musicians of old

Chapter 143 The End of the Story (4K [-]-in-[-])

So in 851 of the new calendar, when Viern was 25 years old, he took up the position of full-time organist at the Royal Academy of Music, which was the most influential in Tiolein in his youth.

If it comes to this step, apart from some regrets in his life, the main tone is still "overcoming", but the second half of his life has a lot of tragic colors.

Judging from the tone of the letters and diaries during that time, the experience brought to him by this position was not satisfactory, including complicated interpersonal relationships, the malice of previous competitors, the psychological gap of blind people under the spotlight, and various involuntary things. Performances, rehearsals, and creative tasks all made the musician feel a little at a loss, and even depressed on the other side of his work.

In his self-report, 855 in the new calendar is a "year of catastrophe". Before his 30th birthday, he fell into a deep pit while walking due to blindness, and suffered multiple comminuted fractures and tendon ruptures in his right leg. Under the medical level at that time, there were almost only two options: amputation and death, but he firmly refused amputation, because people with only one leg could only choose to bid farewell to the organ. "Leave your destiny to the Lord".

After conservative treatment, Viern was miraculously free from infection, and he could resume playing after recovering for a year and a half, but soon after he contracted a cold and almost died; in 858 he His wife died of tuberculosis; Master Gilles died in 863, and the era of Benedictism ended. He was then involved in the dispute between "title music" and "pure music". A victim of academic struggles—for various reasons that are difficult for Fanning to analyze today, he no longer served as the organist of the Royal Concert Hall, and several core figures of power at that time rejected the appointment of him as the organist of the academy for five consecutive years Professor's proposal.

The loneliness of the blind is beyond the reach of normal people. At that time, Viern had already suffered from severe depression, and some medication records were found in letters. Under the exclusion of the academics, he resigned angrily in 867.

It may be because Master Tarakani is an alumnus who graduated from the University of St. Lenia, or it may be that Viern has some connections in the church. The chapel got the job of organist.

In the following period of time, Fanning found that there were few materials left, which may indicate that the first few years when Viern arrived in Uflandsel was a relatively peaceful and happy time in his life-he had savings from his previous work, Be a priest in a small village church, find comfort in faith and worship, and play your own pipe organ freely.
According to Fanning's inference, Viern spent money to build a mansion on the original site of the Turner Art Museum and settled down, which should also be during this period, perhaps around 870 in the new calendar.

In 871, when Viern was 45 years old, he first developed symptoms of glaucoma, which deteriorated rapidly after a period of time, which caused his already poor eyesight to be completely lost at any time.

He had heard somewhere that an ophthalmologist in the United Principality of Phaedon had invented a new "expensive but miraculously effective" treatment. For a glimmer of hope, he traveled across the ocean and carried out five-year long-term medical treatment on the remote southern continent. years of treatment.

During this time his daughter and brother died, and when he returned to Uflandsell in 876, he found the beloved organ in a state of disrepair after two relocations and nearly a decade of wear and tear in the chapel— —The church funds are limited, and the cathedral may receive more donations and funding, but most small churches at the grassroots level are poor.

Viern, who was penniless for the treatment of his illness, wanted to raise funds to repair the organ, so he ran around performing in various cities in Tiolein.

It is also for this reason that Professor Anton was able to hear his organ performance in his youth.

Fan Ning speculated from the correspondence that the two met around 882 in the new calendar, when Mr. Anton was only 15 years old, and Viern was already 56 years old.

Since the information is either scattered or mixed with too many daily events, Fanning cannot know in detail what musical knowledge the old organist taught Anton Konner, but what is certain is that Professor Anton's original The fog-like soundtrack technique - which Fanning also borrowed at the beginning of the "First Symphony" - is influenced by the thinking of "simulating the sound of the pipe organ", and furthermore includes the melody writing of Professor Anton's chant style, repeated variations and The sublime creation of texture superimposition, including his enthusiasm for studying ancient music... Fanning has found its source.

However, Viern, who was running around performing, had to take a lot of drugs due to physical weakness, fatigue, stress, loneliness and depression, which caused serious damage to his body.While living frugally, paying for medicines and saving funds, it took nearly ten years for the restoration project of the pipe organ to be completely completed.

In the winter of 885, his body was so overwhelmed that he had to be carried to the bandstand at the 1450th organ concert to prevent his heart from failing when he climbed the stairs behind the church - he had a heart attack in those years The attacks are particularly frequent, and the blood, bone and other aspects also suffer from more serious diseases.

