Chapter 1
Chapter 1
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 1
Chapter Title: Mozart, Piano Sonata No 16 (1)
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Capital Grand Theater.
The eyes of the renowned nobles were fixed on the center of the stage.
There was one reason they had gathered here.
For a recital.
A young pianist was performing a solo.
Why a piano and not a harpsichord? Who cares.
Perhaps this is another world where the piano was invented early.
Regardless, the performance was terribly boring.
Moreover, the melody was strange.
There was no trace of harmony or technique, and expecting emotion or intent was asking too much.
It was at the level of a three-year-old mashing the keys randomly.
And this was supposed to be an official composition with a score.
What was even more ridiculous was the sight of noble ladies shedding tears while watching this young pianist's sham of a performance.
“How is it?”
My father, Baron Tilberg, asked.
“It's boring.”
“It seems you still lack sophistication. You'll get used to it if you keep listening.”
“...Is that so.”
Get used to it, my ass.
I would rather die than find any inspiration in a performance worse than a nursery rhyme.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
I got into a car accident on my way home from work.
I thought I was a goner, but when I woke up, I was in another world.
The first few months were unfamiliar, but I got used to it as I lived.
The family I belonged to was a baron house that managed a small territory near the capital.
Anton Tilberg.
That was my name.
“Anton? Let's go to the recital together.”
“That again? I'm not interested.”
This man was Julian Tilberg, the Baron.
In other words, my father.
Lately, he had been taking me to recitals frequently.
“If you enroll in the Academy, won't you have a chance to talk with other noble scions? I can't let my son show any shortcomings!”
His intention might have been to expose me to various cultures to help my taste and knowledge, but listening to that terrible performance would not nourish my soul.
Of course, the problem was that I was the only one who thought so.
Reluctantly, I followed my father to the theater.
Noble ladies dressed in elegant attire at a glance, and the young masters escorting them.
Just that sight alone was like a social gathering.
A short while later, a young man walked onto the stage.
The most famous performer in the capital, Victor Korsolin.
He bowed politely to the audience and sat down at the pre-prepared piano.
A crisp, clear note.
If you only listen up to this point, it seems pretty decent.
But then immediately follows a childish melody.
‘This is exactly why I didn't want to come.’
It's truly trash.
Appreciating music is considered the most sophisticated hobby in this world.
Since the theater admission fee is expensive, most of the people enjoying this pastime are nobles.
Truthfully, I had high expectations at first.
I enjoyed listening to classical music even before I died.
I had even paid a premium to see Seongjin Jo's recital and Yeol-Eum Son's solo concert, which were notoriously difficult to get tickets for.
There was a time when I thought music was the only thing that consoled me.
However, the first recital I experienced in this world was enough to shatter that excitement.
For a moment, I even thought that all these people had conspired to deceive me.
But it didn't matter what I thought.
“What a beautiful performance!”
“Bravo!”
The cries of the noble ladies.
What the hell is beautiful about this?
It's not even tuned properly, so a cacophony rules the stage.
Of course, even a cacophony can become a great melody if used correctly.
Even Chopin and Liszt, hailed as masters, used them in their scores.
But that was only possible after reaching the realm of using dissonance freely.
That man's performance now is just a meaningless string of notes.
This is an insult to the piano.
It doesn't even deserve to be called classical.
The music culture of this world is definitely wrong.
I don't like that Victor Korsolin's confident expression either.
If Christian Zimmermann saw this, it wouldn't be strange if he screamed for him to cut his wrist with an axe right away.
But again, I'm the only one who thinks this way.
As soon as Victor's performance ended, cheers erupted.
The noble gentlemen all stood up and gave a standing ovation.
And this is the most popular performance in the capital?
‘If Seongjin Jo just mashes the keys on a Polonaise once, they'd probably faint.’
Would it really just end with fainting?
These people shed tears even for trash performances, so maybe a bunch of people would die of heart attacks.
I left the theater and returned to the mansion.
“How was the recital, young master?”
Theo, the butler who had come to greet me, asked.
“I thought my ears were going to rot.”
“Hearing you say that makes me curious.”
“No, don't be. It's a big deal.”
It's not music that heals the heart, but music that plants a disease in it.
I skipped dinner and went up to my room.
I had no appetite at all.
‘If only I could listen to a Mozart sonata once, I'd have no regrets.’
Just that, nothing more, nothing less.
Mozart Piano Sonata No. 16.
1st movement, Allegro.
To be honest, I never paid any attention to this piece when I was alive, but today, I missed it like crazy.
Probably because my ears were polluted by the recital just now.
There's no room for argument.
Nietzsche said.
A life without music is somehow wrong.
That's right.
