe you haven't read the rules carefully, so I will mention them especially for you.
During the competition, you are of course busy; but if you can send a letter at the end of each stage, reporting the performance and other people's results, we will take it as a treasure.Some details will be forgotten after a long time; writing at the end of the game is also a way to preserve materials.
Did you get the gloves?
Wish you happy!
Dad, January 26, the third day of the Japanese lunar month
1955.3.20
Satoshi, dear boy:
After a month of anticipation, the result was finally announced. I didn’t sleep well for many nights. On the night of the 5th, I was in a trance. Last ([-]th) night, we were too excited for the good news, and we still didn’t fall asleep.First, at around five o'clock last night, Mrs. Ma made a long-distance call from Beijing; then at eight o'clock the radio report (only up to No. [-]), and the list of ten names was disclosed in the newspaper this morning.It's hard for you, dear boy!You have not failed everyone's expectations, the trust of the motherland, the painstaking guidance of the teacher, and the encouragement given to you by Polish teachers, friends and the general public in the past few months!
Maybe you think it should be higher in the ranking, tell me, do you feel "a fly in the ointment"?But don't forget, kid, in terms of your foundation before you left the country, you have done your best in the past seven months, and this competition has also done your best [do your best].Not only that, the results of these seven months have been almost miraculous.I didn't expect you to have so many talents, I didn't expect your spring to come so fast, the flowers bloomed so beautifully, and they bloomed to the world's music scene to release your fragrance.A star has risen in the east, so bright, so pure, so deep; it has created a brilliant world record for New China!As a father, I have always underestimated you. You have corrected my mistakes with your talent and hard work. I am so happy and proud that I can have such a son who overthrows all my wrong estimates!Mom is right, the greatness of motherhood lies not in reason, but in that intuitive feeling; for many years, she kept silent, but she always thought that I underestimated your ability; now she has explained everything to me.I admit my mistakes, but with what joy to admit them: is this a miracle?
Recalling that when you came back from Beijing in December [-], I agreed with you to study in Poland, but I did not encourage you to participate in the competition, and even wrote to Zhou Weizhi requesting that you not be allowed to participate.Although I have always underestimated you, with your academic ability at that time, my opinion is not entirely wrong.You also feel that even if you participate, you may not be sure.Think you didn't have much confidence when you first arrived at the beach, did you?It can be seen that the seven months of study and the experience of being on stage have helped you beyond description. Not only was it beyond our expectations, but you also feel that you are beyond your current grades compared with those of seven months ago. Unexpected, isn't it?
Ke Ziqi called early this morning to congratulate us on behalf of his parents.Ziqi said: Rather than you just getting second, I would rather you get third and add a Mazurka award.This sentence fully expresses the meaning in our hearts.Do you have this feeling yourself?
Thinking back to the period of the fourth competition in [-], when you wandered in Kunming, your life, your depression, and your bleak future at that time, compared with today, don’t they seem like a dream?Who would have imagined that when he returned to Shanghai in [-], he only played the "Pathetique" Sonata ["Pathetic" Sonata"] and hadn't played it yet? Five years later, he would be ranked third in the international music competition?How many detours, how much pain, how many frustrations, how many setbacks, in exchange for your success today!It can be seen that in order to achieve greater success, we can only redouble our efforts, and at the same time we have to expect other detours and other setbacks.I want to remind you all the time, think about the difficulties in the past, so that you will have the courage to overcome them when you encounter difficulties in the future, and you will not lose confidence!Life is an endless marathon, and you've got a long way to go: it's just a glorious start.
Looking back: I underestimated you in the past, and in some respects it may have had a bad influence on you, but at least one thing is of great help to you.But I am strict with you, and I will not spoil you in the end—you should remember your resentment when the Romanian Third Prize was first announced, which shows that young people tend to overestimate their own strength.I have held you tightly for many years, at least you have developed a serious concept of art, even if you get carried away occasionally, it is very easy to pull you back.I mention these words not to defend my past practices, but to make you especially vigilant when you are successful, and never allow complacency and pride to rise.I know that there is no need to tell me too much. Today, you have already passed the hurdle of pride and complacency, but I have always been a disciple of Chinese Confucianism. When encountering extreme events, you must "feel like you are facing an abyss and walking on thin ice." A feeling of extra solemnity, fear, and alertness.
Now on to the actual problem:
According to our guess, you still suffer from technic [skills] this time, not music [music]; according to the foundation of your skills, and according to Mr. Ma's letter from home after he arrived in Poland, you probably haven't been very good at this aspect. degree of grasp.No wonder you, of course, what kind of training have you had in the past?It is a miracle to achieve this result in seven months, how can I be more demanding?In your several letters and comments on the program list, you often mention "good but incomplete".From this sentence, we can see the biggest reason why you did not rank first or second.
Speaking of "incomplete", I have the same self-criticism about my own translations.No matter which book is translated, I always feel that it cannot be good from beginning to end; it can be seen that the most difficult thing for any art is to be "complete"!You mentioned perfection [perfect], in fact, there is no such thing as perfection. The whole life, the world, and the universe cannot be called perfection.If it exists in the ideal of the philosopher and the ideal of the statesman.The pursuit of our whole life, the pursuit of many generations of people in history, is nothing but perfection, but it will never be pursued, because people's ideals and fantasies are endless, so perfection is like the moon in the water and the flower in the mirror. and out of reach.But it is not bad to be able to achieve overall "completeness" or comparative "completeness" at a certain stage.
Now that the competition is over, we would like to hear from you twice a month.In particular, I hope to know more about: (1) the situation of foreign music circles; (2) your own thoughts and experiences on certain pieces of music.Be sure to spare some effort!In the future, there is no need to spend day and night on the piano like in the past.Self-cultivation needs to be carried out in many aspects, and skills need to be trained for a long time, so don't act too hastily.It's good to calm down and think about it, but writing a letter forces you to organize your thoughts, which is also an excellent training.
Mingqiang and the others all called to congratulate each other, and they all represented their parents.Uncle Shen came in person.It is expected that there will be a lot of phone calls in the next two days, and it is like holding a wedding at home.
If there are any printed materials about the competition, photos in the pictorial, etc. (if it is in Polish, I hope to approve a sentence or two), I would like to send some.
I translated Professor Jie's article, have you received it?Today I have to write another letter to thank him for teaching you. Mrs. Eva must have embraced you several times with tears in her eyes.Perhaps the embassy must treat you to a Chinese meal, right?
For the time being, we, mother and brother, all congratulate you, and tell you again: how happy and proud we are for you!Hope you are well rested after the big fight!
Dad on the morning of March [-]
Keep this letter on hand when replying, and read paragraph after paragraph, so you won't miss anything!
1955.3.27
Satoshi:
For your reference, I have specially translated for you a passage from a book devoted to Mozart.In addition, there is Romain Rolland's text on Mozart, which was too late to translate.I wonder when did you learn Mozart?Chopin paid great attention to and influenced Mozart's style in the taste [taste] of his writing.I just finished playing Chopin and continued to study Mozart. I think they are relatively similar in spirit and blood.Might as well discuss it with Teacher Jie.Can you start playing Mozart after Beethoven's fourth play?When you are about to start, write a letter first, and I will send you a text from Romain Rolland.
From the translation I gave you this time, I especially realized that Mozart’s kind of tenderness and charm is different from the tenderness and charm of the Romantics in that he is as pure as an angel, without any worldly sentimentality or profligate sweetness [Sweet and greasy].The gentleness of the gods is of course different from that of mortals, that is the Madonna of Da Vinci and Raphael, that kind of charming smile is by no means unique to the world.If I can grasp what is meant by the warmth and sweetness that escapes all the fireworks in the world, what is meant by innocent and innocent love, without the slightest tugging at the heart, without the slightest turmoil of lust, then I want to express that Mozart can "not hit, but not far away" .how do you feel?Teenagers between the ages of [-], [-] and [-] or [-] are especially suitable for Mozart because their childlike innocence has not been contaminated.
In the future, if you plan to play any modern writers, please arrange and write earlier; I can also provide materials.In terms of spiritual atmosphere, there are a few things I can do to help you.
I want to tell you again: my letters on weekdays mostly talk about music.You must have many thoughts and experiences, as well as the opinions of teachers and other professors.The children here are awakening one by one, suffering from lack of materials.They often come to see me and chat with me; of course I try to help them as much as possible.You are abroad, you have seen a lot, and you are constantly improving there, so you must have a lot to tell us.At the same time, one's thoughts are expressed while writing, which can stimulate the agility of the mind and train the ability and speed of writing.In addition, there is also a moral responsibility, so that you should try your best to report foreign thoughts to us.A person’s service to the people doesn’t have to be a speech at a conference or an earth-shattering cause. He can tell others what he knows and thinks anytime, anywhere, and he is invisibly planting, fertilizing, and cultivating for the country. !Children, you must remember these words and write more!
