Prim hurriedly exited the room, greeting everyone she saw along the way. As she got closer to the library, her stiff shoulders loosened and sighed in relief as soon as she walked in. The books' enticing aroma entered her nose, and the tall shelves of volumes really cleansed her eyes. When Prim entered the library, Ms. Margaux, the librarian, grinned teasingly when their gazes connected. "Are you going to your idols again?" Prim only smiled at her and asked, "About the book that I read last time, is it still there?"
"Of course! Before you left the library the last time, you made sure the book was out of reach of other students, and you even put it all the way behind the other books, so how will it disappear?" Ms. Margaux laughed. Prim shook her head and sighed, "I have to do it or else someone will take it away while I'm gone," She couldn't make the same mistake twice. Some students on the campus do not return the books they have borrowed. She was reading a book about the Medieval Era when she decided to put it on the shelf, assuming that no one would want it because no one had ever liked history before. But when she came back, she found out that someone borrowed it! She always passed by at the library, assuming that the student would return it after reading it, but after a few weeks of waiting, the student did not return the book. Prim remembered how enraged she was and nearly announced it to the entire school, only to be stopped by Elise and the librarian.
"Hahaha, go ahead, I made sure no one took it," Ms. Margaux informed Prim. She walked to the history area and looked for the book on the farthest shelf, where she had last seen it. Seeing the familiar cover, Prim smiled happily and went to her usual spot. The place beside the window from which she can observe their school's soccer field. One time a bird flew towards the window, but ended up bumping through the glass. She almost laugh when that happened, fortunately, she held herself. It happened a couple more times, and she observed that it only hit one window and not the others. So she always opened the window when she went to the library, hoping Ms. Margaux wouldn't criticize her for it. She shifted her attention to the book and read the title again, "Franz Liszt." She had heard of this great composer from the arts department and they mentioned his name. After hearing about his background, she headed to the library to learn more about him. Prim opened the book and resumed reading where she had left off.
Franz Liszt was one of the greatest pianists of all time, and he rose to prominence in Europe in the early 19th century due to his remarkable virtuoso ability as a pianist. He is a Romantic-era Hungarian pianist, virtuoso, composer, conductor, music teacher, arranger, and organist. Prim had read his background information and facts about him the day before and already knew how outstanding he is based on his works. He is the composer of the Hungarian Rhapsodies Nos. 1–19. One of the Rhapsodies is quite recognizable to her, as she first heard it while watching Tom and Jerry. "The Cat Concerto" was the title of that episode. She has loved Tom and Jerry since she was a child, and she loves them even more now because of the cartoon's classical background music. He also wrote Liebestraume, which translates to "Love Dream" in German and is a collection of three solo piano compositions. She saw a bunch of names and recited them, "Frederic Chopin, Hector Berlioz, Robert Schumann, Camille Saint-Saens etc." Her fingers slide across the page as she read them one by one.
All of those names belonged to prominent Romantic Period composers, and they all met Liszt in the middle of his career. But what caught Prim's interest the most is the fact that Liszt met Beethoven. Beethoven is second to the most favorite composer for Prim because Mozart have the first spot. Beethoven and Liszt might have met where the German composer deafness became total and his music's were universally known that it was even acknowledged by European Royalty. "There's a rumor that Beethoven attended Liszt's concert and kissed his forehead, but this had remained untrue, but Liszt certainly met Beethoven," Prim read gently. Her eyes sparkle as she imagines what the book stated. If that truly happened, it was very wonderful. Her gaze then rose and moved around the table. She felt uneasy when she saw two or three books she hadn't read yet. She's almost finished with this book, so she's debating whether to walk upstairs and look for additional novels.
Her fingers tapped carelessly on the table, unaware of the fact that whatever she's doing was gaining unwanted attention. Prim's head was lowered as she continued to read the book when she felt someone take her hand in theirs. As she stared at the culprit, she grimaced and yanked her hand away. The student didn't mind what Prim did and sat across from her at the same table. Her eyebrows raised a little but she ignored him.
"If you think I'm hitting on you, don't even think about it. I held your hand because your fingers keep tapping the table," he says, feeling wrongfully accused. She rolled her eyes, "I didn't even think about it." She lowered her head and went back on reading, "Don't be delusional." she continued. He tilt his head, "Hmm, I don't think so, I really feel like you have thought about it." he said teasingly. She closed the book and complained, "Excuse me, but do I know you? Can't you see that someone is reading here?"
"I can't see a person reading here. I only see a person who continues hitting on me." he remarked.
"You-!"
She stood up, but then realized what she'd done and looked around. When she saw that they didn't seem to notice what she did, she glared at the man in front of her. Prim sat down, "Look, go away will you? I have more important thing to do as you see. Just bother someone else." she shooed. He glanced at the books in the table and can't help but to comment, "Franz Liszt?" He paused suddenly and formed an 'O' in his mouth, "Ah, the Hungarian prodigy." he commented.
She looked at him doubtfully, "Do you know him?"
He chuckles, "How could I not know him? Those old hags just made me read all about him." Prim heard him mumble something, but she couldn't make out what he said.
"What did you say again?"
"Forget it!" He remarked. He points his chin towards the books, "You seem to be interested in them." All he sees are composers, painters, and so on. It's clear that the woman in front of him is very interested in these people.