My life was going astray.
“Wait a minute.”
I can listen to it.
Instead of relying on Victor Korsolin, a connoisseur of trash music, why not just play it myself?
This is a world where the piano exists.
If I can get a piano, I can copy Mozart's sonata even without a score.
It's a simple piece composed so even a beginner can play it, and the knowledge I learned at the academy as a child, getting my hands slapped, still remains.
Speaking of which, why did the teachers back then teach by hitting the kids?
‘I'm the one paying to learn.’
Anyway.
With the single-minded desire to hear Mozart's piano sonata again in this world, I went to my father.
“What is it?”
“Please buy me a piano.”
“So you did! You actually enjoyed today's recital, didn't you!”
I couldn't agree with that, so I just nodded vaguely.
Thanks to my father's misunderstanding, I was able to get the money easily.
Even if the Tilberg family is a baron house at the bottom of the low-ranking nobility, they are still nobles.
A rather splendid grand piano was brought into my room.
I was about to press the keys when Theo, the butler, handed me a book.
“What's this?”
“It's a collection of sheet music for the compositions of Sir Victor Korsolin. I thought you might need it.”
“...Thanks anyway.”
I don't really need it, though.
I wonder what it looks like, so let's take a quick look.
“Just as I thought.”
The sheet music of this world is not much different from modern ones.
There are notes on the staff, and even expression symbols like staccato and accents are implemented correctly.
The problem is that their application is all over the place.
What's the use of having technique?
If you can't use it properly.
His understanding of harmony is also questionable.
The melody and progression based on that harmony were truly astonishing.
‘So this is how it turns out?’
Is this how developers felt when they saw nonsensical code that a manager had ChatGPT write?
If I keep looking at this, I'm going to grab my neck and collapse.
I pushed aside the sheet music of that Victor Korsolin or whatever to the side, and sat down at the piano.
I started transferring the melody that came to my mind, one note at a time, to the keys.
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇
Baron Julian caught his breath.
‘I thought he wasn't interested in music.’
He had been worried.
Music is considered the pinnacle of noble culture.
It's a topic that comes up at every social gathering, and it's also a mandatory subject at the Academy.
That's why he had taken Anton to recitals, hoping it would help in some way.
“It's boring. I don't even know what kind of music this is.”
He couldn't say the reaction was good.
But he didn't give up.
He believed that everyone has a first time, and they would naturally get drawn in if they kept listening.
That's what music is.
Moreover, he couldn't let his son be embarrassed in front of the other noble scions at the Academy.
Music is the pinnacle of sophistication.
The public's evaluation changes depending on how deeply one knows it.
That effort had finally borne fruit.
His son, who used to hate recitals, suddenly begged him to buy a piano.
A piano is expensive.
Even for a noble, such a financial blow has severe aftereffects.
He had to borrow money from Count Harborland of the neighboring territory.
‘But!’
He didn't show it in front of Anton.
He couldn't turn away the blessing that had fallen into his lap, now that his son had finally taken an interest in music.
‘I've incurred some debt, but that's for me, his father, to handle.’
At that moment, a melody pierced his ears.
It was unmistakably the sound of piano keys being struck.
Julian, leaning back on the sofa with a pleased expression, admired his son's performance.
“It seems he's already started practicing.”
At the words of Count Harborland, who was visiting the barony, Julian replied with a smile.
“It was worth taking him to recitals. More than anything, it's thanks to you, Count, for your help.”
“...”
“...”
Simultaneously, the two men tilted their heads.
“But what piece is this?”
“I'm not sure either.”
He had definitely ordered Theo, the butler, to get him the sheet music of the capital's top performer, Victor Korsolin.
Julian knew Victor Korsolin's pieces so well he could recite them even in his sleep.
He had attended his performances more than a few times, so it was natural.
But the piece he was hearing now was completely unfamiliar to him.
“...I've never heard this music before.”
“But it sounds pretty good, doesn't it?”
“It certainly does.”
It was true that it was unfamiliar, but Count Harborland was right.
A soft yet bouncy melody, and a cheerful rhythm.
The progression of the piece was also stable.
The fresh style of playing he had never heard before, and the elegant melody of the C major scale, made him unconsciously exclaim in admiration.
“I'm not joking, this is really good. Even I, who am a step below you in music, can tell the expression is amazing.”
“Hahaha! You're too kind!”
Julian shook his head at the Count's words, but he couldn't hide his expression.
The performance was reaching its climax.
Before they knew it, the two men were straining their ears to the sound of the keys coming from the second floor.
They had long since thrown away their noble dignity.
“...What was your son's name again?”
“Anton. Anton Tilberg.”
“I should meet him for a moment.”