Mr. Huang Binhong died of stomach cancer in Hangzhou on the 25th of this month at the age of 92.As far as the artist is concerned, we hope he lives to be a hundred years old.Last winter I was not in good health, I fell in the middle of the trip, and rarely corresponded with him; I just went to Hangzhou in early November, saw paintings at his home for two consecutive days, and even took pictures for him, and it turned out to be a forever farewell.I heard that he still missed me when he was ill, and mentioned me to people who didn't know me.I was very sad when I heard it. On the day I got the letter, I didn't sleep well all night.
From the announcement of the game to the present, for a whole week, I didn't work hard, nor did I have enough rest; of course, I was always very happy in my heart.So this letter is no longer elongated.Wait until your letter arrives before writing.Have you rested yet?Everyone must tell you to pay attention to your body!
Dad on the night of March 27th
After reading my translation of Mr. Jie’s essay on Chopin, what do you think, and what do you want to add?
I bought a copy of Faure's Requiem ["Requiem"] yesterday, which is very moving.We still buy a lot of records.
1955.4.1/3
Satoshi:
We calculate every day, assuming that you sent a letter on the 22nd, it should have been received yesterday; assuming that it was sent on the 23rd, it should have arrived today.Strange, why did you give the award on the 23rd, and you haven't sent a letter from home on the [-]rd?There is no news for a long time, and I have to worry that you should not be overly nervous, are you not feeling well?
I know you are busy, but you also know that I am busy, at least as busy as you.In the past seven or eight months, my health has deteriorated greatly. It has been two and a half months since the fall, and my leg strength has not yet recovered, and the pain in my waist is even worse.But I still hold on to my work, writing letters, translating Mozart for you, and so on.My child, why do you keep worrying people?Estimate the time when your letter should arrive. If it is less than one day, we will be mentally unstable.
We also guessed that maybe Mr. Ma Sicong came back and might bring a letter, but when did he leave Warsaw?Assuming that you will leave Bo after the 25th, will you not write to us until then?Photos and other document clippings, etc., because they are heavy, it is of course good to hand them over to Mr. Ma, which saves a lot of air postage.But the letter reporting the details of the game can't be so late, can it?If you want to talk about the concert, at least one week must be separated from the game, so you won't be too busy to write a letter after the game is over.Then what is the truth?Isn't it a mental burden for you not to write home letters for more than two months?Are you really unwell?
We have always asked you for letters from home, just like begging for love.You should understand your father's temper, and don't humiliate him because of the letter, okay?
I made a statistic from the records in the commemorative book: I found that only Poland, the Soviet Union, France, Hungary, Britain, and China entered the top five in the Chopin competition.Germany only won a sixth in the third session, Austria won a tenth in the second session, and Italy won a No.20 four in the second session.It can be seen that the closest to Chopin's spirit is the Slavic nation.It is followed by Hungary and France.Neither purely Germanic nor purely Latin.France cannot be considered purely Latin.The strange thing is that even a well-educated master like Busoni [Busoni] was not famous for playing Chopin in his life.At the end of the nineteenth century in Germany, among the great pianists, none of them could play Chopin well.
But this is just a personal guess. You have met players from many countries in this competition, and you have heard criticism from various sides. You must have some opinions on this issue. You can tell me.
night of april [-]st
Today I received a letter from Mr. Ma (on the [-]th), saying that you are going to study in the Soviet Union, and that you have negotiated with the Ministry of Culture to let you go back to China to play a few performances; finally, you mentioned that you are going to participate in the Schumann in Germany in February next year. [Schumann] game.
I think it will take at least two months for the trip back home, including the performance; and you have to wait until the sporadic concerts in Poland are over before you can start.In this way, it will take more than three months before and after.This is a great waste of your studies.In particular, you need to improve your skills. If you want to participate in next year's Schumann competition, his skills are more troublesome than Chopin's. If you make a record in Poland (as I said in my previous letter) and send it back to China, everyone can hear it, and it will be permanent; at the same time, it will not hinder your studies.As parents, we would love to meet you emotionally and hear you perform so successfully, but we would rather sacrifice this blessing for your studies.I have written to Mr. Ma and asked him to consider it with the Ministry of Culture.I don't think you disagree with this question, do you?
Second, turn to the section on studying in the USSR, you never talked to us.After you went to Bo, I sent you 29 letters. Does my attitude expressed in the letters still make you unbelievable that you can discuss and negotiate with me in detail about everything?You didn't say a word to me, but Mr. Thomas directly raised it to the central government. To be honest, I feel very inferior, because it reflects that you still don't trust me.Probably the consequences of my inappropriate and unreasonable education to you since childhood have not been completely eliminated.You haven't heard from me since the game, maybe there is something in your heart!When Mr. Ma came back, you didn't ask to bring any letter, so I was really sad mentally, and felt that I did not make up for my mistakes.Now everyone (including Mr. Ma) thinks that your success today is the foundation I laid when you were young, but in fact, no one asks for my opinion on your current problems; yes, I admit I'm old and can't help you anymore.
But I still have a bit of arrogance, thinking that I can see things farther and more clearly than you young people.At the same time, I also have an overly strong sense of responsibility. This sense of responsibility makes me forget my old age, forgetting that I can't help you and insist on helping you.
So if the following words make you uncomfortable, and make you feel that I don’t understand you and your learning needs, then please think of the above two reasons and forgive me, please forgive me for being human, and for not letting go of the world The heart of parents to their children.
When a person wants to do something, he must think carefully beforehand.Especially when you want to change course, abandon the old way and take a new way, you must use your reason as a balance, and weigh the old way and the new way on two plates very precisely.Now let me do a job for you, to help you put the reasons for each item on the weighing pan:
【A plate】 【B plate】
([-]) Did Teacher Jie help you enough in the past?If he guides better, can your technique still improve? ([-]) Is the teaching method of the Soviet Union necessarily better than that of Teacher Jie?Can technology help you more?
([-]) Six months of study in Poland has enabled you to get the results of this competition. Are you still not satisfied? ([-]) Assuming that you studied in the Soviet Union for the past six months, do you think your grades could be better this time?Ranking higher?
(1) The No.2 student in Poland is also a student of Teacher Jie. What is the reason for him to get the first place? ([-]) The Soviet Union won No.[-], why only one second?
([-]) Is there anything wrong with the method of technical training, the Polish school, or is it incomplete? ([-]) Is the method of technical training necessarily better in the Soviet Union than in any other country?
([-]) Does technology need to improve slowly over time? ([-]) Does the Soviet Union have a faster way to improve?
([-]) Apart from Chopin, do you not admire the Polish teachers for their understanding of other writers? ([-]) Is the understanding of other writers much better in the Soviet Union than in other countries?
([-]) Last August, Zhou Xiaoyan knew that Teacher Jie specially trained his English in order to teach you in Poland. Do you know this? ([-]) Are professors from the Soviet Union more enthusiastic than Teacher Jie?
【General】
([-]) From your personal point of view, is it possible to make greater progress if you change the method of technical training?So pay special attention to item ([-]). Do you think that with your six months of hard work, if there is a better way to teach you, can you keep pace with others technically, or get closer?
([-]) In terms of learning from Schumann, does the Soviet Union also have special and superior conditions?
([-]) In the past, your teacher Sheng Chengjie taught classical and modern works very well. Have you changed your opinion now?
([-]) Summary of the seven months of living in Poland. Is your study environment not ideal?Was the USSR better at this?
([-]) Can you get the same concern and guidance from various parties in Poland in the Soviet Union?
([-]) Poland generally has a Western European atmosphere. Do you think it is not good for your studies?
I hope you will calm down, measure these questions one by one very objectively, and use the method of "democratic voting" to come up with a summary yourself.Make a decision until then.In short, it is up to you to listen or not, and it is up to me to speak or not.You admitted in the past that I "see things from a high mountain", maybe I am short-sighted, and the situation I see is not accurate.But at least you have to use your non-myopic eyes to check that what I see is not accurate.If it's really inaccurate, of course you don't need it, and you shouldn't listen to me.
It would be a great "honor" to me if you don't think I'm obstinately outdated, but are willing to take my opinion into account!One day, I realize that you see everything more clearly than I do, and I will be the first to admire you, not only won't come to "tangle with you" to give opinions, but I will also come to ask you for advice when I encounter problems!At present, the first thing is not to give us a boring gourd!The hardest ones are unknown [unknown] and unknown [uncertain]!Before you sympathize with others, sympathize with your parents first!
dad april [-]rd
1955.5.8/9
child:
Last night there was a Hungarian flutist [flute player] and pianist [pianist] concert. The Writers Association sent a ticket. I have back pain and can't sit for a long time, so I let Amin go.He came back and said that the pianist played well, but his body swayed too much.So I was reminded of Richter [Richter] playing Liszt on the screen.As I mentioned to you before, I don’t know if Richter usually swings a lot on stage?This question, like more or less others, you left me unanswered.I remember that Mr. Ma wrote to Wang Dihua from Poland on February 20, mentioning that you were "full of expression" on the piano.I don't understand if he refers to the "full expression" expressed by your subordinates, or refers to your body movements?Because you admire Richter so much, I suspect that your old habit of shaking your body has unknowingly recovered and strengthened.I remember I mentioned this question to you in No. 27 (or [-]) letter, but you still haven’t answered it.