"Of course!" Prim said proudly.
"Franz Liszt must be your ultimate favorite, I presume?"
She shook her head, "No, I just find out about him, that's why I'm reading about him right now."
"Aww, that's unfortunate." He commented and put his hand under his chin. Prim immediately looked at him, "What do you mean unfortunate?"
He straightened his back and said, "I mean, it's unfortunate that it's kind of late before you got to know him, if you didn't then maybe he will be your ultimate favorite." he said while quoting the words 'ultimate favorite' Prim continued to stare at the student, wondering, 'Is he looking down on me because I'm late in discovering Liszt while he's not?'
"By the way, when did you start liking these composers?" he inquired, shifting the subject. She appears to be threatening to cut off his head if he continues to make comments about Liszt. She then counts her fingers as she tries to recall how long it has been since she first became interested in these musicians. "Has it been 5 or 6 years?"
"Yes, it's been nearly 6 years." Prim backed up what she said.
"6 years? Wow, you're a dedicated one." he exclaimed with astonishment..
"Some fans have been following their idols for 14 years or more. It is incomparable to anything I have experienced in the last six years." Prim responded.
"Don't be so modest. Your situation is vastly different from theirs. Your idols are no longer alive, whereas for other fans, they are. You haven't even met your idols, so there's a big difference "he stated matter-of-factly. He paused for a moment before turning to face her, "I have some information about Franz Liszt, do you want to hear it?" he said, smiling. Prim felt strange when she saw his smile. He looks like a psycho. She was about to say no when he refused to let her speak and continued to chatter. He moved in closer and stopped briefly to make her feel more intense, but it was pointless because she was uninterested. But he has no idea about that.
"There's a reason why Liszt wasn't accepted at the Paris Conservatoire," he finally said as he slammed the table to express his big revelation. When Liszt moved to Paris, he was refused admission to Paris Conservatoire because of being a foreigner. But this reason lead him to study with Anton Reicha and being taught by Ferdinando Paer. He's expecting a gasp and a shocked expression from Prim, but she just looks at him as if he's a joke. "Do you think I'm a moron? Are you trying to see how much knowledge I had about Liszt? "She inquired angrily. He looked at her in astonishment, "You don't believe me? I'm telling you the truth!" he exclaimed while patting his chest.
She laughed sarcastically, "Of course, I believe you. It's because he's a foreigner! That is why he has not been accepted. It's all over the books, and you're acting as if it's some big secret!" She stated. He can't believe what's happening; he just revealed the precious secret about which he wanted to gossip, but this woman isn't buying it. Did she think he was a swindler?
'Swindler!' she thought.
"No, what I mean is that he was supposed to be accepted, but the school did not. Though this Conservatoire is well-known for its effective leadership, dedicated teachers, and capable students, it also developed a reputation for elitist behavior and unfairness in the 19th century." He elaborated. "Now tell me, though some people changed their citizenship just to get into this school, this person we're talking about is Franz Liszt, a prodigy who was already well-known in Europe. When Liszt applied to the Paris Conservatoire, he was turned down because he was a foreigner. Don't you think it's odd?"
"We might be talking about the Paris Conservatoire rules for their school, but in an era where power rules, it will be obviously a waste for their school if they didn't accept Franz Liszt. Humans are humans. They are greedy and sometimes wants the best for themselves, so I can't understand why they did that. Having a prodigy as a student will undoubtedly open up new opportunities for the school." The more Prim listened to his bickering, the more she realized he had a point. Even in the present day, she had witnessed schools fighting for a student, a student who won first place in all provinces. Companies scout other employees to go to their companies, even increasing their salaries for it, because they are capable. Franz Liszt is a prodigy; before coming to Paris, he had already accomplished much, so why wasn't he accepted by the Paris Conservatoire? Is it because they are overly righteous? Or is it because they already have a prodigy in their school? But, after all, the more the merrier, right?
He smiled when he saw that Prim went quiet because of what he said. He senses that she agrees with what he said. Prim had a sudden epiphany, "If that was the case, why there are no information about it? Even in books?" she asked. He sighed heavily, "Centuries have gone, and historians are the ones writing about the past. Just like a rumor, there can be many variations on what actually occurred. We can't be too certain."
"If we can't be too sure, then how did you come into a conclusion of your theory? The only information you can only get are from books, museums, and, if you're lucky, a historian." Prim asked. This has been a mind-blowing thought that she had come upon. She wants to know more about it. It's just very weird that she only realized that now.
"Why do we need to read it, when we can just witness it ourselves?" he rhetorically asked.
Prim didn't understand what he said, what did he mean witness it? It's not like he can travel in the past. Before she can questioned him further, the bell rang that also gives him a chance to stand up. "It looks like classes is about to start, then, until we meet again, friend." he said and leave the library without giving her the chance to speak.
She snapped out of her reverie and dashed after him, but she couldn't keep up with him. When she exited the library, she looked left and right, but he was nowhere to be found. Why did he have to leave so quickly? Despite her reluctance, Prim made her way to the classroom. When she walked into the classroom, there were already some students present, including her friend Elise, but their supposed professor was still absent. She's not surprised, given that professor's habit of being late. That explains why she isn't in a hurry. Elise recognized her as she entered the classroom and called out to her, "Prim! Come on in!"