If the trip doesn't go well at the beginning, I'm afraid it will be bumpy at the end.At least the following four performers confidently support this statement.Now their instruments are lying all over the ground.It turned out that the carriage in which they had been obliged to ride at a small railway station nearby had just suddenly overturned on the roadside slope. "Is no one injured?..." The first person quickly got up and asked. "I'm just scratched!" said the second, rubbing his cheeks streaked with shards of glass. "I got a bit of a scratch too!" replied the third, a few drops of blood coming out of his calf.

In short, it's not a big problem. "Why, where's my cello? . . . " exclaimed a fourth. "I hope nothing's wrong with my cello!" Fortunately, even a few musical instrument cases are intact.Neither the cello, the viola, nor the two violins were damaged, and hardly needed retuning.After all, it's a brand-name instrument, isn't it? "The damn train left us on the way! It's neither advancing nor retreating!..." One of them said bitterly. "And the damn carriage, which dropped us in such a wilderness!..." Another person continued.

"Besides, it's just when it's starting to get dark again! . . . " added a third. "Fortunately, our recital will not be held until after tomorrow!" the fourth reminded. Afterwards, several artists made witty remarks one by one.They were very optimistic and free-spirited about the unlucky thing in front of them.One of them, sticking to his old habits, joked, borrowing musical terms: "In the meantime, our carriage is what we want!" "Pancina!" cried one of his companions. "And in my opinion," continued Pencina, "!" "Can't you not say it?..."

"Well, then!" Pancina ventured to add. yes!There are indeed too many accidents along the way, and readers will soon know what is going on. The conversations are all in French, but they can also speak English.The four music ensemble members have traveled many times to the countries and regions inhabited by the Anglo-Saxons, and now they speak the language and the language as if they are their own.So they use this language to talk to the coachman. The honest man was the worst wounded; he was thrown from his seat when the front axle of the carriage broke.However, it was limited to a few minor contusions, which were just a little painful.But he can no longer walk due to a slightly sprained ligament in his leg.Therefore, some way had to be found to send him to the nearest village.

It is indeed a miracle that no one was killed in this car accident!The road twists and turns through a mountainous area, and there are deep mountain streams or turbulent waters on the side of the road from time to time, and there are several places along the way that are cut off by water, making it difficult to wade through.If the front axle broke after walking down a few more steps, there is no doubt that the carriage has rolled down the cliff, and I am afraid that no one will be able to escape, and everyone will die. In any case, the carriage was reimbursed.Of the two horses, one of them hit a sharp rock with its head, and now it was lying on the ground panting heavily, and it seemed that it was going to die; the other had a serious hip injury.Therefore, not only the carriages are gone, but also the animals that make up the carts are gone.

All in all, these four artists were doomed in their turf. Two accidents in 24 hours...unless they're looking too hard... At that time, San Francisco, the capital of California, had a direct train to San Diego.The latter is pretty much on the border of the old state of California.It was to that great city that these four travelers were headed.They must give a recital there the day after tomorrow.The show had been advertised long ago, and the people there were eagerly waiting.They had set off from San Francisco the night before, and when the train was about 50 miles from San Diego, the first accident happened.

Yes, it is ""!The most sarcastic of them was right, and everyone couldn't help but admit that this person who had won the audition and practice voice award had the right words. A section of three or four miles was washed out by a sudden flood, and the train had to stop at Paschal Station.Because the accident happened only a few hours ago, the relevant authorities have not organized passengers to transfer, so even if they walk 2 miles, it is impossible to get on the train again. There is only a choice: either wait for the railway to pass before leaving, or take a random car to the nearest small town to Santiago.

The four performers chose the latter approach.They found a dilapidated two-wheeled carriage in a nearby village.The whole body of the car was full of worm eyes, and it creaked and creaked when it was walking, and it was not comfortable to sit in it.They negotiated the price with the owner of the car, and promised him a good tip to be the driver. Then they left their luggage on the train and set off with their musical instruments.It was about 2 o'clock in the afternoon, and until 7 o'clock in the evening, everything went smoothly, without much difficulty and not too tired.But I didn't expect that there was a second "strong rest" now; the carriage overturned, and what was even more unfortunate was that it was impossible to continue on the road in this carriage.