When it comes to "no answer", I have a lot of emotion.I asked myself: writing to you at length and length is not empty chatter, not inexplicable gossip [gossip], but has several functions.First, I do regard you as an opponent who discusses art and music; second, I really want to arouse some of your young people's feelings, so that my father can get some fresh nourishment, and at the same time, I can indirectly spread it to others. Youth; thirdly, it is not only your writing that is trained by correspondence, but especially your thinking; fourthly, I want to be a wake-up call for you at all times and everywhere, as a "faithful mirror", whether you are a person In terms of life details, in terms of artistic accomplishment, in terms of playing posture.As a father, I just want to be your shadow, to help you and protect you anytime, anywhere, and not to let you get bored with this shadow.But my many wishes, although I have said and said in more than 30 letters in the past, you don't seem to have a deep understanding, because you don't have a proper response, that is: try to write to me, "passive" Either agree or disagree with what I said, and rarely "actively" express your opinions or feelings-especially since December.
You are not a writer, and from a purely professional point of view there is no need to train your writing.But apart from writing more, with your current environment, how can you train your mind, your reason, and your intellect?And the training of one's thinking, reason, and intellect cannot be said to be unimportant, right?Many readers wrote to me, hoping that I would communicate with them more; unfortunately, their level is too far behind mine, and I am helpless.Now that you have enough qualifications, you can talk to me about all kinds of issues, and I am eager to talk to you about these issues, but you seldom make use of them!Children, a person often does not cherish what he has (or opportunity, environment, or any valuable thing) at hand, and regrets it only when he is about to lose it!This is human nature, but we cannot forgive our own stupidity because it is human nature, and do not try to correct it.
Don't you have enthusiasm and want to serve the motherland and the people?Serving the motherland and the people is multifaceted, and it is not limited to winning glory for the motherland abroad, nor is it limited to comforting others with music—although this is your main task.Our artists also need to convey their feelings and experiences to others all the time, so that others can use them as reference or critical materials.In the future, you will not only be a performer, but also an educator; therefore, your thinking and reason need more training, a long-term training.My poor father is preparing you for this everywhere, and it is more appropriate to say that it is preparing for the Chinese music industry than for you.My child, it is useless for a person to have the passion to love his fellow man. You must use facts to make others receive my real help. This is the real moral practice.Don't think we're asking you to write more because of parental emotional selfishness—of course there are some, but by no means the main ones.You know very well that you should repay the help you have received in your life with actions; and training yourself in many ways is the basic preparation for repaying others.
Do you sometimes wrap adhesive plaster or apply paraffine oil [paraffin oil] when you play the piano now?Is it possible to relax the hand without damaging the fingertips?
I can't finish talking with you. The letter is already too long. My mother is afraid that you will get dizzy reading it, so she advises me to end it.She thinks it's a pity that you can't come back once.How we miss you!Don't worry, Dad believes that you are objective and calm in everything, and you don't take people's criticisms out of emotion; but a person with some achievements, even if he is not proud in fact, can easily be considered proud (a person with some fame and status, It’s such a difficult life), so you must be cautious when you are outside, and keep your words reserved.In particular, both sides use a language other than the motherland, which is more likely to cause misunderstandings.
Papa wrote from May [-]th to May [-]th
We cut and paste all the records about you in domestic newspapers and magazines.A reporter from the Xinhua News Agency in Warsaw reported that the judges of the preliminary and semi-final rounds were separated by a curtain and did not report the names of the contestants.How strange!
and
1955.5.11
Dear children:
After letter No. 35 was sent out, I was planning to continue writing and discuss two artistic and technical issues with you, because these two days I have been busy arranging music scores for you, writing letters to Luo Zhongrong, and going out to try on the size of your winter leather shoes ( I have to try it with my feet), so I have not written yet.I received another letter on May 29 this morning, which made me anxious.Don't worry, kid, you wrote very thorough letters on April 30th and [-]th, and your situation is clearly reported.We make no mistake.It was painful not to receive your letter in the past, but once we got your long letter and understood the details, how could we feel any displeasure towards you? "Night train" makes us feel unbearable.You have been abroad for seven or eight months, and the letters you write back are not excessive. Occasionally, I can see some words that are too trusting or skeptical, and I will discount them a little.It is inevitable for a passionate person, especially a young person, to go too far. As long as he is kind-hearted, upright, and broad-minded, and can correct his judgment in time and not be stubborn, then it will be fine.You don't have to blame yourself too much, as long as you write more letters in the future, let us know more about your situation, and give you advice at any time, it will be much more interesting than the "past" that Kong Zigui guilt and regret can't save.You say that letter writing is regressing, but we all feel that you are making progress.Your analytical skills are much stronger than before, and your attitude is very peaceful.How strict is Dad when he reads words, and how serious he is when he is picky about words, so he won't praise you casually.
You come back to the question once, I think it is actually difficult.Even if the embassy is willing to ask the country for instructions, it will take a long time for official documents or telegrams to go back and forth, because the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have to consider many aspects when deciding on your matter.Delays are inevitable.And when the decision is made, it is very close to the festival. I am afraid they will not let you not participate in the performance at the festival. Besides, even if you are allowed to come back, you will not be able to go home until the end of June or the beginning of July at the earliest.At that time, the delegation is about to leave, and you will be urged to go on the road again.
As far as our relationship is concerned, you must understand that our desire to see you is no less than your desire to see us; especially I can't wait to talk with you for days and nights.But we can't just care about our feelings, we can't help but suppress our personal wishes, and plan for your bigger problems.
You said in your letter 29 that Michelangeli's playing, at least in terms of being "like a rock [rock]", makes me yearn for it.This is what I expect of you—one of the dearest!But since you have fanatical feelings and endless changes, I hope you will be like a rock, like a commander in command of the three armies.There is no need for a teacher to tell you about this, you just need to pay attention to it yourself, especially in terms of psychology and spirit, cultivate a lot, and achieve the level of being able to enter and exit.You have already been "able to enter", now what you need to work hard on is "able to get out"!Then I guarantee that you have a good grasp of the style and spirit of classical and modern works.
When you write to criticize someone else's Chopin, you often say that they are cold.Therefore, I was reminded of my previous thoughts: Since Romanticism reached its climax in all aspects of literature and art in Europe in the nineteenth century, there was first a reaction of realism and naturalism (referring only to literature and plastic arts), and then in the twenties Around the turn of the century came a general anti-romantic tide of thought.This trend of thought has two manifestations: one is very sensual, represented by R. Strauss [Richard Strauss] in music, and Matisse in painting; the other is very intellectual[ Reason], as is the case with many modern composers.Picasso [Picasso] on painting can also be classified into this category.Modern and modern people go against the trend of thought in the [-]th century and go to another extreme, going from too much emotion to too much mind [spirit].Performers are no exception.Chopin is half-classical and half-romantic, so modern youths can't play it well.On the contrary, we Chinese do not have the Romantic Dik frenzy like Europe in the last century, and our nationality is quite olympic [Olympic] (the highest ideal of Greek art) spirit, and at the same time has a not too excessive romantic Dik spirit. Like the poets of the Han and Wei dynasties, like Li Bai, like Du Fu (Empress Li is considered the most romantic, but compared with Westerners, he is still very reserved and pays attention to taste), so we are born with the ability to express Chopin quite well. excellent condition.
What do you think of my analysis?
On the other hand, sometimes we are separated from the real classics in Europe.The real classical is to talk about elegance, graceful [elegant], elegant [noble] and moderate [moderate].But we also know discreet [cautiously] very well, and we also talk about the doctrine of the golden mean. Generally, young people are not close to traditions, and they may not be able to grasp these things. Logically, it is not difficult for you to understand them deeply.One thing you may not have paid much attention to is that European classics still have a bit of a court atmosphere, the Louis XIV style court atmosphere.
For modern works, it is difficult for us to immerse ourselves in mechanical civilization like Europeans, perhaps it is not easy to appreciate the steel-like beauty of pure machinery, that kind of "cold light" brightness[brilliance], that is pure reason, pure mind[ spiritual] stuff.
A quiet environment is what matters most to your spirit.Do things scientifically and thoroughly!I can't wait to be by your side, help you solve and arrange all material life, let you study with peace of mind, save your energy and time, enable you to get twice the result with half the effort when you are outside, learn more things, and spend more time on art deliberation and thinking.If an artist can deal with daily life scientifically, his contribution to others must be greater!
