Chapter 1229 Piano Due (1/2)

Sophie looked at the boy and said, ”I'm going to play, but I want to invite this young man. If he accidentally breaks something, I'll pay for it, okay?”

The boss pondered and nodded. ”No problem, ma'am.”

His eyes were sharp and his mind quick. The reason he did not let the boy play the piano at first was not that he was afraid the instrument would break. It was because, from looking at the boy's attire, he was sure that his family could not afford to buy a piano or pay for lessons.

This kind of family were not his potential customers. He estimated that the boy had never touched a piano, and had just watched people playing piano on TV. Now he probably just wanted to touch it to impress his friends.

If it was as he guessed, the boy would not become his customer and did not know how to play the piano. He was not sure what might happen if the boy touched the instrument, but he was certain it could not be good for business.

Sophie stepped forward and smiled back at Li Du and the others. Her aura, which was nurtured by the piano for years, was like the spring wind in winter. It could not be seen but was powerfully felt.

The man who was responsible for the music stand saw it at once. He realized it even though Sophie has not started playing the piano yet. He knew that he made the right choice in asking this young woman to play the piano.

The boy, somewhat constrained, whispered in English, ”Together?”

Sophie gave him a big smile and said, ”Yes, piano-duet, four-handed, is that all right with you?”

The boy looked at her in surprise. It was as if Sophie's smile blinded him like sunshine, so he quickly looked away and said softly, ”I have never tried a duet before. It might be difficult.”

.

A four-hand piano duet was a sure way to spark the interest of beginners, those who just started learning in the hopes to play beautiful, sincere, infectious music.

However, to do this, it takes years of practice and diligence, and it was impossible for a beginner to play such complex, beautiful tunes on the piano.

The four-hand combination created such a possibility. In many piano music research institutions in Europe and America, it was believed that this way of playing was born in the family.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, almost all intellectual families cultivated children's ability to appreciate and play the piano.

Children were often too young to learn well, and the full keyboard was too big for them to handle.

Therefore, some parents have developed this way of playing in four hands. One example was the earliest four-hand professional music score, written by the famous composer Haydn. Its title was ”teacher and student”, and there were experts who claimed that the original was ”father and son”.

It was said that the four-hand joint play was a little bit advanced for beginners. It was a kind of cooperation, which requires tacit understanding, especially when the two co-players would try a complex melody.

The boy sat at the piano in silence. Sophie sat next to him. The moment she took her seat, the boy trembled a little and his facial expression became serious.

Sophie looked at him and held out her hand. ”My name is Sophie Martin. How about you, my partner?”

”Cao Yulin. How do you do, Ms. Martin?” The boy held out his hand shyly.

After letting go of his hand, Sophie smiled again and asked, ”Sonata in A major, op.18-5, 2nd movement, is this okay?”

This was a fairly simple four-hand piano composition, and every piano player with any level of experience was familiar with it.

”Okay.”