登陆注册
14830000000015

第15章

Mahomet places himself in the hands of his two fathers-in-law; he will abdicate his rule and die in retirement to consolidate his work. Amagnificent sextette (B flat major). He takes leave of all (solo in Fnatural). His two fathers-in-law, constituted his vicars or Khalifs, appeal to the people. A great triumphal march, and a prayer by all the Arabs kneeling before the sacred house, the Kasbah, from which a pigeon is seen to fly away (the same key). This prayer, sung by sixty voices and led by the women (in B flat), crowns the stupendous work expressive of the life of nations and of man. Here you have every emotion, human and divine."Andrea gazed at Gambara in blank amazement. Though at first he had been struck by the terrible irony of the situation,--this man expressing the feelings of Mahomet's wife without discovering them in Marianna,--the husband's hallucination was as nothing compared with the composer's. There was no hint even of a poetical or musical idea in the hideous cacophony with which he had deluged their ears; the first principles of harmony, the most elementary rules of composition, were absolutely alien to this chaotic structure. Instead of the scientifically compacted music which Gambara described, his fingers produced sequences of fifths, sevenths, and octaves, of major thirds, progressions of fourths with no supporting bass,--a medley of discordant sounds struck out haphazard in such a way as to be excruciating to the least sensitive ear. It is difficult to give any idea of the grotesque performance. New words would be needed to describe this impossible music.

Andrea, painfully affected by this worthy man's madness, colored, and stole a glance at Marianna; while she, turning pale and looking down, could not restrain her tears. In the midst of this chaos of notes, Gambara had every now and then given vent to his rapture in exclamations of delight. He had closed his eyes in ecstasy; had smiled at his piano; had looked at it with a frown; put out his tongue at it after the fashion of the inspired performer,--in short, was quite intoxicated with the poetry that filled his brain, and that he had vainly striven to utter. The strange discords that clashed under his fingers had obviously sounded in his ears like celestial harmonies.

A deaf man, seeing the inspired gaze of his blue eyes open on another world, the rosy glow that tinged his cheeks, and, above all, the heavenly serenity which ecstasy stamped on his proud and noble countenance, would have supposed that he was looking on at the improvisation of a really great artist. The illusion would have been all the more natural because the performance of this mad music required immense executive skill to achieve such fingering. Gambara must have worked at it for years.

Nor were his hands alone employed; his feet were constantly at work with complicated pedaling; his body swayed to and fro; the perspiration poured down his face while he toiled to produce a great /crescendo/ with the feeble means the thankless instrument placed at his command. He stamped, puffed, shouted; his fingers were as swift as the serpent's double tongue; and finally, at the last crash on the keys, he fell back in his chair, resting his head on the top of it.

"/Per Bacco!/ I am quite stunned," said the Count as he left the house. "A child dancing on the keyboard would make better music.""Certainly mere chance could not more successfully avoid hitting two notes in concord than that possessed creature has done during the past hour," said Giardini.

"How is it that the regular beauty of Marianna's features is not spoiled by incessantly hearing such a hideous medley?" said the Count to himself. "Marianna will certainly grow ugly.""Signor, she must be saved from that," cried Giardini.

"Yes," said Andrea. "I have thought of that. Still, to be sure that my plans are not based on error, I must confirm my doubts by another experiment. I will return and examine the instruments he has invented.

To-morrow, after dinner, we will have a little supper. I will send in some wine and little dishes."The cook bowed.

Andrea spent the following day in superintending the arrangement of the rooms where he meant to install the artist in a humble home.

In the evening the Count made his appearance, and found the wine, according to his instructions, set out with some care by Marianna and Giardini. Gambara proudly exhibited the little drums, on which lay the powder by means of which he made his observations on the pitch and quality of the sounds emitted by his instruments.

"You see," said he, "by what simple means I can prove the most important propositions. Acoustics thus can show me the analogous effects of sound on every object of its impact. All harmonies start from a common centre and preserve the closest relations among themselves; or rather, harmony, like light, is decomposable by our art as a ray is by a prism."He then displayed the instruments constructed in accordance with his laws, explaining the changes he had introduced into their constitution. And finally he announced that to conclude this preliminary inspection, which could only satisfy a superficial curiosity, he would perform on an instrument that contained all the elements of a complete orchestra, and which he called a /Panharmonicon/.