The letter of May [-] made me very sad.Good boy, don't worry, I will never blame you, if you say you are not worthy to be my son, then I am even more unworthy to be your father.As long as I can help you a little, I get the biggest reward.I really want to use all my knowledge, experience, and painstaking efforts to feed you as much as possible. As long as you read each of my letters several times, think about it a few times, absorb it as hard as you can, and practice it by yourself, I will be very happy. It's indescribable.
Dad, Mom, May [-]th
1955.12.11
Dear children:
I want to make a negotiation with you first: all the things I asked you in the letter are circled with red pens, and I hope you can answer them all.Every time you reply to a letter, you must put my letter next to it, check the paragraphs circled in red one by one, and reply to those that have not been replied.For issues 49-50-51, only the piano and the contract were answered, and nothing was mentioned about the rest.From now on, I will record a summary of the questions I asked you in a booklet. As long as you don't answer, I will still ask endlessly.Dad's bad temper, you should know and be able to forgive it, and at the same time satisfy it, right?
You are always too easy to trust people.I have never believed in people's words. When I tell you something, there must be a considerable basis, but you still don't pay much attention to it, and understate it.Such ignorance of vigilance will be dangerous to you in the future!When a person hinders others, it is not necessarily because of a bad nature, but often because he is not clear-headed and does not know the importance of interests.So when you don't recognize a person clearly in these aspects, don't reveal your confidant casually.One is too inconsiderate of the person you are talking to, and the other is too inconsiderate of the other person involved. (There is more than one!) Letters mentioning this kind of thing are always very vague.After you went abroad last summer, I wrote to you about another matter, asking you to review it, but you declined it because of your bad mood.In fact, this kind of style, this kind of escape from reality is the behavior of cowards, and it is by no means what the youth of New China should have.If you want to get rid of the little bourgeois roots, you have to start from these places!
Don't be afraid of my reproach! (This is also the cowardice of the little bourgeoisie.) Don't be afraid to upset me, dad is not worried about his son, who is he worried about?If the father does not help the child, who will help the child?The son is depressed and does not ask his father for help, who to ask for help?Your concern is also a kind of short-sighted sentimentalism, it's bad!Whether it is cowardice or sentimentalism, it is anti-science and anti-Marxism-Leninism.Why can't a person be anti-science and anti-Marxism-Leninism?Because if you want to live well and make contributions to society, you need to consistently use scientific methods and Marxist-Leninist methods to analyze big and small things, from daily life and relationship problems to study, work, and national affairs. to deal with.The reason why criticism and self-criticism can become a powerful weapon is that it can cultivate a calm scientific mind, treat oneself, others, and things equally, and conduct impartial self-criticism.What criticism and self-criticism need most is courage. As long as there is even the slightest bit of cowardice, criticism and self-criticism can never be done thoroughly.I am not saying that with self-criticism (that is, digging one's own roots), one can be free from troubles.No, troubles are inevitable forever, just like conflicts can never be eliminated.But just because the current contradictions have been eliminated, there will still be new contradictions in the future, so the immediate contradictions cannot be eliminated.Dig the roots, at least you can eliminate the troubles in front of you.When new afflictions come in the future, we will eliminate the new afflictions.Digging the root once can at least reduce the severity of the affliction and reduce the possibility of it harming the body and mind; if not digging the root, there will always be some ideological, conscious, and emotional dross accumulated in the heart, and over time, it will become a heavy burden. Factors that make you unsound, calm-headed, and open-minded, and create more new troubles.This is not only consistent with the theory of Marxism-Leninism, it is also consistent with the research results of modern psychoanalysis and psychiatric treatment.
As for the emotional disputes in the past, the reason why they bother you all the time is because you didn't dig out the roots carefully.I believe you are not a love supremacist, but a truth supremacist; then you should use this standpoint to analyze your object (whether it is your first love or later), you and her (no matter who it is) in terms of ideological understanding , is the attachment to the truth the same or at least not far from it?Dissect things clearly from this perspective, and many troubles will naturally be solved.You should also think that enthusiasm is a beautiful spark, and beauty is beauty, but it cannot last forever.It is folly to hope that the passion will last forever; without regard to temperament, character, character, thoughts, etc., but only clinging to a wonderful dream in the past, hoping that this dream will become a reality in the future, then I warn you that you may encounter tragedy of!Few lovers in full swing in the world can become a happy couple who live together forever; legendary stories, such as Dante and Pei Atrix, have become epic romances through the ages because they did not combine ;Dante met only a few times (it seems only one) Pei Atrix.Goethe's wife, Christine, was a very vulgar woman, but Goethe's artistic achievements were made possible by the peaceful and quiet life of the couple.The past romance, let it become a beautiful memory for us, as a dream that will be remembered for a lifetime, I think it is the most wise way.Constant self-suffering only consumes one's own energy, and is of no benefit to anyone.Son, write to me anytime in the future and tell me about your distress. I believe I can comfort you with some experience.If the pain of the father cannot reduce some dangers for the children, then the pain of the father is also in vain.But I hope you write down the cause of your depression in more detail (that is, you need to analyze it thoroughly yourself first), lest I make empty comments, which are irrelevant and not helpful to you.Well, goodbye, write more letters, writing to analyze yourself is a kind of venting, and it is a venting that is beneficial to mental health.Dad still has enough courage to bear your distress, believe me!You also have enough strength to get rid of troubles and enough courage to face up to your past, and I believe in you too!
Mom's photo should have been received, right?Beethoven's fourth and fifth materials consisted of [-] pages, and they were sent by registered ordinary mail the day before yesterday ([-]th).
dad december eleventh night
I am busy with chores all day long, and I can't calm down to write letters, but your shadow will always hover in my mind. I hope you will write more letters to comfort us.
mom
(End of this chapter)
In March 1955, Fu Cong, as the only Chinese player, broke into the top three in the Fifth Chopin International Piano Competition.This is the first time that an Oriental has achieved excellent results in this competition, and Fu Lei and his wife, who are far away across the ocean, cannot sleep with joy.
1955.1.26
Dear children:
On New Year's Day, I held a cane in one hand and put the other on my mother's shoulder. I tried half a step, but I could barely walk. I have been half sitting and half lying down for the past two days.But like a disabled person, you need someone to serve you in everything, and you can't walk alone.It will probably take another week to rest before returning to normal.
Budget early. We will definitely receive your letter during the New Year. We are all waiting for some gift.Sure enough, I received a letter from you (Bo 11) yesterday morning, and it is such gratifying news.child!If we were in the meeting, we would definitely not be able to hold back the tears.The highest and purest joy in the world is to appreciate art, and still less to appreciate the art conveyed by the hands and hearts of one's own children!Secondly, we are also happy because you have brought glory to the motherland!Even more joyful because of how many people you can make laugh with your music!Thinking that you will achieve greater achievements in the future, make endless progress, serve more people and the masses, inspire their hearts, and soothe their pain, our hearts really want to jump out!What a sacred and glorious mission it is to carry forward the immortal works of the immortal masters and spread them to every corner of the earth!Child, you are so happy, God treats you too kindly.What I am happier and more comforting is: No amount of excessive flattery or praise will make you lose your self-knowledge, and the applause, hugs and compliments of celebrities will not reduce your humility towards art!At last my education was not in vain, and your 20 years of torture were not in vain!You can be strong (not being dazzled by victory is the best proof of being strong), as long as you can be strong, I will rest assured for the rest of my life!The size and level of achievements are not within our control, half depends on manpower, and half depends on talent, but as long as you are strong, you are not afraid of failure, setbacks, and blows—whether it is personnel, life, or technology. , learning - strike; from now on you can fight alone.What's more, in fact, how many good teachers and helpful friends are around to help you and support you.It also adds ancient and modern masterpieces to give you spiritual nourishment all the time!Children, from now on, you will never be alone, even if you are lonely, you will not be afraid!
I have always remembered the words "Children's Heart".Chizi just doesn't know loneliness.Chizi is lonely, he will create a world and create many spiritual friends!Always keep the heart of a child, and you will never fall behind when you grow old, and you will always be able to connect with the hearts of children all over the world!That friend of yours said it right, the moving artistic expression must come from the purity of the heart!If it is not as pure as a mirror, how can it understand the hearts of the predecessors?How can it touch the hearts of the audience?
What Smanzianka said about the Chopin Concerto reminded me of what you said about Richter playing Tchaikovsky's Concerto in the previous two letters.All real achievements must be truly appreciated by others.
