Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 596: The Astounding Hand Speed ​​of a Single Person for Thirty Years!
Lionel nodded: "Of course you are! But it's different. The story takes place in 1910, when you have already achieved great success and are a renowned music master in Europe!"

Debussy, of course, wouldn't fall for that: "Mr. Sorel, I still remember the report from two years ago, in which I was the number one 'villain'."

Lionel said with a serious expression, "'Number One Villain'? Ashell, you overestimate yourself. You're at best the number two villain."

Debussy looked bewildered and asked in surprise, "Are there other people who oppose '80'?"

Lionel laughed: "Of course—the number one villain is the shipping company owner who blew up the 'Perel'! How could you be more hated by the audience than him?"

Debussy: "...So I still want to create an arrogant version of myself playing the piano on stage?"

Lionel said with great interest: "Think about it, as a talented, aloof musician, you wouldn't allow anyone to desecrate sacred music."

One day, you hear about a self-taught pianist who has never left the sea. You think it's impossible and decide to expose this 'hoax'...

Debussy thought for a moment, then nodded: “That’s certainly interesting. In this way, reality and drama can interact, making the audience feel as if it’s both real and unreal…”

Debussy knew, of course, that Lionel was helping him "make a name for himself," so he wasn't really complaining.

The two exchanged a few more jokes, and the relaxed atmosphere lasted for about fifteen minutes before Lionel clapped his hands.

"Alright, let's get down to business."

Debussy immediately became serious, took out a blank sheet music book and a pencil, and placed them on the piano: "Tell me, what kind of music do you need this time?"

Lionel stood up, leaned on his cane, and walked to the window, looking at the linden leaves in the garden outside that were beginning to turn yellow.

By the end of August, Paris already had the feel of early autumn. The sun was still shining brightly, but the air was starting to feel cool.

"Achille, the type of music we're going to create this time is almost non-existent in France today."

What type?

"A completely new kind of piano music. It is neither rigorous classicism nor lyrical romanticism. It should be freer, more improvisational, more..."

How to put it... more 'wild'. Imagine someone who grew up at sea and never received formal musical education—what kind of music would they play?

Debussy pondered: "He hasn't been trained... so he probably doesn't understand harmony, counterpoint, or musical form. He might just be playing by feel."

Lionel snapped his fingers: "Yes! By feeling. But his feeling is pure, direct, and genius-like, without any rigid rules."

He heard the sound of the sea, the sound of the wind, the sound of the ships, and then he turned these sounds into music. His music should be like the sea itself—

Sometimes calm, sometimes violent, but always free!

Debussy's eyes lit up: "That sounds interesting."

Lionel continued, "It's not just the music of the '80s,' but also your music."

"mine?"

"Debussy's music should conform to academic aesthetics, being refined, elegant, and technically superb. But in the 'piano duel,' it was defeated by the music of the '80s—"

"Debussy must be defeated not only technically, but also spiritually. Debussy is perfect but restrained; '80s' is unrestrained and free."

Debussy nodded and jotted down a few keywords in his score: "Freedom, wildness, improvisation, the sea... And the specific scene?"

Lionel picked up a stack of papers from his desk: "First is the childhood theme of '80s,' the melody he played when he first discovered the piano."

This music should be simple, pure, and imbued with childlike curiosity; it doesn't need to be too mature or too beautiful.

Debussy played a few notes on the piano, clear and bright.

Lionel shook his head: "Too conventional. '80' only listened to a few piano pieces in the recreation room, but he didn't receive any professional training."

Out of curiosity, he pressed the piano keys and discovered that the black and white keys could produce different sounds. He then began to explore and gradually became more and more proficient.

His first melody might not even be in tune, with many notes being 'wrong,' but when put together, it surprisingly sounds beautiful.

Debussy tried a different approach. He closed his eyes and let his fingers fall freely on the keys, without deliberately following any key.

The notes that were played were somewhat abrupt and disjointed, but they did have a primal beauty.

Lionel nodded: “A little better. But not 'childish' enough. An eight-year-old should move clumsily and hesitantly…”

Debussy tried again. This time he slowed down, added more pauses between notes, played some notes very softly, and others suddenly became louder…

He tried his best to imitate the cautiousness and occasional excitement of a child exploring.

"Yes, that's the feeling! Write it down, this is the prototype of the '80s' theme. Gradually, this melody should become more skillful, coherent, and beautiful."