And these four performers are still 20 miles away from San Diego at this time! These four musicians are French and born in Paris.So why are they venturing across Baja California, a region that's not even close to walking? Why? ...Let's talk briefly, and by the way, give a general description of these four master musicians.Destiny, the unknown that so ficklely governs men, is about to make them the main characters in the following extraordinary story. In that year (we're not sure which year it was in the 1930s), the number of stars on the flag of the United States of America doubled.After annexing the Canadian Dominion in the north to the most remote areas of the Arctic Ocean, and the states of Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and the Panama Canal in the south, the entire industrial and commercial power of the United States has achieved unprecedented development.At the same time, the artistic cells of these ambitious Yankees have gradually developed.Although there are only a handful of their products that can be called beautiful, and although their nation is still a bit rebellious in terms of painting, sculpture, and music, the atmosphere of appreciating excellent works of art is at least generally popular among them.By purchasing famous paintings of ancient and modern art masters at high prices to build private or public galleries, and hiring famous opera or theater artists and the most talented instrumentalists to perform at high prices, they have finally nurtured the lack of beauty and nobility. the sensibility of things.

In terms of music, most music lovers are initially obsessed with Meyerbel, Halevi, Gounod, Berlioz, Wagner, Verdi, Marseille, Saint-Saëns, Reyer, Massenet and Delibs, The works of these composers in the second half of the 19th century.Later, in tracing the source of this sublime art, which flourished in the eighteenth century, they came to understand the more powerful works of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven.In terms of drama, they were first obsessed with operas, then lyric dramas, and then symphonies, sonatas, and orchestral suites.And while we're talking about it, several states in the U.S. happen to be obsessed with sonatas.In the meantime, they'd be happy to pay $20 for a half note, $10 for a quarter note, and $5 for an eighth note in sonata notes.

