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Chapter 53
Beethoven was active a little earlier than Chopin and Liszt, the musicians Soo-hyun knew well. Chopin was born in 1810 and Liszt in 1811. Beethoven, on the other hand, was born in 1770 on the banks of the Rhine River in Bonn, Germany.
Soo-hyun listened to Professor Lee Chan-ho's explanation.
'In fact, Soo-hyun wasn't interested in Beethoven's life. He just wanted to play the score, learn it, and then follow the path opened by the roots of the zelkova tree. But I can't interrupt the professor, so I can only listen.'
"Do you know Mozart?"
"I heard he was a genius."
"Yes, Beethoven's father wanted to turn his son into a second Mozart. In fact, in 1787, he sent the young Beethoven to Vienna, where Mozart was, to learn from him."
Soo-hyun had a surprised expression.
"Was Beethoven a student of Mozart?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho smiled and shook his head.
"The time he studied with him was too short to be considered as such. Just as he was beginning to receive instruction from Mozart, Beethoven's mother passed away, so he had to return to his hometown."
"Did he not go back again?"
"He returned in 1792, but Mozart passed away in 1791."
'I see. I guess the age difference between the two was quite large.'
"No, no. Mozart was born in 1756. They were fourteen years apart."
'It seems that a master-disciple relationship can be established with such a small difference. Well, Jaehee said she received lessons from a university student when she was ten, so that kind of relationship might be possible.''Wait, someone who was born in 1756 died in 1791? Isn't that too soon to be famous?'
Professor Lee Chan-ho said as if he had read Soo-hyun's mind, who was lost in thought.
"Mozart died at the age of 35. It was a sad death for a young genius."
"What about Beethoven?"
"He is said to have died in 1827."
'At 57. He didn't leave this world as quickly as Mozart.'
But Soo-hyun didn't want to say something like, "It's a good thing he lived a little longer," so he kept his mouth shut. The professor patted Soo-hyun on the head, perhaps because he was impressed by his kind-heartedness.
"Our Soo-hyun is very kind. Children like you don't usually have good manners towards someone who has already passed away a long time ago."
Soo-hyun chuckled.
'This is because the men who raised him for seven years are people who have been dead for over a hundred years.'
Professor Lee Chan-ho continued to speak.
"The interesting thing is that during the 35 years he lived in Vienna, he moved no less than 79 times."
'Not seven times, but seventy-nine? That doesn't seem normal.'
"He was a very aggressive, neurotic, proud, and inflexible person. Don't you play the piano at night, Soo-hyun?" the professor said with a smile.
"No, because it bothers the other people around me."
"Haha, that's right. Ji-ye teaches very well. But Beethoven played the piano loudly even in the middle of the night. That's why he often fought with the landlord. He also had a habit of walking around recklessly while composing. Since he didn't walk on his tiptoes, it was only natural that he would fight with those who lived downstairs."
"That's a nuisance."
"Haha, another funny anecdote. One day, Beethoven was fighting with his neighbors as usual and was moving again. When the coachman carrying his luggage arrived at the house he was moving to, Beethoven, who was in the carriage, had disappeared."
"You can leave your luggage there?"
"Yes, and then he disappeared. And he was found sleeping in the empty house where he lived before he moved."
"Why?"
"At that time, it was said that Beethoven got musical ideas whenever he saw a beautiful landscape. So he jumped out of the carriage and wrote down all the musical ideas that came to his mind in his notebook. Then, completely forgetting that he was moving, he went back to his old house and slept."
'Haha. That guy was very funny.'
At first, Soo-hyun was only interested in playing the musical score, but he soon became absorbed in Professor Lee Chan-ho's story.
"Well, today isn't the only day, so let's talk about Beethoven again tomorrow. Today, let's start practicing the score you brought."
The moment Soo-hyun had been waiting for finally arrived. Professor Lee Chan-ho opened the musical score and tried to explain it. But what Soo-hyun needed was not to be taught sheet music. He could do that without Lee Chan-ho.
"Tell me about this music."
"Yes, I'll explain it from now on. Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14, Op. 27, 'Moonlight'. The first movement, Adagio sostenuto, should be played slowly, pressing each note deeply, just as the title of the movement indicates."
"Other than that."
"Huh?"
"Beethoven's mind at the time of composition."
Professor Lee Chan-ho had a questioning look on his face. It was rare for a student of Soo-hyun's age to ask that question first. However, Professor Lee Chan-ho, who knew Soo-hyun's skills better than anyone, smiled as he thought that perhaps that was the right teaching method for Soo-hyun.
"The title 'Moonlight Sonata' was not a title given by Beethoven himself. Beethoven originally gave this piece the title Sonata quasi una fantasia, or in English, 'Sonata in the style of a fantasy'."
"But why is it called 'Moonlight'?"
"Five years after Beethoven's death, the German poet Rellstab heard this music and described it as the moonlight reflecting beautifully on Lake Lucerne. Those who like to name music have called it that ever since."
