A Copyist at Work
1801. A winter’s night in Vienna, Austria. ~
As a young, aspiring pianist and composer, you find yourself working as Ludwig van Beethoven’s new copyist. You are currently copying all of the parts of his Symphony No. 2 in D major. Your quill scratches on wide pages of parchment as you draw note after note on their staves in ink, making sure to keep your hand steady to evade preventable mistakes. Once a part has been completed and the ink dried, you file the finished pages into neat stacks, making sure to organize the parts by the instrument families of winds, brass, and strings.
Because he does most of his composing at night, the musical genius insists you work long hours at the same time he does, just in case you have any questions concerning his compositions. Not that you’d actually disturb him while he’s working, of course. The man hates being interrupted and would be furious if you were to question one of his arrangements. You uncomfortably shift in your wooden chair at the thought, making it squeak.
Your boss has been preparing to debut his fourteenth piano sonata and has been performing it non-stop since the evening began. It reminds you of moonlight reflecting upon a lake; an ethereal thing of beauty that is taken for granted in this world. The piece’s three movements express a variety of emotions: the first is solemn and composed, the second joyful and full of youth, the third crazed and boisterous.
Your thoughts return back to your work as you notice you haven’t even begun copying for the flutes yet. Oh well, at least you have the opportunity to listen to the master at work. Thankfully, you brewed yourself a strong pot of coffee and can replenish your cup throughout the night when you inevitably begin to drift off. The fire in the fireplace provides a welcome sense of warmth on the cold night as owls sound their calls outside. You dip your quill into your ink once more, working into the first lights of dawn.
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- Fireplace, subtle and perfect by "reinsamba" from http://freesound.org +)
- Writing With A Quill by 6polnic from http://freesound.org +)
- stiring in a cup by By Mariusz Jasionowicz - RareSound Production - www.raresound.co.uk +)
- Paper shuffling by GJOS from http://freesound.org +)
- Owl Hooting by https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzqkNULitp-4NZs6J1dnCBA +)
- Moonlight Sonata Full by Ludwig Van Beethoven +)
- creaking chair by ryancacophony from http://freesound.org +)
- Pouring Coffee by Superex1110 from http://freesound.org +)