At that time, the organ had been repaired, and the frequency of his performances also decreased, but an artist always had the habit and mission of bringing works to the audience. June 886, 6 was his 12th organ concert. The 1460-year-old Anton Konar acted as an assistant, and together with several priests carried the teacher to the stage.

The repertoire of that day was Viern's own organ suite "Fourteen Poems of Bassani".

When the performance came to the last piece, Anton Konar noticed that the teacher Viern was pale and his fingers were a little stiff when touching the keys, but he insisted on playing the last chord and finished the bow after a moment of panting .

At this time, Anton Konar signaled to the teacher to cancel the next too long encore repertoire plan, but Viern still wanted to perform at least one piece, so he began to use the cantata "Morning Star Shines" by Kashunich master in the late Middle Ages. How beautiful" improvised on the theme.

After more than a minute, Viern fell on the bandstand, and the audience only heard a continuous bass sound-the old organist's feet were still on the pedals.

Three days later was Viern's funeral. According to his last wish, he was buried under his beloved pipe organ. The organ was not played that day, and it was covered with black curtains. The funeral music was a plain song. Accompanied single melody chant.

……

It was night, Fan Ning was sitting alone at the desk, the doors and windows were open, and the summer breeze was blowing.

He had just returned from a walk in the chapel, which had been moved several times, and admired Viern's unpretentious copper floor tombstone under the pipe organ.

He has read the lives of several musicians, including Mr. Anton, Dean Gould, and organist Viern.This is the equally respectable life of other musicians except the one at the top of the pyramid who is recognized as a "music master".

Life is too short. Although these musicians have great artistic personalities and lofty spiritual halls, Fanning is still a little confused about their deaths.

After Mr. Anton's funeral, he once comforted Sheeran, saying that "the work is the artist's life and will. He will feel the appreciation of people everywhere and resonate with people's spirits", but Fanning still doesn't understand What it feels like to die, or rather no one in the world can understand.

Will it roam among the waves?He had never heard such a statement.

After another [-] or [-] years, I will approach this process. Even if I am lucky enough to be promoted to Sui Dawn, it will only take another [-] years.

Perhaps, that is absolute unconsciousness, absolute nothingness.

There was an impulse in his heart, which seemed to be a very simple desire to express, but he didn't know what it was expressing specifically, "to commemorate the life of a musician"?Inaccurate..."depicts a sublime spiritual world"?Inaccurate..."Expressing your grief?" It seems inaccurate...

But Fanning always wanted to write an orchestral work, maybe not a symphony, but a single movement, something similar to a symphonic poem, not only to bury the dead giant in his "First Symphony", but also to satisfy this premise The unknown desire to express...

He recorded some unsystematic thoughts in his notebook at will.

He felt that he wanted to write this "symphonic poem" in a form "similar to a funeral march", but it should not have the sad, heavy, and lonely tone of the general funeral march. "A sense of deterrence, a sense of judgment, and a sense of epicness" seems to indicate that they will see "certain scenes that could not have happened", for example, from "a higher perspective", observing the entire life of the deceased as if from " reflected in the immaculate mirror."

Fanning took a deep breath, and under these broken thoughts, wrote a complete sentence:
"If the afterlife could be witnessed, I would like to see myself lying majestically beneath wreaths and flowers."

After the artist's sentimentality, there are substantive issues to ponder.

Fanning found an intriguing doubt in Viern's life experience.

Has his eye disease been cured since he came back from seeking medical treatment in the Southern Continent?
Fanning felt conflicted about this.

After returning to Uflandsel in 876, Viern expressed a lot of distress in his letters and diaries, including the death of his relatives, the current financial situation, the damage of his beloved organ, and the exhaustion of the performance...but he did not mention it again. through my own eyes.

Judging from this change, it should be that the treatment has improved greatly, otherwise, according to human nature, he will at least regret complaining that not only his family's wealth was lost, but also nothing was gained during the five years of going to the Southern Continent.

But on the other hand, in the letters and records from the perspective of other people, Fanning found that they had expressed sympathy or encouragement for Viern many times. For example, during the tour of Viern’s field, many people suggested him "Don't be discouraged", Fan Ning just saw Professor Anton share with him "the frontier progress information of imperial ophthalmology" several times in the letter.

This shows that the improvement of the treatment seems to be poor. At least in the eyes of others, the old organist is still in a state of blindness in his activities and life.