"To describe this music, I must first refer to a letter he sent to his friend Wegeler in 1801."
'It seems he's going to recite the contents of the letter again. This professor had already memorized Uncle Frederick's letters, and it seems he is also memorizing Beethoven's letters. Does he have a good memory, or does he have nothing to do?'
I am not a misanthrope who avoids people. But this time, things were different. I think it is probably because of the charming and fascinating woman. She loves me and I love her too. After two years, a happy moment has arrived. This time I think I can get married and be happy. The only worrying thing is the difference in status.
'Difference in status? Was the woman a high-ranking noble?'
"She was a woman named Giulietta Guicciardi. Well, rather than a woman, it would be more appropriate to call her a girl. She was only sixteen years old. At that time, she was fourteen years younger than Beethoven. She was a noble lady, and Beethoven was her piano teacher."
Soo-hyun's expression became strange. Professor Lee Chan-ho, who didn't notice, continued to explain.
"Let's recall the title of the first movement. It's called Adagio sostenuto, right? The word 'sostenuto' is a directive that expresses the feeling of not being able to move forward and of being stuck. It seems as if Beethoven's voice is shouting, 'Stop time!', as he speaks of a love that will one day end due to the difference in social status."
'Is this song a love serenade?'
Soo-hyun's expression became even stranger, but Professor Lee Chan-ho was lost in his own explanation.
"The second movement, Allegretto, is the one that Liszt compared to 'a bouquet of flowers blooming between two abysses'. It is the movement that connects to the third movement, which means passionate and burning love. The third movement, Presto agitato, should be performed very fast and with intense emotion, as the title suggests. It is an explosive loving passion with the strong abrupt chord that appears at the beginning."
'That's not the point. I can't believe this song is about love.'
"It refers to playing the notes that make up a chord consecutively instead of all at once," Soo-hyun replied to the professor's question.
"Yes, I see. It's called a broken chord because it means playing the notes individually instead of playing the full chord."
After asking Soo-hyun a question, Professor Lee Chan-ho looked at the boy's expression and asked, looking at Soo-hyun who had an uncomfortable expression.
"Why is that?"
"It's strange."
"What?"
Soo-hyun said, pointing to the sheet music on the music stand.
"When I read the score, it was very different from what the professor explained."
"Hmm?"
Soo-hyun said, pointing to the first chapters of each movement one by one.
"The first movement is about a moonlit lake. Yes, it conveys a mysterious feeling. But it's not charming at all. I think it would be more appropriate to call it a sad song. The rhythm of the triplets is slow but constant. Where can I find the feeling of love in this melody? Is it because I don't know love and can't understand it?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho's eyes opened like bells.
'What kind of child is this?'
Soo-hyun said, pointing to the next movement.
"The second movement is bright and beautiful. But it's very short. It gives the feeling that it just marks a point and then quickly passes it. I think it would be more believable to say that it expresses the brief period of love between him and her. The third movement is more serious. It instructs to play at an absurdly fast pace, from presto (very fast) to agitato (to play with enthusiasm and speed)."
Professor Lee Chan-ho looked at the sheet music and Soo-hyun alternately. Professor Lee Chan-ho swallowed and asked.
"Are you really saying this without knowing the song?"
"Yes, I saw the score for the first time yesterday."
"…"
Lee Chan-ho swallowed dryly and asked in a subtle tone.
"So, how do you think this song feels, Soo-hyun?"
Soo-hyun looked at the sheet music, thought carefully, and then said.
"The first movement is a sadness sunk in the abyss, the second movement is a momentary peace, and the third movement is, what would I say? Anger?"
Professor Lee Chan-ho said with a dumbfounded expression.
"Anger…"
'The third movement is about anger. Perhaps Soo-hyun wanted to say that, but since the boy doesn't know much about anger, he expresses it very crudely.'
As Professor Lee Chan-ho looked at Soo-hyun, the knowledge he was going to explain later came to his mind. In fact, this song was not about the sweetness of love. Many people talk about love while getting drunk on beautiful melodies. But the woman Beethoven loved was not a chaste woman. For the wealthy aristocrats, the innocent Beethoven was a good toy to play with and then throw away. Beethoven took a timid revenge by dedicating this piece to her. She accepted the song with joy, thinking it was a love serenade. In fact, it was a gift of music filled with boiling anger.
'How many people in the world can understand music at this level just by reading the score without any prior information?'
Suddenly, Professor Lee Chan-ho began to break out in a cold sweat as he remembered Professor Lech's last words.
'I'll be watching you. When dealing with Soo-hyun, remember that I am with you. If you make a mistake, I will take the child from you.'
'I never thought from the beginning that they could take him away from me. I thought I would only take care of Nam Soo-hyun for a short time so that he could grow up well. As a result, his sense of responsibility only grew.'
Professor Lee Chan-ho shook his head vigorously to shake off his thoughts and came to his senses.
"Alright! Soo-hyun, what you said is true. So, shall we interpret it exactly as you interpreted it?"