I am a literary giant in Russia

Chapter 170 I think this way of playing sounds better
Regarding the changes that literature and art have undergone with the development of the times, the division between classicism and romanticism, though somewhat general, can roughly outline the basic contours.

In 1845, literature was in a period of transition from Romanticism to Realism. Although Romanticism was no longer the absolute mainstream, important works such as Les Misérables were still published.

In the realm of music, this period coincided with the golden age of Romanticism. Many listeners had grown tired of the "rational restraint" of Classicism and were now seeking music that was more expressive and powerfully moving.

So who were the top music stars of this period?

Without a doubt, it was Franz Liszt who was later hailed as the "King of the Piano".

The reaction he caused in various European countries during this period was so strong that the great German poet Heinrich Heine coined the term "Liszt fever" in a literary column in 1844.

Incidentally, Heine was also in Paris during this period, where he associated with Balzac and others, met Marcel in 1843, and participated in the work of the newspaper "Vorwärts".

When it comes to Liszt fanaticism, the typical characteristic is the extreme collective hysteria of the fans. His performances are said to elevate the audience's emotions to a magical level of ecstasy, with his admirers crowding around him, scrambling to grab his handkerchiefs and gloves.

Fans would place Liszt's image on their brooches or colorful gemstone reliefs, women would try to collect his hair, and whenever he broke a piano string, admirers would try to obtain it to make bracelets. Some female admirers would even carry glass bottles with them, hoping to collect the coffee grounds he used.
Of course, some less talented celebrities in later generations can also easily generate this effect, which shows that this fan effect often has little to do with skill level, but rather other factors.

In the case of Liszt, firstly, he was incredibly handsome, a true "golden right cheek," without a trace of exaggeration; secondly, his live performances were exceptionally good, characterized by passionate emotions and often accompanied by large body movements; in addition, he created a large number of dazzling and highly difficult techniques, making it difficult for the performance not to be good.

Finally, Liszt was extremely dedicated. It is said that he gave a total of 1,000 solo concerts in eight years, averaging one every three days. In addition, he did not only perform for the court and the nobility, but also brought his performances to the concert hall, opened them to the public, and performed for charity. As such, it is only natural that he became a top star.

In contrast, Chopin, during the same period, would tremble with nervousness whenever he performed in public, and by the end of a concert, he would often be drenched in sweat.

At the same time, Chopin was indeed sensitive and fragile in character, and those who disliked him directly called him "sissy" or "like a woman."

In this situation, Chopin, besides wallowing in self-pity—"I know I'm of no use to anyone...in fact, not much use to myself either"—also became a sharp-tongued individual, speaking very harshly. So much so that when he first met George Sand, he directly remarked to Liszt, "What an unpleasant person George Sand is! Is she even a woman?"

However, in the end, the two got together after George Sand took the initiative to pursue them. But in 1845, their relationship was not far from breaking down.

Mikhail knew a lot about the things mentioned above and was well aware of which piano pieces he would play next might set a new trend. But before that, when it came to actually playing the piano, Mikhail was definitely still a beginner.

However, he did remember quite a few scores, so after getting started, Mikhail couldn't resist playing a piece based on what he remembered. The playing wasn't very smooth, but for some reason, it caught the attention of a composer in the Panaev family.

At first, the composer didn't think it was a big deal. He just wanted to know the name of this novel and beautiful piece of music and who its composer was.

The problem was that Mikhail couldn't answer the composer's question. However, faced with Mikhail's ambiguity, the composer seemed to have figured it out. In any case, he kept pressing Mikhail with an incredulous look, to the point that Panaev and the other guests present couldn't help but look over.

In this situation, Mikhail was truly at a loss. He could only awkwardly smile at the composer and then reply helplessly in a joking tone, "I don't know how I played that part. Maybe I thought it sounded better this way, so I just tried it based on my feeling. It was just a coincidence."

The composer: "???"

What do you mean by "I think this way of playing sounds better"?
what are you saying?!

Upon hearing this answer, the composer felt as if the sky had fallen. While there are countless musical geniuses, each more extraordinary than the last—Mozart wrote a symphony at age eight and began touring Europe, and Chopin composed his first works, the Polonaises in G minor and B-flat major, at age seven—Chopin was already capable of public piano solo performances by the age of eight, his technical proficiency putting many middle-aged pianists to shame.

But who only shows musical talent at the age of twenty-one?
Although Mr. Mikhail seemed to have had little opportunity to come into contact with the piano before.
As various thoughts raced through his mind, the composer nearly lost his train of thought. He even began to suspect that Mikhail might have already possessed a solid foundation, but was simply keeping it a secret from everyone in order to showcase his genius and brilliance to others.

But the problem is that Mr. Mikhail doesn't seem to be that kind of person.

In a state of shock and confusion, when questioned by Panaev and others, the composer couldn't help but share his discovery with them:

"Just now, I heard a strange but very novel and beautiful piece of music from Mr. Mikhail. However, with my limited knowledge, I couldn't find the corresponding piece. Just when I couldn't help but ask Mr. Mikhail, guess what he said to me?"
He actually said he thought it would sound good that way, so he played it that way!

After hearing his words, Panaev and the others were not surprised at all; instead, they couldn't help but burst into laughter.