"If it is the machine in that huge case, which brings down on us the complaints of the neighborhood whenever you work at it, you will not play on it long," said Giardini. "The police will interfere. Remember that!""If that poor idiot stays in the room," said Gambara in a whisper to the Count, "I cannot possibly play."Andrea dismissed the cook, promising a handsome reward if he would keep watch outside and hinder the neighbors or the police from interfering. Giardini, who had not stinted himself while helping Gambara to wine, was quite willing.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 宅男逆袭大作战

    宅男逆袭大作战

    一世界的真相是什么?真的像进化论所说,人类是从猿猴进化来的?为什么会有神话?尼古拉.特斯拉的预言又是为哪般?宅男获得主神空间的核心碎片后穿越世界会怎样?这一切的一切尽在《宅男逆袭大作战》关于本书,作者郑重申明:小说背景不是我们的地球,一起情节皆为作者中二所想,本人是学生,更新不稳定小说欢迎所有人阅读,但是不保证所有人喜欢,喜欢就给我32个赞,不喜欢就尽情的嘲讽吧!走自己的路,让别人说去吧!我是作者,我为自己代言!最后,所有读者立场,言语皆与本作者无关,不代表本作者自身立场。不喜欢的请点浏览器上方的叉叉!
  • 莅临巅峰

    莅临巅峰

    2004年冬天一处地底所在,一道人影慢慢地朝里走去,嘴里说着他人听不懂的话:这已经是第九次来此处了,为什么……为什么每次都只能存活九年,我为什么不能一直存活,难道……九醒九眠,九生九死,八次重活。究竟为何,是惊天秘密,还是自身问题所在?
  • 无上王侯

    无上王侯

    姜凡是包拯眼里的异类,包拯却不得不让自己的独子拜他为师。姜凡是苏轼的挚友,但苏轼十几年的沉浮却由他注定。姜凡还是王安石和司马光眼里的阴谋家,即使斗得你死我活,也不得不遵循着姜凡为他们定好的路一步步走下去。大宋的天空晴朗许多,阴霾只在人们心里,无论是皇帝还是臣民。姜凡觉得,这样的世界需要一股血液,一股新鲜而狂热的血液。这是一个辉煌的时代,当一个个陌生又熟悉的人物如此清晰的站在眼前,姜凡只叹千秋青史难书,栋梁也好,奸臣也罢,这个世界本就不存在能够阻止我的人。
  • 神劫之在劫难逃

    神劫之在劫难逃

    青山出生于洛德克尔王国的一个不出名的小镇上的青族之中。出生时战斗力一千,被誉为天才。却在此后的十二年间再无长进,于是被族人视之为废物。十二岁那一年,族试后青山独自一人来到后山静坐。在这里他遇到了改变他一生的黑色匕首。匕首自称为“寒芒”,并且说可以帮青山变成强者,条件是青山要握上它。寒芒在青山梦中告诉青山:青族将面临一场灭族之灾。第二天醒来,昨天的事犹如从未发生,可寒芒却在。拍卖会其实是一场阴谋?青山为了家人握上寒芒。众人纷纷渡劫化神,并且开始寻找自己失联的队友。青山与莫里、佐亚与娜曼、青林、冷杉与粟儿、付岩、李化狂与东瓜、飞羽凌云与碧润蕊儿。碰面时发现仅仅只有青山一个人未能渡劫成功……
  • 福妻驾到

    福妻驾到

    现代饭店彪悍老板娘魂穿古代。不分是非的极品婆婆?三年未归生死不明的丈夫?心狠手辣的阴毒亲戚?贪婪而好色的地主老财?吃上顿没下顿的贫困宭境?不怕不怕,神仙相助,一技在手,天下我有!且看现代张悦娘,如何身带福气玩转古代,开面馆、收小弟、左纳财富,右傍美男,共绘幸福生活大好蓝图!!!!快本新书《天媒地聘》已经上架开始销售,只要3.99元即可将整本书抱回家,你还等什么哪,赶紧点击下面的直通车,享受乐乐精心为您准备的美食盛宴吧!)
  • 弑犯

    弑犯

    一个人生活在隐匿黑色世界里,仿佛持有沧桑的寂寞。他的感觉犹如只被唾弃的落水狗,再一次邂逅,那是黑色的转机!
  • EXO之韩娱新宠儿

    EXO之韩娱新宠儿

    有点偏清新,逗比,玛丽苏的文文,不知接不接受
  • 微凉时光匆匆那年

    微凉时光匆匆那年

    五年的时间,让他变成了万众瞩目的风云人物,让她变成了名声鼎沸的艺术新秀,而他,冷漠无情,她,淡薄如水,五年前的一次错过,让两人走至今日,五年前的幸福快乐,会因时光微凉,而匆匆流过吗,他们还能回到从前吗?
  • 圆圈之爱

    圆圈之爱

    贵公子喜欢上了穷家女的笑脸,并不断的默默追求女孩子,在不同的时候给予不同的帮助。也很容忍女孩子一次次摇摆的选择······
  • 闪婚甜妻:总裁老公太完美

    闪婚甜妻:总裁老公太完美

    民政局门前,男友丢她一人和别人双宿双飞,她气急之下,拉了证婚人结婚,一跃成为前男友的小婶婶,事后,她气消了离婚,但离婚之路却是遥遥无期!“喂老公,今夜月光明媚,咱们还是赏月吧!”“老婆,今天晴空万里,还是适合做运动……”渣男贱女其放招,她挡!!更有完美老公在旁助阵,自此之后生活和和美美……