Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 178 The Lowest Level of High Society
(Father Razzie leads Matthew toward the classroom. At this moment, the curtain rises. A noisy classroom is revealed, filled with shouts, laughter, and the clatter of desks and chairs... About twenty boys of varying ages are chasing and playing, making faces on the desks, and shouting loudly... Among them, one boy is leading several friends in a loud singing.)
Pierre: "Mama Manon has a cat."

Its tail was held really high!

It doesn't catch mice at night.

They always sneak into Manon's bed and cause trouble!

(The other boys laughed and repeated the chorus, their voices growing louder and louder.)
(Father Razzie walked over and slammed his pointer heavily on Pierre's desk, making a loud thud, and the classroom fell silent instantly.)
Father Razi: Pierre! It's you again! Your soul is truly soaked in filth and evil! Do you think that by singing in this devil's language you can demonstrate your abilities? That you can defile this sacred place? No! This only adds to your sin! Reach out your hand!

(Pierre stares at Father Razzi, then slowly extends his hand.)
Father Razi: (Strikes Pierre's palm hard with his cane) Pain! Remember this pain! This is the holy water that cleanses your filthy soul! This is the lash that drives away the demons in your heart! Only pain and punishment can teach you unruly scoundrels the rules! Now, get to the corner and face the wall! There will be no dinner tonight!
(Pierre walks toward the corner with his head down.)
Father Razi: And you too! Every single one of you who laughed, every single one of you who joined in the jeering! Your silence is tantamount to condoning, and your ears that hear filth are committing a sin! Everyone, copy Chapter 10 of the Canon's Rules fifty times! If you don't finish, there will be no dinner!

(The children wailed in despair.)
Father Razi: Mr. Matthew, as you can see, this is your work environment and the 'lambs' you need to manage. That's just their nature; only strict discipline will work. I hope you won't let me down. This is your responsibility.

(Father Razzie leaves the classroom, leaving Matthew alone facing a room full of children.)
…………】

Conflicts, tensions, suspense... the script, though only a few pages long, completely filled the reader's expectations.

He wanted to see soon how Mathieu would use the magic of music to influence and change the children here.

But the script only went this far, and he asked Lionel somewhat dejectedly, "Mr. Sorel, this...this was brilliant! Is there nothing more?"

Lionel: "..." Have you no manners?!
Taking a deep breath, he said, "I need you to compose the music for the song Pierre just sang."

That vulgar little song, though its lyrics were crude, perfectly captured the image of a wild child who lacked discipline.

Debussy looked up and then remembered his task for the day, blushing with embarrassment.

Lionel smiled. "The little tune should be frivolous enough, funny enough... even a bit silly in rhythm."

It needs to be something that immediately conveys its slightly unconventional nature, but without making the audience uncomfortable—after all, it's sung by a child.

Debussy barely hesitated; he glanced at the script a few more times, then strode to the piano and sat down.

He closed his eyes, his fingers hovering above the piano keys, seemingly searching and filtering for a certain melody and rhythm in his mind.

A few minutes later, Debussy's finger fell.

A light, even slightly slick melody began to play.

The rhythm is simple and brisk, with a slightly clumsy, bouncy feel. The vocal range is not wide, making it perfect for a group of teenagers to shout at the top of their lungs.

Debussy cleverly used a few dissonant notes and syncopated rhythms to add a vulgar and quirky charm.

He even improvised a short interlude played in the low register, mimicking clumsy dance steps.

As he played, he hummed softly, deliberately imitating the off-key and loud singing style of country children:

"Grandma Manon has a cat."

Its tail was held really high!

It doesn't catch mice at night.

They always sneak into Manon's bed and cause trouble!

After finishing his performance, Debussy couldn't help but laugh: "Mr. Sorel, do you think this is alright?"
Isn't it... vulgar enough, and ridiculous enough?

He used the adjective "vulgar" somewhat embarrassedly.

Lionel smiled with great satisfaction after hearing this.

Debussy fully understood his intention; this little tune was indeed a piece of cake for him!

He not only captured the lighthearted yet energetic spirit of folk songs, but also used some musical tricks to make them sound less crude.

Lionel exclaimed, “Fantastic, Achille! This is exactly what I wanted! This is the feeling! The sense of children’s boisterousness comes through immediately! When the audience hears this, and then contrasts it with Father Razi’s sanctimonious appearance, the dramatic effect is instantly achieved!”

This is the second reason why Lionel dared to write this play—unlike novels, drama has a much richer range of forms of expression.

Simply changing the background music can create vastly different effects in the same scene.

All of this is difficult to grasp through "reading" the script—drama is essentially an engineering project, and the final effect cannot be predicted until the day it is presented on stage, whether it is the script or any rehearsal segment.

Upon receiving confirmation, Debussy breathed a sigh of relief and smiled – this meant he had secured another 200 francs for himself.

Composing folk-style, playful tunes was not difficult for him; it was far easier for him to express himself than the rigorous fugues of the academic school.

But Debussy still had some concerns: "Mr. Sorel, I heard that 'The Chorus' is being performed at the Comédie-Française, where the audience is all high society. This kind of music..."

Lionel said nonchalantly, "Music should serve the people—besides, the upper class is the most vulgar of all!"

Debussy was startled. Without asking any more questions, he quickly took out his sheet music and wrote down the melody he had just improvised, marking the rhythm and the corresponding positions of the lyrics.

Lionel was in high spirits: "Our start has been very smooth, Achille. It seems that partnering with you was absolutely the right decision."

Okay, now that the opening tune is done, you can familiarize yourself with the melody or think about the music that follows.

Especially that 'choral piece' that's relevant to the theme. I need to move on to the next part."

Lionel turned and went into his study, closing the door behind him.

The living room fell silent, leaving only Debussy alone.

He looked around the spacious, bright, and comfortable living room again, his gaze finally settling on the beautiful piano.

He was enveloped by an immense sense of happiness.

Compared to the crowded practice rooms at the Paris Conservatory, which are always in high demand, this place is simply paradise!
He first played "Manon's Little Cat" several times to make sure he knew the melody by heart, and then made some minor adjustments and modifications to the score to make it more suitable for stage performance.

After finishing this task, he put down his pen and began to think about the “chorus” that Lionel had mentioned earlier.

That will be a melody that runs throughout the entire play, representing hope and redemption; it will be the core of the music that Teacher Mathieu uses to unite the children and ignite the light in their hearts.

This requires a completely different emotion and style—pure, beautiful, powerful, and warm.

He tried playing a few scattered chords and melodic fragments on the piano, searching for that feeling.

Sometimes soothing, sometimes slightly melancholic, and sometimes exhilarating.

He was immersed in the conception of music, his fingers unconsciously flowing with unformed musical ideas across the keys...

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Lionel, who was in his study, had just finished writing a passage that required background music. When he came back to his senses from being immersed in the words, he suddenly heard a series of intermittent piano sounds.

It was clearly not Debussy playing; it sounded more like a beginner.

Lionel gently opened the study door a crack and peeked out—

Debussy stood beside the piano, while Petit sat in front of it, his fingers still resting on the keys, clumsily playing an out-of-tune tune as Debussy instructed.

The sunlight shone on Petty's face, as if angels were playing music.

Lionel smiled slightly upon seeing this, did not disturb them, closed the door again, and continued writing.

(End of this chapter)