“Alexander, we approve of your humor! A good joke, but how could you joke about a beginner like Mikhail? Alright, alright, come sit down. Perhaps you've had too much to drink and are hallucinating.”

Logically and emotionally, Panaev and the others had no reason to believe such an absurd thing, so they took it as a joke. While not believing it, they couldn't help but make fun of the composer's professional level.

Alexander, upon hearing these words, remained silent.

Hearing them all say this, the composer momentarily wondered if he was hallucinating. But faced with his friends' teasing about his professional skills, he blushed and retorted, even beginning to hope that Mikhail's musical talent was indeed real, so that these mockers could truly see his abilities. Finally, the composer approached Mikhail and couldn't help but say, "Mr. Mikhail, please practice harder! For my sake, show them your extraordinary genius!"

Mikhail: “.”

Mikhail could only nod and say, "I'll try my best."

In fact, for Mikhail to make any progress in this area, he certainly needed to lay the groundwork first. It would not be appropriate to start with overly complex pieces. In the following century, piano music undoubtedly developed in a more complex direction.

In this situation, if you want to lay the groundwork, it might be more appropriate to start with some simple but beautiful music.

As for what to choose, Mikhail is still considering it, but he will definitely select one or two pieces. From this perspective, the composer's wish will probably be fulfilled someday.
However, Panayev and the others clearly didn't take this matter seriously at the moment. It would likely circulate as a joke within their small circle, and even later, when Mikhail finished practicing and sat down with Panayev and the others, Panayev had already made a small joke to Mikhail:

“Mikhail, in Alexander’s words, you are already the Mozart of Russia! It’s just that you may be a little too old.”

"That's a huge exaggeration."

Mikhail simply smiled and shook his head at Panayev's words.

Seeing his reaction, Panaev's last remaining doubt disappeared, and he began talking to others.

I knew it! How could something so outrageous happen again?

It was just Alexander's auditory hallucination!

At that moment, Panaev inexplicably felt a sense of relief.
While Mikhail continued practicing the piano in the days that followed, Turgenev, far away in Paris, inevitably met George Sand's current lover, Frédéric François Chopin, who was also a very famous pianist in Paris at the time, as he frequently attended Madame Récamier's salons.

Frankly, Turgenev was somewhat embarrassed by such a meeting. After all, before World War II, Tsarist Russia and Prussia had already launched the "partition of Poland." After the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Nicholas I became King of Poland and appointed his brother Constantine, who had abdicated in his favor, as governor of Poland.

In 1830, a group of young Polish officers and students of noble birth launched an uprising. They attacked the Constantine Palace, where Konstantin Pavlović, the Russian commander-in-chief stationed in the Kingdom of Poland, lived, and seized the armory in an attempt to liberate Warsaw.

However, after Tsarist Russia sent 120,000 troops to suppress the uprising, the uprising ultimately ended in failure.

Chopin was Polish and deeply loved his homeland, always keeping a close eye on the situation in Poland.

Therefore, when facing Turgenev, a Russian, even though Turgenev held a position of respect and sympathy on the Polish question, he still did not give Turgenev a friendly look, and often made a few sarcastic remarks.

Turgenev was indeed somewhat helpless about this, so he deliberately avoided this famous composer and tried not to appear in the same salon with him, even though he genuinely appreciated his music.

But in situations like this, when information isn't readily available, people can still bump into each other. In such cases, Turgenev tries to minimize his presence, no longer boasting in the salon as before, but occasionally looking at the unmarried couple with a slightly surprised gaze.

The reason for the surprise, of course, is that within Parisian circles, some people jokingly refer to the couple's relationship as Mr. George Sand and Miss Chopin.

Although Turgenev deliberately lowered his profile, the continued popularity of "Around the World in Eighty Days" even made George Sand a loyal reader of the novel, to the point that she sometimes couldn't help but ask about the later plot of the novel, hoping that Turgenev could 'spoil' it.

While Turgenev wouldn't reveal the details, he would occasionally leave some ambiguous information for the gentlemen and ladies of Parisian high society to guess.

This kind of thing is perfectly normal, of course, but Chopin was a very jealous person, so much so that before this, George Sand, who was on good terms with Liszt, had to reduce her interactions with Liszt in public in order to appease her lover's emotions.

As it stands now, I've probably heard the name of a Russian man a lot from George Sand. Anyway, after a chance encounter at a salon, this frail, pale-faced man couldn't help but ask about Turgenev:
"I have heard of Mr. Mikhail so many times, so I would like to ask, what is his level of musical literacy? Does he have a good ability to appreciate music?"

Faced with this question, although Turgenev tried hard to recall and found that he hadn't heard Mikhail talk about it much, to avoid being ridiculed by the musician as barbaric and vulgar, Turgenev unusually humbly discussed Mikhail's story:
"As far as I know, he knows a little bit about it, and his appreciation skills should be quite good."

"Oh? Is that really true?"

Hearing Turgenev's cautious words, Chopin clearly showed his distrust: "I don't believe it. But you said he will be coming to Paris soon, so I'll have a good talk with him then and I'll know."

Turgenev: “?”

Oh no, have I harmed Mikhail?
(End of this chapter)