The dean of the music academy said that your performance is like flowing water and a river; it reminds me of the symbol of Christophe.Uncle Tian said that when you were young, you often called yourself Christophe; and your personality is actually somewhat similar to Romain Rolland's ideal.The river, the Rhine, the sound of the river is mighty... The bell rings again, and the sky is already dawn... China is coming to the dawn of "Fudan", I hope you will be China's—the new China's—the bell, ringing all over the world, ringing All over everyone's heart!The torrential water flows into everyone's heart, and takes everyone with you to the boundless ocean of sound!The Yangzi River and the Yellow River, which are famous all over the world, are even more powerful than the Rhineland! ... The water of the Yellow River comes up from the sky, rushing to the sea and never returning! ... The boundless fallen trees are rustling, and the endless Yangtze River is rolling in! ...A nation with such a tradition of poetic souls should have the performance of arrogance.
You said that you are always in contradictions and joys, but I believe that without contradictions, artists will not progress, evolve, or deepen.Contradictions are evidence of vitality.What you feel right now is only the contradiction between skills and ideals. In the future, you will have repeated and even bigger contradictions: the exactness of form and content, and many unpredictable contradictions in your heart are waiting for you in the future.Don't worry, solving a contradiction is a step forward!Contradictions are endless, so there is no end to art, there is no perfect [perfect] day, and there is no perfect day in life!Only if this is the case, we need to pursue and practice hard day and night throughout our lives; otherwise, everyone will become Master Xihuang, and the world will be ruled by hand, and being a human being is too boring!
Has the big dress been made yet?Once you are done, you have to put on a hard shirt and a stiff collar, and practice the piano for two or three days behind closed doors (of course you also need to wear a dress on your body).On weekdays, we feel restrained when we wear clothes and do nothing, and all actions are unsatisfactory.Playing the piano is even harder.I was worried about this because I kept asking you about your frock coat in my previous letters.You must try it on several times at home beforehand, practice the piano after wearing it, and get used to it before going on stage.Otherwise, you will suffer a lot for the time being.Children, do remember!This is related to your competition results, don't be sloppy!
The second thing I want to remind you is: it is stated in the rules of the competition that the scores of the first, rematch, and final three times must be added up for the total average.Maybe you haven't read the rules carefully, so I will mention them especially for you.
During the competition, you are of course busy; but if you can send a letter at the end of each stage, reporting the performance and other people's results, we will take it as a treasure.Some details will be forgotten after a long time; writing at the end of the game is also a way to preserve materials.
Did you get the gloves?
Wish you happy!
Dad, January 26, the third day of the Japanese lunar month
1955.3.20
Satoshi, dear boy:
After a month of anticipation, the result was finally announced. I didn’t sleep well for many nights. On the night of the 5th, I was in a trance. Last ([-]th) night, we were too excited for the good news, and we still didn’t fall asleep.First, at around five o'clock last night, Mrs. Ma made a long-distance call from Beijing; then at eight o'clock the radio report (only up to No. [-]), and the list of ten names was disclosed in the newspaper this morning.It's hard for you, dear boy!You have not failed everyone's expectations, the trust of the motherland, the painstaking guidance of the teacher, and the encouragement given to you by Polish teachers, friends and the general public in the past few months!
Maybe you think it should be higher in the ranking, tell me, do you feel "a fly in the ointment"?But don't forget, kid, in terms of your foundation before you left the country, you have done your best in the past seven months, and this competition has also done your best [do your best].Not only that, the results of these seven months have been almost miraculous.I didn't expect you to have so many talents, I didn't expect your spring to come so fast, the flowers bloomed so beautifully, and they bloomed to the world's music scene to release your fragrance.A star has risen in the east, so bright, so pure, so deep; it has created a brilliant world record for New China!As a father, I have always underestimated you. You have corrected my mistakes with your talent and hard work. I am so happy and proud that I can have such a son who overthrows all my wrong estimates!Mom is right, the greatness of motherhood lies not in reason, but in that intuitive feeling; for many years, she kept silent, but she always thought that I underestimated your ability; now she has explained everything to me.I admit my mistakes, but with what joy to admit them: is this a miracle?
Recalling that when you came back from Beijing in December [-], I agreed with you to study in Poland, but I did not encourage you to participate in the competition, and even wrote to Zhou Weizhi requesting that you not be allowed to participate.Although I have always underestimated you, with your academic ability at that time, my opinion is not entirely wrong.You also feel that even if you participate, you may not be sure.Think you didn't have much confidence when you first arrived at the beach, did you?It can be seen that the seven months of study and the experience of being on stage have helped you beyond description. Not only was it beyond our expectations, but you also feel that you are beyond your current grades compared with those of seven months ago. Unexpected, isn't it?
Ke Ziqi called early this morning to congratulate us on behalf of his parents.Ziqi said: Rather than you just getting second, I would rather you get third and add a Mazurka award.This sentence fully expresses the meaning in our hearts.Do you have this feeling yourself?
Thinking back to the period of the fourth competition in [-], when you wandered in Kunming, your life, your depression, and your bleak future at that time, compared with today, don’t they seem like a dream?Who would have imagined that when he returned to Shanghai in [-], he only played the "Pathetique" Sonata ["Pathetic" Sonata"] and hadn't played it yet? Five years later, he would be ranked third in the international music competition?How many detours, how much pain, how many frustrations, how many setbacks, in exchange for your success today!It can be seen that in order to achieve greater success, we can only redouble our efforts, and at the same time we have to expect other detours and other setbacks.I want to remind you all the time, think about the difficulties in the past, so that you will have the courage to overcome them when you encounter difficulties in the future, and you will not lose confidence!Life is an endless marathon, and you've got a long way to go: it's just a glorious start.
Looking back: I underestimated you in the past, and in some respects it may have had a bad influence on you, but at least one thing is of great help to you.But I am strict with you, and I will not spoil you in the end—you should remember your resentment when the Romanian Third Prize was first announced, which shows that young people tend to overestimate their own strength.I have held you tightly for many years, at least you have developed a serious concept of art, even if you get carried away occasionally, it is very easy to pull you back.I mention these words not to defend my past practices, but to make you especially vigilant when you are successful, and never allow complacency and pride to rise.I know that there is no need to tell me too much. Today, you have already passed the hurdle of pride and complacency, but I have always been a disciple of Chinese Confucianism. When encountering extreme events, you must "feel like you are facing an abyss and walking on thin ice." A feeling of extra solemnity, fear, and alertness.
Now on to the actual problem:
According to our guess, you still suffer from technic [skills] this time, not music [music]; according to the foundation of your skills, and according to Mr. Ma's letter from home after he arrived in Poland, you probably haven't been very good at this aspect. degree of grasp.No wonder you, of course, what kind of training have you had in the past?It is a miracle to achieve this result in seven months, how can I be more demanding?In your several letters and comments on the program list, you often mention "good but incomplete".From this sentence, we can see the biggest reason why you did not rank first or second.
Speaking of "incomplete", I have the same self-criticism about my own translations.No matter which book is translated, I always feel that it cannot be good from beginning to end; it can be seen that the most difficult thing for any art is to be "complete"!You mentioned perfection [perfect], in fact, there is no such thing as perfection. The whole life, the world, and the universe cannot be called perfection.If it exists in the ideal of the philosopher and the ideal of the statesman.The pursuit of our whole life, the pursuit of many generations of people in history, is nothing but perfection, but it will never be pursued, because people's ideals and fantasies are endless, so perfection is like the moon in the water and the flower in the mirror. and out of reach.But it is not bad to be able to achieve overall "completeness" or comparative "completeness" at a certain stage.
Now that the competition is over, we would like to hear from you twice a month.In particular, I hope to know more about: (1) the situation of foreign music circles; (2) your own thoughts and experiences on certain pieces of music.Be sure to spare some effort!In the future, there is no need to spend day and night on the piano like in the past.Self-cultivation needs to be carried out in many aspects, and skills need to be trained for a long time, so don't act too hastily.It's good to calm down and think about it, but writing a letter forces you to organize your thoughts, which is also an excellent training.
Mingqiang and the others all called to congratulate each other, and they all represented their parents.Uncle Shen came in person.It is expected that there will be a lot of phone calls in the next two days, and it is like holding a wedding at home.
If there are any printed materials about the competition, photos in the pictorial, etc. (if it is in Polish, I hope to approve a sentence or two), I would like to send some.
I translated Professor Jie's article, have you received it?Today I have to write another letter to thank him for teaching you. Mrs. Eva must have embraced you several times with tears in her eyes.Perhaps the embassy must treat you to a Chinese meal, right?
For the time being, we, mother and brother, all congratulate you, and tell you again: how happy and proud we are for you!Hope you are well rested after the big fight!
Dad on the morning of March [-]
Keep this letter on hand when replying, and read paragraph after paragraph, so you won't miss anything!