At this point, I will have the stage lights gradually dim, and when they come back on, the person sitting at the piano should be him as an adult.

Debussy's eyes lit up: "Using changes in light and music to show the changes in time in the story? My goodness, Mr. Sorel, what a brilliant idea!"

As he spoke, he quickly sketched notes and symbols on the sheet music. After finishing, he played the melody again, this time more completely. Lionel continued, “Next is the ocean theme. ‘80’ grew up on a ship; the sea was everything to him.”

This music should depict the different facets of the sea—gentle when calm, violent when stormy, and mysterious when sailing in fog.

Debussy thought for a moment, then began to play a sustained musical pattern in the lower register, imitating the rise and fall of ocean waves. He then added a melody in the middle register, like the sound of the sea breeze.

"The feeling of waves is there. But it's too traditional. What I need is the sea in the hearts of those born in the 80s, not the sea as we see it."

He knew the sea so well, to the point that it had become a part of him. This music should be more internalized, more subjective.

Debussy paused, lost in thought. After a while, he changed his approach—

This time, instead of imitating the rhythm of ocean waves, he used a series of flowing notes to create a sense of breadth and depth.

The harmony also became more complex, with dissonances appearing in some places, but it created a vast and boundless atmosphere.

Lionel praised, "This is good. It has depth and a sense of space. But we need a little change—the sea isn't always calm."

Debussy nodded, adding a change in rhythm to what he had just done—

Sometimes the notes become rapid, like an approaching storm; sometimes they become sparse, like fog at sea.

He experimented with different timbres, even using the pedal to create echoes, mimicking the desolation of an empty sea.

The two worked like this for more than two hours. Lionel described how Debussy would try different things, redo them if he wasn't satisfied, and record the results if he was.

The living room was filled with the sounds of piano music and conversation. This continued until sunlight streamed in through the west-facing window, casting golden dappled patterns on the piano.

When Debussy finally completed the initial version of the marine theme, he had already written three full pages of score.

He flexed his slightly sore fingers and looked at Lionel: "What's next?"

Lionel picked up another stack of papers: "The next difficult part is the 'piano duel'!"

Debussy sat up straight: "The newspapers mentioned this piano duel back then, but only gave a general outline. How exactly is it arranged in the script now?"

Lionel picked up the script draft and turned to the middle section: "In the play, you hear the legend of the '80 years' and think it's just a story made up by the sailors."

To prove your point, you deliberately boarded the Perel, and in 80, encouraged by the crew, you met.

"Then I challenge him?"

“Yes. In '80,' he first played a simple boat song. You thought it was nothing special and decided to give him some 'real music education.'”

Debussy laughed: "So I'm going to play a virtuoso piece?"

Lionel shook his head: "More than one. The duel is divided into three rounds. In the first round, you play a very difficult etude to showcase your unparalleled skill."

After listening to it in '80,' I perfectly replicated your performance—not a single note was off.

"He can perfectly replicate it after listening to it only once?"

"Yes, that's his talent. He's never studied music theory, but he has perfect pitch and an amazing memory. Your skills are no match for him."

Debussy imagined the scene: "And then?"

"In the second round, you played a sonata that was more emotionally complex and technically challenging, full of delicate handling and subtle variations."

The '80s' piece was re-released, but this time he added his own interpretation, making the same piece sound slightly different.

Debussy stroked his chin: "So the first two rounds are a contest of skill and understanding, and neither side can win."

"Yes. Then in the third round, you decided to use an original piece that you had never published before. This piece was extremely complex and represented your latest exploration of musical styles."

Because you believe that imitating your playing '80 years ago' was an insult to you, you're determined to completely defeat him with a piece that can never be replicated!

"But he still managed to do it?"

"He did it. He also played a piece of music that was entirely his own, full of vitality, incredibly wild, and of a difficulty level that exceeded anyone's imagination."

This piano piece originally required a duet, but '80' used his amazing hand speed, honed over thirty years of single life, to complete the performance all by himself.

It moved everyone in the room, including you. You knew you had lost—not just in terms of technique, but also in terms of the soul of the music.

Debussy asked curiously, "Mr. Sorel, why do you emphasize 'thirty years of celibacy'? Is it related to your piano playing speed?"

Lionel nodded seriously: "Ashir, women will only slow down your sword-drawing... and key-pressing speed!"

(First update, please vote with monthly tickets!)

(End of this chapter)