It was at this time that the four talented performers learned of this situation, so they came up with the idea of ​​going to the United States to seek gold, so as to gain both fame and fortune.The four good friends were former students of the French Academy of Music and Drama.They were well known in Paris, where they were well received in recitals of music known as "chamber music".In North America at that time, very few people knew about chamber music.Mozart, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Haydn and Chopin wrote string quartets.This piece of music is played with four stringed instruments: first violin, second violin, viola and cello.With what rare perfection, with what marvelous harmony and with what depth of emotion these four artists interpret these pieces each time!No sensationalism, no trace of craftsmanship, is it?On the contrary, their playing is so beautiful, the skill is so exquisite, it is simply incomparable!Another reason for the success of these four players is that at that time people were tired of listening to the performance of a large symphony orchestra with complete harmony.Even if music is only an oscillation of the artistic combination of sound waves, they should not be amplified into a deafening storm. To make a long story short, our four players decided to expose Americans to the wonderful and ineffable joys of chamber music.They set off for America together.In the past two years, American music fans have neither stopped applauding for them, nor do they feel sorry for giving them a lot of money.Whether in the morning or in the evening, as long as there is their concert, the audience is always packed.The "quartet"--as they were called--was overwhelmed with invitations from the very rich.Festivals, parties, evenings, five o'clock tea, even garden parties worthy of public attention would be meaningless without their performances.This obsession of the audience filled the pockets of the four performers with dollars.If the money had been deposited in the safe of the Bank of New York, it would have been enough to build a beautiful new capital.But why say "if"?Because these fellow Parisians of ours have been Americanized, because they spend their money lavishly!These princes of Qingong, Emperor Sixian, almost never thought about saving money!They are already keen on this kind of adventurous life, and they are confident that flowers and money will be offered anytime and anywhere; they sometimes run from New York to San Francisco, sometimes from Quebec to New Orleans, and sometimes from New Scotland to Texas. .This youthful Bohemia is the oldest, most charming, most desirable, most beloved province of our old France! Without further ado, it's time to introduce the names of the four of them to our readers. Yvernay - the first violinist - 32 years old; medium-tall, thin (maintained on purpose), He has blond curly hair, a smooth and beardless face, big black eyes, and long hands that can reach far out from the fingerboard of his piano; A dark cloak, and a silk top hat, perhaps a bit pretentious; but it is safe to say that he was the most carefree and least materialistic of the gang.He has incredible artistic talent and great enthusiasm for all beautiful things. He is a first-class musician with great talent and great prospects. Frascolin, - the second fiddler, - 30 years old, small, slightly fat (which annoyed him), brown hair and beard, competent, dark eyes, large The wings of his nose often move, and there is a red spot on it that is very eye-catching, which is pressed by his pair of gold-rimmed short-sighted pince-nez that he never leaves.He has a good temper, warm and thoughtful, and is willing to help others. He is afraid of troublesome companions and often takes over chores by himself.He manages the account of the small group and always advises everyone to save money, but no one listens to him.He was not in the least jealous of the success of his partner Yvernay, nor did he have any ambitions to climb up to the position of violin soloist, but he was an outstanding musician.At this time he was wearing traveling clothes and a large overcoat that kept the dust out of the road. Pancina, the viola player, everyone usually calls him "Your Highness", 27 years old, he is the youngest among the four, and he loves to laugh the most. He belongs to the kind of naughty child who never grows up in his life people.His head is smooth, his clever eyes are always rolling; his hair is almost reddish brown, with a pointed mustache on his upper lip, and his tongue keeps making noises between his white and dense teeth, which can't be controlled Make some jokes like yourself, say some homophonic pun wisecracks.His words seemed to be waiting on the edge of his mouth, he blurted out at any time when attacking others, and also opened his mouth when attacking others.The always warm and full mood made him think that it was because he saw a lot of alto clefs, and his instrument—he often said ""—was the alto clef.He is cheerful all day long, likes to make jokes and play pranks, even if he offends his partners, he doesn't care. For this reason, he often suffers complaints, reprimands and even "reprimands" from the head of the "Quartet". Because, there is a leader among them, that is the cellist Sebastian Zorno.Not only is he talented, but he is also older than the other three.He is fifty-five years old, small and round, with thick and thick blond hair, curly sideburns covering his temples, a high curly beard on his upper lip, and a tangled and tapering beard. took a slice.His cheeks were auburn, and his eyes glistened behind spectacles, which he always wore a pince-nez on top of when he read music.His hands were chubby, and his right hand often waved back and forth as if he was pulling a bowstring habitually, and there were thick rings on his ring finger and little finger. We think such a few light strokes are enough to outline the character and artist.However, for forty years, carrying a rattling wooden box between your knees all day long has caused some damage.This kind of injury can be felt for a lifetime, and even the temper and character have changed because of it.Therefore, most cellists like to chatter, get angry, speak in a rough voice, and talk endlessly, but they are not without humor.That's exactly what Hambastian Zorno is.So, Yvernay, Frascorin and Pancina simply had their way and were happy to have him in charge of their tour.They let him say and do everything that should be said and