1955.3.27
Satoshi:
For your reference, I have specially translated for you a passage from a book devoted to Mozart.In addition, there is Romain Rolland's text on Mozart, which was too late to translate.I wonder when did you learn Mozart?Chopin paid great attention to and influenced Mozart's style in the taste [taste] of his writing.I just finished playing Chopin and continued to study Mozart. I think they are relatively similar in spirit and blood.Might as well discuss it with Teacher Jie.Can you start playing Mozart after Beethoven's fourth play?When you are about to start, write a letter first, and I will send you a text from Romain Rolland.
From the translation I gave you this time, I especially realized that Mozart’s kind of tenderness and charm is different from the tenderness and charm of the Romantics in that he is as pure as an angel, without any worldly sentimentality or profligate sweetness [Sweet and greasy].The gentleness of the gods is of course different from that of mortals, that is the Madonna of Da Vinci and Raphael, that kind of charming smile is by no means unique to the world.If I can grasp what is meant by the warmth and sweetness that escapes all the fireworks in the world, what is meant by innocent and innocent love, without the slightest tugging at the heart, without the slightest turmoil of lust, then I want to express that Mozart can "not hit, but not far away" .how do you feel?Teenagers between the ages of [-], [-] and [-] or [-] are especially suitable for Mozart because their childlike innocence has not been contaminated.
In the future, if you plan to play any modern writers, please arrange and write earlier; I can also provide materials.In terms of spiritual atmosphere, there are a few things I can do to help you.
I want to tell you again: my letters on weekdays mostly talk about music.You must have many thoughts and experiences, as well as the opinions of teachers and other professors.The children here are awakening one by one, suffering from lack of materials.They often come to see me and chat with me; of course I try to help them as much as possible.You are abroad, you have seen a lot, and you are constantly improving there, so you must have a lot to tell us.At the same time, one's thoughts are expressed while writing, which can stimulate the agility of the mind and train the ability and speed of writing.In addition, there is also a moral responsibility, so that you should try your best to report foreign thoughts to us.A person’s service to the people doesn’t have to be a speech at a conference or an earth-shattering cause. He can tell others what he knows and thinks anytime, anywhere, and he is invisibly planting, fertilizing, and cultivating for the country. !Children, you must remember these words and write more!
Mr. Huang Binhong died of stomach cancer in Hangzhou on the 25th of this month at the age of 92.As far as the artist is concerned, we hope he lives to be a hundred years old.Last winter I was not in good health, I fell in the middle of the trip, and rarely corresponded with him; I just went to Hangzhou in early November, saw paintings at his home for two consecutive days, and even took pictures for him, and it turned out to be a forever farewell.I heard that he still missed me when he was ill, and mentioned me to people who didn't know me.I was very sad when I heard it. On the day I got the letter, I didn't sleep well all night.
From the announcement of the game to the present, for a whole week, I didn't work hard, nor did I have enough rest; of course, I was always very happy in my heart.So this letter is no longer elongated.Wait until your letter arrives before writing.Have you rested yet?Everyone must tell you to pay attention to your body!
Dad on the night of March 27th
After reading my translation of Mr. Jie’s essay on Chopin, what do you think, and what do you want to add?
I bought a copy of Faure's Requiem ["Requiem"] yesterday, which is very moving.We still buy a lot of records.
1955.4.1/3
Satoshi:
We calculate every day, assuming that you sent a letter on the 22nd, it should have been received yesterday; assuming that it was sent on the 23rd, it should have arrived today.Strange, why did you give the award on the 23rd, and you haven't sent a letter from home on the [-]rd?There is no news for a long time, and I have to worry that you should not be overly nervous, are you not feeling well?
I know you are busy, but you also know that I am busy, at least as busy as you.In the past seven or eight months, my health has deteriorated greatly. It has been two and a half months since the fall, and my leg strength has not yet recovered, and the pain in my waist is even worse.But I still hold on to my work, writing letters, translating Mozart for you, and so on.My child, why do you keep worrying people?Estimate the time when your letter should arrive. If it is less than one day, we will be mentally unstable.
We also guessed that maybe Mr. Ma Sicong came back and might bring a letter, but when did he leave Warsaw?Assuming that you will leave Bo after the 25th, will you not write to us until then?Photos and other document clippings, etc., because they are heavy, it is of course good to hand them over to Mr. Ma, which saves a lot of air postage.But the letter reporting the details of the game can't be so late, can it?If you want to talk about the concert, at least one week must be separated from the game, so you won't be too busy to write a letter after the game is over.Then what is the truth?Isn't it a mental burden for you not to write home letters for more than two months?Are you really unwell?
We have always asked you for letters from home, just like begging for love.You should understand your father's temper, and don't humiliate him because of the letter, okay?
I made a statistic from the records in the commemorative book: I found that only Poland, the Soviet Union, France, Hungary, Britain, and China entered the top five in the Chopin competition.Germany only won a sixth in the third session, Austria won a tenth in the second session, and Italy won a No.20 four in the second session.It can be seen that the closest to Chopin's spirit is the Slavic nation.It is followed by Hungary and France.Neither purely Germanic nor purely Latin.France cannot be considered purely Latin.The strange thing is that even a well-educated master like Busoni [Busoni] was not famous for playing Chopin in his life.At the end of the nineteenth century in Germany, among the great pianists, none of them could play Chopin well.
But this is just a personal guess. You have met players from many countries in this competition, and you have heard criticism from various sides. You must have some opinions on this issue. You can tell me.
night of april [-]st
Today I received a letter from Mr. Ma (on the [-]th), saying that you are going to study in the Soviet Union, and that you have negotiated with the Ministry of Culture to let you go back to China to play a few performances; finally, you mentioned that you are going to participate in the Schumann in Germany in February next year. [Schumann] game.
I think it will take at least two months for the trip back home, including the performance; and you have to wait until the sporadic concerts in Poland are over before you can start.In this way, it will take more than three months before and after.This is a great waste of your studies.In particular, you need to improve your skills. If you want to participate in next year's Schumann competition, his skills are more troublesome than Chopin's. If you make a record in Poland (as I said in my previous letter) and send it back to China, everyone can hear it, and it will be permanent; at the same time, it will not hinder your studies.As parents, we would love to meet you emotionally and hear you perform so successfully, but we would rather sacrifice this blessing for your studies.I have written to Mr. Ma and asked him to consider it with the Ministry of Culture.I don't think you disagree with this question, do you?
Second, turn to the section on studying in the USSR, you never talked to us.After you went to Bo, I sent you 29 letters. Does my attitude expressed in the letters still make you unbelievable that you can discuss and negotiate with me in detail about everything?You didn't say a word to me, but Mr. Thomas directly raised it to the central government. To be honest, I feel very inferior, because it reflects that you still don't trust me.Probably the consequences of my inappropriate and unreasonable education to you since childhood have not been completely eliminated.You haven't heard from me since the game, maybe there is something in your heart!When Mr. Ma came back, you didn't ask to bring any letter, so I was really sad mentally, and felt that I did not make up for my mistakes.Now everyone (including Mr. Ma) thinks that your success today is the foundation I laid when you were young, but in fact, no one asks for my opinion on your current problems; yes, I admit I'm old and can't help you anymore.
But I still have a bit of arrogance, thinking that I can see things farther and more clearly than you young people.At the same time, I also have an overly strong sense of responsibility. This sense of responsibility makes me forget my old age, forgetting that I can't help you and insist on helping you.
So if the following words make you uncomfortable, and make you feel that I don’t understand you and your learning needs, then please think of the above two reasons and forgive me, please forgive me for being human, and for not letting go of the world The heart of parents to their children.
When a person wants to do something, he must think carefully beforehand.Especially when you want to change course, abandon the old way and take a new way, you must use your reason as a balance, and weigh the old way and the new way on two plates very precisely.Now let me do a job for you, to help you put the reasons for each item on the weighing pan:
【A plate】 【B plate】
([-]) Did Teacher Jie help you enough in the past?If he guides better, can your technique still improve? ([-]) Is the teaching method of the Soviet Union necessarily better than that of Teacher Jie?Can technology help you more?
([-]) Six months of study in Poland has enabled you to get the results of this competition. Are you still not satisfied? ([-]) Assuming that you studied in the Soviet Union for the past six months, do you think your grades could be better this time?Ranking higher?
(1) The No.2 student in Poland is also a student of Teacher Jie. What is the reason for him to get the first place? ([-]) The Soviet Union won No.[-], why only one second?
([-]) Is there anything wrong with the method of technical training, the Polish school, or is it incomplete? ([-]) Is the method of technical training necessarily better in the Soviet Union than in any other country?
([-]) Does technology need to improve slowly over time? ([-]) Does the Soviet Union have a faster way to improve?
([-]) Apart from Chopin, do you not admire the Polish teachers for their understanding of other writers? ([-]) Is the understanding of other writers much better in the Soviet Union than in other countries?
