conference organized by a long time friend of mine, Gustav Bernroider of the University of Salzburg. Now I am heading back to Tokyo, lost in translation at Vienna airport.
On the last evening of my short stay in Salzburg, I was tasting my beer in the venerable Cafe Tomaselli. A small boy of about 6 or 7 years old was playing the trumpet. He was adequately good, but not particularly masterful, going out of tune here and there. About five meters from him, a man, apparently the father, was standing observant, eagerly watching his son's performance.
The sight reminded me of the life of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Mozart was "on tour" from the age of six, traveling around Europe, earning money for his father by displaying his genius at the piano. It was a marvel which attracted people's attention, but the admiration waned with the growth of the great composer. The novelty value was diminished as Mozart's height increased and he became an ordinary young man. The real struggle of Mozart's life, to have people acknowledge that he was a serious musician to be appreciated on genuine merits rather than as a "small chap" playing the piano masterfully, started there.
As some approached the trumpet boy and showed their appreciation with the sound of dropping coins, I wondered what it would have felt like to witness the very young Mozart in performance, eagerly trying to please people all around. I would have liked to see the gleam in his eyes.
2 comments:
I have never seen such a little boy as a street performer in Tokyo. Are there small size trumpets for children? I hope he likes playing the trumpet. Kobayashi Hideo wrote "Mozart's sadness runs like a wind, his tears never catch up with it." What a beautiful expression it is!
Interesting observation. Hence between all things you might have seen what you wondered while time is elapsing who really knows the path of that boy. Btw I do like the grown kid Mozart harp flute compositions and some late master pieces, but guessing due we all have to need a standard to follow or are we enough evoluted to make our choices by our own.
Igor
hugovic@yahoo.com
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