Moreover, these encouragements and sharing have never received a positive response from Viern, obviously he has given feedback on other greetings or business matters in his reply letter.

Viern has a relatively pure artist quality, and he is not good at socializing and power struggles, but this does not mean that he has a eccentric personality. He has his own family and friends. In the past forty years, he has often poured out to his friends The depression in my heart relieved my depression.

But since Nan Dalu came back from treatment, the eye problem seemed to have become a topic that he kept tabs on.

It is reasonable to forcefully explain that because his later experience was more unfortunate and his depression became more serious, so he became more weird in this respect, but Fanning also keenly sensed a few strange things.

His congenital cataract was operated on when he was young, and he was not a blind person whose world was completely dark. The reason for his subsequent deterioration was the so-called glaucoma symptoms in 871 of the new calendar.

The time when this symptom appeared, and the time when he began to settle in the former residence of the Turner Art Museum, are some imaginative coincidences!
In the last four years of Viern's life, in addition to Professor Anton, Fanning also noticed that a woman named Hamilton had close contacts with him. Judging from the information in various materials, this was the healer he hired. Depression psychiatrist.

Fanning tried to inquire about the detailed information of Ms. Hamilton, and the result was very smooth, because she is not only still alive, but also has a certain social reputation-she was born in 856 in the new calendar, and she was less than 30 years old at that time. Already 57 years old, the public identity is a well-known pathologist, psychologist, and epidemiologist in Uvransel.

By investigating the timeline of her public resume, Fanning noticed that after the death of the old organist, the mansion on the original site of the Turner Art Museum became an "urban psychiatric committee hospital" shortly after, and the first director It was Ms. Hamilton.

Two explanations are necessary here. First, Fanning speculates from the details that although Ms. Hamilton gave the old organist a lot of medical care in the last stage of his life, the plot is not the "house legacy" of "dog blood". "Gift" - she only played the role of a matchmaker with the authorities. After the mansion was converted into a hospital, the authorities signed "Vienne after his death" and advanced a sum of money to the chapel as a later stage of his beloved organ. Repair Fund.

Furthermore, this "Urban Psychiatric Committee Hospital" cannot be understood as a "mental hospital" in a literal sense.

It is actually a product of independence from the medical system of the Imperial Workhouse——with the exposure of the deep-seated contradictions in the process of industrialization in Tiolein, the poor living conditions and hygiene standards of the poor in the workhouse have been increasingly criticized by all walks of life. The Urban Poverty Act was introduced in the early 80s, reforming the then notorious Poor Law Amendments (834, also known as the New Poor Law).

One of the items on the agenda is to set up the "Urban Psychiatric Committee", separate the internal hospitals of the poorhouse, increase funding, seek social support, and widely treat the poor. Medical needs, such as sexually transmitted diseases, abortion, unmarried mothers' birth, etc. It also includes the rehabilitation of the disabled, the prevention and treatment of occupational diseases, and the prevention and treatment of infectious diseases. Mental patients are only a part of it.

According to Fanning's understanding, this is somewhat similar to the predecessor of the "modern public hospital".

So starting from the 80s, firstly the large dioceses and large institutions took the lead in implementing the reform requirements of the parliament, and then small and medium-sized workhouses also carried out rectifications one after another—including the establishment of this hospital.They are funded by both government appropriations, church donations, and some factory owners who are keen on charitable causes.

But what is more strange is that the hospital on the original site of the Turner Art Museum seems to have existed for a very short time.

Sorting out the timeline from the clues in various documents: Viern died in the summer of 886, the hospital reconstruction project started slowly and was completed at the end of 888, Vincent Van Ning’s work files in the Special Patrol Office ended in 889, He was born in 890, and the subsequent Turner Art Museum began to operate.
It will take time to transform the hospital into an art gallery again.

These events were so closely spaced that it seemed that the hospital had been shut down or moved for some reason before it had been put into use for a year.

Have nowhere to spend your money?

After spending so many days, Fan Ning finally found out these impressive or complicated and trivial past events from the year 826 when Viern was born to his own birth year.

As for the confusion, Mr. Anton and the organist Viern are no longer alive, and now he feels that maybe it is time to find an opportunity to visit the elderly Ms. Hamilton.

　Thanks to Farewell, Xuanyoukong, Qingluo is weak, Wang Situ, Bentu, and book friends with tail number 7873 for their monthly tickets~
　　
　
(End of this chapter)