Chapter 1
No, no, no… Try it again. You are rushing the adagio—lentamente, lentamente, Cara.Use the space between the notes. Make the silences an aspect of themusic.”
Giles Carter paced his studio in front of the piano where Emily Dunn, his protégé, was practicing the MozartFantasia in C minor.Giles, while English born, liked to affect an Italian persona and often used Italian phrases when teaching. He was in his early fifties, very thin, with a prominent aquiline nose, and affected the long hair, dress, and mannerisms of a romantic artist in this year of eighteen-forty-one.
Emily had the habit of biting her lower lip when she was intensely concentrating. “Presentation, remember how you appear to the audience,” he said. Giles had been trying to break her of this habit and went over and lightly tapped her upper lip with his baton, which he carried with him at all times when he wasteaching.
Emily stopped and wiped her brow with the handkerchief she kept for that purpose as it was an unusually warm Mayday.
“I understand what you mean about space between the notes. And now I am trying to get the feel of it into my body so that it becomes second nature. Music is not only the notes but the silences—and this piece, in particular, longs to be drawn out and flow lushly over the listener like a meandering stream. Is that notso?”
“Esattamente,” Giles declared as he threw his hands joyously up in theair.
Emily began playing from the beginning of the piece, once again. She smiled and swayed as she began to integrate Giles’s instruction into herplaying.
Emily had a commanding stage presence. She was aristocratically beautiful—stately and tall. Her dark hair was pulled tightly away from her face and fastened in a tight bun at the back of her head. She had intelligent, piercing eyes and she moved with precision and grace. She generally appeared to be more mature and composed than her six and twentyyears.
It was highly unusual for women to be performing music in public performances, but Emily and her two sisters, Ruth and Teresa, had become quite the London sensations—some might even say scandals. But Emily, in particular, was becoming recognized as a virtuoso, ably but, less spectacularly, supported by her sisters on the cello andoboe.
Emily finished the piece without Giles stopping her. It was a magical performance, and even Giles was hushed and moved by her exquisiterendition.
“Brava, brava, Carissima.If you perform it that way at the concert, you will have London at yourfeet.”
“Thank you, Giles. I must say, it did feelgood.”
“And what time are your sisterscoming?”
“At two I believe. We need to work on the Rameau, particularly. Ruth is too hesitant on the cello part,” Emilyinsisted.
Giles was thoughtful, tapping the baton in the palm of his hand. “Emily, I know your father does not want to hear this, but if you ever want to excel as a solo performer, you must break out on your own. Your sisters are holding you back. You do understand that, do younot?”
Emily hung her head, lost in thought, before saying, “I know, but we have been a family trio since we started out together. It is very difficult for me to break free. And deep down I know my father feels that, if I leave, Ruth and Teresa will be left behind with no musical careers of theirown.”
“That may sadly be true,” Giles said, gathering up the sheet music and piling it neatly atop the piano while wistfully looking out the studio windows at a small park. “But you have the potential for a stellar career, Emily, and it would be a monstrous shame if you did not take advantage of theopportunity.”
Emily sighed and came over and put her hand on Giles’s arm. “Give me a little more time. Let us get through this next concert, and then I will have a word with Papa and see if there might be anotherway.”
“Let me know if I can help. My advocacy on your behalf might help swayhim.”
They could hear the sister’s climbing the stairs to Giles’s loft, and soon the door opened and Ruth and Teresa entered carrying theirinstruments.
“We are not late, are we?” Teresa asked, opening her oboe case as Ruth removed the cover protecting hercello.
“Not at all,” Emily said arranging two chairs near thepiano.
“Papa was just dreadful about taking out the carriage this afternoon to bring us here, and he grumbled all the way over,” Ruthsaid.
“He still doesn’t see why we cannot practice at home,” Teresasaid.
“He knows our piano is not up to a professional standard and if we are to have a grand concert, we must rehearse properly,” Emilyanswered.
“Come along now,” Giles insisted, tapping his baton on the piano. “Let us not waste any time. First the Rameau and then theBeethoven.”
The sisters settled into their places and the rehearsal gotunderway.
* * *
Owen Dunn ran the premier London shop selling musical instruments. His trade consisted mostly of beginning instruments for children being urged by their parents to take up the study of music. But he also carried a line of expensive quality instruments, and he had contacts throughout the continent that could locate rare, antique, and highly prized instruments for the discerningprofessional.