([-]) Last August, Zhou Xiaoyan knew that Teacher Jie specially trained his English in order to teach you in Poland. Do you know this? ([-]) Are professors from the Soviet Union more enthusiastic than Teacher Jie?
【General】
([-]) From your personal point of view, is it possible to make greater progress if you change the method of technical training?So pay special attention to item ([-]). Do you think that with your six months of hard work, if there is a better way to teach you, can you keep pace with others technically, or get closer?
([-]) In terms of learning from Schumann, does the Soviet Union also have special and superior conditions?
([-]) In the past, your teacher Sheng Chengjie taught classical and modern works very well. Have you changed your opinion now?
([-]) Summary of the seven months of living in Poland. Is your study environment not ideal?Was the USSR better at this?
([-]) Can you get the same concern and guidance from various parties in Poland in the Soviet Union?
([-]) Poland generally has a Western European atmosphere. Do you think it is not good for your studies?
I hope you will calm down, measure these questions one by one very objectively, and use the method of "democratic voting" to come up with a summary yourself.Make a decision until then.In short, it is up to you to listen or not, and it is up to me to speak or not.You admitted in the past that I "see things from a high mountain", maybe I am short-sighted, and the situation I see is not accurate.But at least you have to use your non-myopic eyes to check that what I see is not accurate.If it's really inaccurate, of course you don't need it, and you shouldn't listen to me.
It would be a great "honor" to me if you don't think I'm obstinately outdated, but are willing to take my opinion into account!One day, I realize that you see everything more clearly than I do, and I will be the first to admire you, not only won't come to "tangle with you" to give opinions, but I will also come to ask you for advice when I encounter problems!At present, the first thing is not to give us a boring gourd!The hardest ones are unknown [unknown] and unknown [uncertain]!Before you sympathize with others, sympathize with your parents first!
dad april [-]rd
1955.5.8/9
child:
Last night there was a Hungarian flutist [flute player] and pianist [pianist] concert. The Writers Association sent a ticket. I have back pain and can't sit for a long time, so I let Amin go.He came back and said that the pianist played well, but his body swayed too much.So I was reminded of Richter [Richter] playing Liszt on the screen.As I mentioned to you before, I don’t know if Richter usually swings a lot on stage?This question, like more or less others, you left me unanswered.I remember that Mr. Ma wrote to Wang Dihua from Poland on February 20, mentioning that you were "full of expression" on the piano.I don't understand if he refers to the "full expression" expressed by your subordinates, or refers to your body movements?Because you admire Richter so much, I suspect that your old habit of shaking your body has unknowingly recovered and strengthened.I remember I mentioned this question to you in No. 27 (or [-]) letter, but you still haven’t answered it.
When it comes to "no answer", I have a lot of emotion.I asked myself: writing to you at length and length is not empty chatter, not inexplicable gossip [gossip], but has several functions.First, I do regard you as an opponent who discusses art and music; second, I really want to arouse some of your young people's feelings, so that my father can get some fresh nourishment, and at the same time, I can indirectly spread it to others. Youth; thirdly, it is not only your writing that is trained by correspondence, but especially your thinking; fourthly, I want to be a wake-up call for you at all times and everywhere, as a "faithful mirror", whether you are a person In terms of life details, in terms of artistic accomplishment, in terms of playing posture.As a father, I just want to be your shadow, to help you and protect you anytime, anywhere, and not to let you get bored with this shadow.But my many wishes, although I have said and said in more than 30 letters in the past, you don't seem to have a deep understanding, because you don't have a proper response, that is: try to write to me, "passive" Either agree or disagree with what I said, and rarely "actively" express your opinions or feelings-especially since December.
You are not a writer, and from a purely professional point of view there is no need to train your writing.But apart from writing more, with your current environment, how can you train your mind, your reason, and your intellect?And the training of one's thinking, reason, and intellect cannot be said to be unimportant, right?Many readers wrote to me, hoping that I would communicate with them more; unfortunately, their level is too far behind mine, and I am helpless.Now that you have enough qualifications, you can talk to me about all kinds of issues, and I am eager to talk to you about these issues, but you seldom make use of them!Children, a person often does not cherish what he has (or opportunity, environment, or any valuable thing) at hand, and regrets it only when he is about to lose it!This is human nature, but we cannot forgive our own stupidity because it is human nature, and do not try to correct it.
Don't you have enthusiasm and want to serve the motherland and the people?Serving the motherland and the people is multifaceted, and it is not limited to winning glory for the motherland abroad, nor is it limited to comforting others with music—although this is your main task.Our artists also need to convey their feelings and experiences to others all the time, so that others can use them as reference or critical materials.In the future, you will not only be a performer, but also an educator; therefore, your thinking and reason need more training, a long-term training.My poor father is preparing you for this everywhere, and it is more appropriate to say that it is preparing for the Chinese music industry than for you.My child, it is useless for a person to have the passion to love his fellow man. You must use facts to make others receive my real help. This is the real moral practice.Don't think we're asking you to write more because of parental emotional selfishness—of course there are some, but by no means the main ones.You know very well that you should repay the help you have received in your life with actions; and training yourself in many ways is the basic preparation for repaying others.
Do you sometimes wrap adhesive plaster or apply paraffine oil [paraffin oil] when you play the piano now?Is it possible to relax the hand without damaging the fingertips?
I can't finish talking with you. The letter is already too long. My mother is afraid that you will get dizzy reading it, so she advises me to end it.She thinks it's a pity that you can't come back once.How we miss you!Don't worry, Dad believes that you are objective and calm in everything, and you don't take people's criticisms out of emotion; but a person with some achievements, even if he is not proud in fact, can easily be considered proud (a person with some fame and status, It’s such a difficult life), so you must be cautious when you are outside, and keep your words reserved.In particular, both sides use a language other than the motherland, which is more likely to cause misunderstandings.
Papa wrote from May [-]th to May [-]th
We cut and paste all the records about you in domestic newspapers and magazines.A reporter from the Xinhua News Agency in Warsaw reported that the judges of the preliminary and semi-final rounds were separated by a curtain and did not report the names of the contestants.How strange!
and
1955.5.11
Dear children:
After letter No. 35 was sent out, I was planning to continue writing and discuss two artistic and technical issues with you, because these two days I have been busy arranging music scores for you, writing letters to Luo Zhongrong, and going out to try on the size of your winter leather shoes ( I have to try it with my feet), so I have not written yet.I received another letter on May 29 this morning, which made me anxious.Don't worry, kid, you wrote very thorough letters on April 30th and [-]th, and your situation is clearly reported.We make no mistake.It was painful not to receive your letter in the past, but once we got your long letter and understood the details, how could we feel any displeasure towards you? "Night train" makes us feel unbearable.You have been abroad for seven or eight months, and the letters you write back are not excessive. Occasionally, I can see some words that are too trusting or skeptical, and I will discount them a little.It is inevitable for a passionate person, especially a young person, to go too far. As long as he is kind-hearted, upright, and broad-minded, and can correct his judgment in time and not be stubborn, then it will be fine.You don't have to blame yourself too much, as long as you write more letters in the future, let us know more about your situation, and give you advice at any time, it will be much more interesting than the "past" that Kong Zigui guilt and regret can't save.You say that letter writing is regressing, but we all feel that you are making progress.Your analytical skills are much stronger than before, and your attitude is very peaceful.How strict is Dad when he reads words, and how serious he is when he is picky about words, so he won't praise you casually.
You come back to the question once, I think it is actually difficult.Even if the embassy is willing to ask the country for instructions, it will take a long time for official documents or telegrams to go back and forth, because the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have to consider many aspects when deciding on your matter.Delays are inevitable.And when the decision is made, it is very close to the festival. I am afraid they will not let you not participate in the performance at the festival. Besides, even if you are allowed to come back, you will not be able to go home until the end of June or the beginning of July at the earliest.At that time, the delegation is about to leave, and you will be urged to go on the road again.
As far as our relationship is concerned, you must understand that our desire to see you is no less than your desire to see us; especially I can't wait to talk with you for days and nights.But we can't just care about our feelings, we can't help but suppress our personal wishes, and plan for your bigger problems.
You said in your letter 29 that Michelangeli's playing, at least in terms of being "like a rock [rock]", makes me yearn for it.This is what I expect of you—one of the dearest!But since you have fanatical feelings and endless changes, I hope you will be like a rock, like a commander in command of the three armies.There is no need for a teacher to tell you about this, you just need to pay attention to it yourself, especially in terms of psychology and spirit, cultivate a lot, and achieve the level of being able to enter and exit.You have already been "able to enter", now what you need to work hard on is "able to get out"!Then I guarantee that you have a good grasp of the style and spirit of classical and modern works.