done, because he is an expert in these aspects.They were so used to his uncompromising manner that they laughed it off when he went "out of line." It's really regrettable that "out of line" happened to a performer, so Pansina, who didn't know what to do, often reminded him to pay attention.Arranging the repertoire, traveling itineraries, and negotiating with theater managers, all these things were done by him, which gave him a lot of hot temper.But he was the only one who did not interfere in matters concerning the collection and management of the money, which had already been entrusted to Frascolin, the second fiddler, the excellent accountant, the prudent and meticulous. Now, the four ensemble players are introduced as if they were on stage.It became clear what type of people they were, and if not very unique, at least they had distinct personalities.As long as the reader reads patiently through the various episodes in the following extraordinary story, he will see what part these four Parisians play in it.After dumping the federal states of the United States, they are about to be taken to..., no, let's not rush, or "Your Highness" will cry "Don't rush!" again.Let's be patient and let's start with the story. It was nearly 8 o'clock in the evening, and the four Parisians were staying on this wild road in Baja California, guarding their dilapidated "overturned carriage"-this is the first time. The name of a musical work, here happened to be used by Pancina.If he and Frascolin Yvernay didn't take this sudden disaster seriously, and even used the technical terminology of their profession to hold a silence, for the leader of the quartet, it was a vent. Chance of anger.what else can we do?The cellist is hot-tempered, as they say, with a firecracker temper.Therefore, Yvernay asserted that the blood of these two famous fiery men of antiquity must flow in his bones. In order not to forget, let us remind again: Sebastian Zorno has a bad temper, Yvernay is cool-headed, Frascolin is mild-tempered, and Pancina is optimistic and open-minded.They were close companions, and each felt a kind of fraternal friendship.They feel that there is an invisible thread that connects them tightly.No quarrel of interest or unhappiness from pride could separate them, as their inclinations and tastes were united, drawn from the same source.Their hearts are always connected like these carefully crafted instruments. Sebastian swears and touches his cello case to make sure it's safe.At this moment, Frascolin approached the coachman and asked: "Look, my friend, what shall we do now?" "No horses and no carts..." the coachman replied, "at this time we can only wait..." "Waiting for luck?" Pansina exclaimed. "What if no car comes? . . . " "Let's look for it," Frascolan suggested.His pragmatic mind never stopped spinning. "Where can I find it?..." Sebastian Zorno roared angrily, and he turned around in a hurry. "Where can I find it!" the coachman replied. "Oh? Well, the driver," the cellist's voice gradually rose, almost reaching the high register. "What kind of answer is that! What a shame! How did you come across such a clumsy fellow who overturned us, broke the carriage, and hurt the horse, and he just said, 'You've got to figure it out Let's forget it!..." Sebastian Zorno's natural nagging was renewed, and he began to reproach him endlessly, saying nothing but useless angry words.At this moment Frascolin interrupted him with the words: "Let me do this, my old Zorno." Then he asked the coachman again: "My friend, where are we now?..." "Five miles from Frascher." "Is that a railway station? . . . " "It's not...it's a village near the sea." "So we can find the car there? . . . " "A carriage...it's impossible at all....Maybe you can find a cart..." "A bullock cart, just like the period!" cried Pancina. "So what!" retorted Frascolin. "Come on!" Sebastian spoke again. "Ask him if he has an inn in that corner called Frascher. I've had enough of running around in the middle of the night!" "My friend," asked Frascorin, "does Fracher have any inn? . . . " "Yes... we were supposed to change horses at that shop." "As long as you walk along the main road, can you reach that village?..." "Just keep walking." "Let's go!" the cellist subsided. "But what about the poor man? He's hurt like that. Isn't it a little... too cruel for us to leave him here alone." Pancina reminded, "Let's see, friend, can you By myself..." "Impossible!" replied the coachman. "Besides, I'd rather stay here . "As soon as we get to Frascher, we'll get someone to help you..." Frascorin reassured him. "Okay...the owner of the inn knows me very well, he won't ignore me after hearing about it..." "Shall we go?" cried the cellist.He just put the piano case up. "Wait a moment," replied Pancina, "after we have settled our coachman along the slope..." Indeed, it would be safer to remove him from the road.Since his leg was badly wounded and he could not move by himself, Pancina and Frascolin helped him to his feet and leaned his back against the root of a thick tree.The branches under the big tree hang down to form a green corridor, which can just shelter the coachman from wind and rain. "Are we going or not?..." Sebastian roared for the third time.He had secured the case to his back with a special double-ply strap. "It's done," Frascolan replied. Then he asked the coachman: "That's it, it's settled...Frecher's shopkeeper will send for you to get you back. . . . You don't need anything before now, my friend? . . . " "Need..." said the coachman, "if you have any gin left in your traveling jug, please leave me a jug." Pancina's travel jug was still full, and "His Royal Highness" donated it without saying a word. "With this, man," he said, "you won't be cold tonight . . . you'll be warm to the bone!" Finally, after the cellist's furious final roar, the partners hit the road.Fortunately, they left their luggage in the train's baggage car, and did not load the carriage.So, although our musicians will be late in arriving in San Diego, at least they won't have to worry about carrying their luggage over their shoulders to Fraser Village.These few cases are enough to carry, especially the case of the cello, it is really difficult to carry it for a long distance.To tell the truth, a true virtuoso is never separated from his instrument, just as a soldier is never separated from his gun and a snail is never separated from its shell.

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Notes: hero in.