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You’re so Lucky to be so Talented
Karl Lutchmayer
My old school friend, having just come
to congratulate me after a concert,
examines the photographs in the
green room whilst I greet other wellwishers.
We shall be going to dinner
later to catch up on news and gossip,
but in the meantime someone asks
him how he knows me. Continuing to
greet whilst keeping my ‘charming
smile’ firmly upon my face (for the
concert was not a success and I would
rather be hugging myself in a
darkened room) I dimly hear him
explain that we were at school
together where he too was a very fine
pianist and could have become a
concert artist, but had decided that the
life was too insecure and had instead
opted to become an accountant. My
rictus grin suddenly relaxes into a
welcoming smile (much to the
surprise of the fur clad lady who is in
the midst of explaining to me exactly
how lucky I am to be so talented), as
once more someone assures
themselves that it would have been
possible but for…..Of course I
understand his point of view, and at
least he doesn’t lay the blame on a lack
of some mystic commodity called
talent which most seem to favour as
the reason for the status quo. The
truth, which all musicians know but
few others dare to acknowledge, is
that talent is in fact widespread and as
such does not alone ensure entrance
to the citadel. The price of admission
is actually paid in an entirely different
currency, and my friend was simply
one of the many who gazed longingly
at the turnstile but balked at the fee.
Payment starts early in childhood as
the bright endless days of summer
find the young musician taking the
opportunity to do some serious
practising whilst freed from the chains
of school. This is no self-sacrifice
whilst friends run through fields or go
swimming; the joy is palpable as the
careful crafting of each note joins the
young musician in mystic union with
the fellow acolyte who notated it many
centuries before. As our artist gets
older little changes except the nature
of temptation – Saturdays are spent at
Junior Music College instead of
shopping centres, evenings in
orchestras instead of parties and
holidays practising, studying on
summer courses or perhaps playing in
competitions. And every day the
necessary three hours needs to be
found, apart from the geography
homework, for the act of practice, as
normal and inevitable as brushing the
teeth. Thus most of our young artist’s
own time is spent alone or amongst
fellow worshipers at the muse’s altar.
Through all of this, helpful teachers
and well-meaning parents will have
encouraged diversification, getting
good GCSEs, A levels, even perhaps a
‘sensible’ degree, so that options will
be kept open and eggs distributed
over the widest possible area. But
what Duet for One’s Stephanie will
have known instinctively is that art
only exists when there are no safety
nets. Despising their platitudes,
because the only inference can be that
these interlopers do not believe in her
ability to do the one thing she does
best, she will have to become
increasingly self-reliant and
determined in order to overcome the
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Photos: Bridget Jones