When you write to criticize someone else's Chopin, you often say that they are cold.Therefore, I was reminded of my previous thoughts: Since Romanticism reached its climax in all aspects of literature and art in Europe in the nineteenth century, there was first a reaction of realism and naturalism (referring only to literature and plastic arts), and then in the twenties Around the turn of the century came a general anti-romantic tide of thought.This trend of thought has two manifestations: one is very sensual, represented by R. Strauss [Richard Strauss] in music, and Matisse in painting; the other is very intellectual[ Reason], as is the case with many modern composers.Picasso [Picasso] on painting can also be classified into this category.Modern and modern people go against the trend of thought in the [-]th century and go to another extreme, going from too much emotion to too much mind [spirit].Performers are no exception.Chopin is half-classical and half-romantic, so modern youths can't play it well.On the contrary, we Chinese do not have the Romantic Dik frenzy like Europe in the last century, and our nationality is quite olympic [Olympic] (the highest ideal of Greek art) spirit, and at the same time has a not too excessive romantic Dik spirit. Like the poets of the Han and Wei dynasties, like Li Bai, like Du Fu (Empress Li is considered the most romantic, but compared with Westerners, he is still very reserved and pays attention to taste), so we are born with the ability to express Chopin quite well. excellent condition.
What do you think of my analysis?
On the other hand, sometimes we are separated from the real classics in Europe.The real classical is to talk about elegance, graceful [elegant], elegant [noble] and moderate [moderate].But we also know discreet [cautiously] very well, and we also talk about the doctrine of the golden mean. Generally, young people are not close to traditions, and they may not be able to grasp these things. Logically, it is not difficult for you to understand them deeply.One thing you may not have paid much attention to is that European classics still have a bit of a court atmosphere, the Louis XIV style court atmosphere.
For modern works, it is difficult for us to immerse ourselves in mechanical civilization like Europeans, perhaps it is not easy to appreciate the steel-like beauty of pure machinery, that kind of "cold light" brightness[brilliance], that is pure reason, pure mind[ spiritual] stuff.
A quiet environment is what matters most to your spirit.Do things scientifically and thoroughly!I can't wait to be by your side, help you solve and arrange all material life, let you study with peace of mind, save your energy and time, enable you to get twice the result with half the effort when you are outside, learn more things, and spend more time on art deliberation and thinking.If an artist can deal with daily life scientifically, his contribution to others must be greater!
The letter of May [-] made me very sad.Good boy, don't worry, I will never blame you, if you say you are not worthy to be my son, then I am even more unworthy to be your father.As long as I can help you a little, I get the biggest reward.I really want to use all my knowledge, experience, and painstaking efforts to feed you as much as possible. As long as you read each of my letters several times, think about it a few times, absorb it as hard as you can, and practice it by yourself, I will be very happy. It's indescribable.
Dad, Mom, May [-]th
1955.12.11
Dear children:
I want to make a negotiation with you first: all the things I asked you in the letter are circled with red pens, and I hope you can answer them all.Every time you reply to a letter, you must put my letter next to it, check the paragraphs circled in red one by one, and reply to those that have not been replied.For issues 49-50-51, only the piano and the contract were answered, and nothing was mentioned about the rest.From now on, I will record a summary of the questions I asked you in a booklet. As long as you don't answer, I will still ask endlessly.Dad's bad temper, you should know and be able to forgive it, and at the same time satisfy it, right?
You are always too easy to trust people.I have never believed in people's words. When I tell you something, there must be a considerable basis, but you still don't pay much attention to it, and understate it.Such ignorance of vigilance will be dangerous to you in the future!When a person hinders others, it is not necessarily because of a bad nature, but often because he is not clear-headed and does not know the importance of interests.So when you don't recognize a person clearly in these aspects, don't reveal your confidant casually.One is too inconsiderate of the person you are talking to, and the other is too inconsiderate of the other person involved. (There is more than one!) Letters mentioning this kind of thing are always very vague.After you went abroad last summer, I wrote to you about another matter, asking you to review it, but you declined it because of your bad mood.In fact, this kind of style, this kind of escape from reality is the behavior of cowards, and it is by no means what the youth of New China should have.If you want to get rid of the little bourgeois roots, you have to start from these places!
Don't be afraid of my reproach! (This is also the cowardice of the little bourgeoisie.) Don't be afraid to upset me, dad is not worried about his son, who is he worried about?If the father does not help the child, who will help the child?The son is depressed and does not ask his father for help, who to ask for help?Your concern is also a kind of short-sighted sentimentalism, it's bad!Whether it is cowardice or sentimentalism, it is anti-science and anti-Marxism-Leninism.Why can't a person be anti-science and anti-Marxism-Leninism?Because if you want to live well and make contributions to society, you need to consistently use scientific methods and Marxist-Leninist methods to analyze big and small things, from daily life and relationship problems to study, work, and national affairs. to deal with.The reason why criticism and self-criticism can become a powerful weapon is that it can cultivate a calm scientific mind, treat oneself, others, and things equally, and conduct impartial self-criticism.What criticism and self-criticism need most is courage. As long as there is even the slightest bit of cowardice, criticism and self-criticism can never be done thoroughly.I am not saying that with self-criticism (that is, digging one's own roots), one can be free from troubles.No, troubles are inevitable forever, just like conflicts can never be eliminated.But just because the current contradictions have been eliminated, there will still be new contradictions in the future, so the immediate contradictions cannot be eliminated.Dig the roots, at least you can eliminate the troubles in front of you.When new afflictions come in the future, we will eliminate the new afflictions.Digging the root once can at least reduce the severity of the affliction and reduce the possibility of it harming the body and mind; if not digging the root, there will always be some ideological, conscious, and emotional dross accumulated in the heart, and over time, it will become a heavy burden. Factors that make you unsound, calm-headed, and open-minded, and create more new troubles.This is not only consistent with the theory of Marxism-Leninism, it is also consistent with the research results of modern psychoanalysis and psychiatric treatment.
As for the emotional disputes in the past, the reason why they bother you all the time is because you didn't dig out the roots carefully.I believe you are not a love supremacist, but a truth supremacist; then you should use this standpoint to analyze your object (whether it is your first love or later), you and her (no matter who it is) in terms of ideological understanding , is the attachment to the truth the same or at least not far from it?Dissect things clearly from this perspective, and many troubles will naturally be solved.You should also think that enthusiasm is a beautiful spark, and beauty is beauty, but it cannot last forever.It is folly to hope that the passion will last forever; without regard to temperament, character, character, thoughts, etc., but only clinging to a wonderful dream in the past, hoping that this dream will become a reality in the future, then I warn you that you may encounter tragedy of!Few lovers in full swing in the world can become a happy couple who live together forever; legendary stories, such as Dante and Pei Atrix, have become epic romances through the ages because they did not combine ;Dante met only a few times (it seems only one) Pei Atrix.Goethe's wife, Christine, was a very vulgar woman, but Goethe's artistic achievements were made possible by the peaceful and quiet life of the couple.The past romance, let it become a beautiful memory for us, as a dream that will be remembered for a lifetime, I think it is the most wise way.Constant self-suffering only consumes one's own energy, and is of no benefit to anyone.Son, write to me anytime in the future and tell me about your distress. I believe I can comfort you with some experience.If the pain of the father cannot reduce some dangers for the children, then the pain of the father is also in vain.But I hope you write down the cause of your depression in more detail (that is, you need to analyze it thoroughly yourself first), lest I make empty comments, which are irrelevant and not helpful to you.Well, goodbye, write more letters, writing to analyze yourself is a kind of venting, and it is a venting that is beneficial to mental health.Dad still has enough courage to bear your distress, believe me!You also have enough strength to get rid of troubles and enough courage to face up to your past, and I believe in you too!
Mom's photo should have been received, right?Beethoven's fourth and fifth materials consisted of [-] pages, and they were sent by registered ordinary mail the day before yesterday ([-]th).
dad december eleventh night
I am busy with chores all day long, and I can't calm down to write letters, but your shadow will always hover in my mind. I hope you will write more letters to comfort us.
mom
(End of this chapter)
Tap the screen to use advanced tools
Tip: You can use left and right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.
You'll Also Like
-
When I Woke Up, I Became a Top Boss
Chapter 472 7 hours ago -
Six Years After the Disaster, I Saved My Farm by Growing Bean Sprouts.
Chapter 424 1 days ago -
Me! Cleaner!
Chapter 864 1 days ago -
Plunder life and carve out an invincible path
Chapter 413 2 days ago -
Star Dome Railway: I am developing a Star Dome Railway mobile game in my company
Chapter 333 2 days ago -
Unlimited learning of spiritual powers, I will suppress the end of the world
Chapter 214 2 days ago -
I'm shooting anime in another world
Chapter 324 3 days ago -
Great Sword Master
Chapter 1901 3 days ago -
The hidden demon king, the empress brought her child to ask for responsibility
Chapter 675 3 days ago -
Being too ferocious because of caution
Chapter 873 3 days ago
