Basil Razi, Sydney Grammar School
FORM IV MAESTRO Quotes Analysis
- ‘In a sense Keller was bad for me, the worst possible teacher.’ Is this an accurate assessment? What has Keller taught Paul?
This statement is inaccurate. Even though Paul does not realise at first that Keller is teaching him a lot, Keller sees a young him in Paul. Like Keller, Paul is very arrogant, thinking he is better than everyone. Keller tries to teach Paul, that this arrogance can lead to his downfall. Keller teaches him that without experience of an event, no-one can really know what it feels like, despite all the factual details, he may read. “No-one can be ... you the music”, here Keller is referring Paul to play the Children’s Bach, instead of going straight to the original Bach. Even though Paul has finished the Children’s Bach, many years ago, Keller tries to get Paul to realise that there is more to music than the notes and playing them technically. “At such moments...than the original”, Keller says this to Paul after he plays the Beethoven for Keller and his parents. He says that anyone can play exactly the same, but Paul is lacking the essence of music. He teaches Paul that what is on the outside can be quite the opposite on the inside; “Movie-set architecture” the Nazis hid behind the beauty of Vienna and committed the atrocities. “We must be ... trust the beautiful”, here Keller is describing Vienna, it was so beautiful from the outside, but as you come closer, it gets dangerous; these realisations only comes with experience, which Keller has experience and Paul only read about. Another fact that Keller tries for Paul to understand is the true side of Humanity. “You may return the textbook”, “...LIBRETTO”. Paul curious about Keller, is given the ‘textbook’ which was paper cuttings from the past and current, Keller lets him borrow the book, as he wants Paul to see the true side of human life, which include human flaw, and greed for money and power. Keller has written the Libretto as this is the written part of human life. “I was too insensitive”, Keller tells Paul that arrogance will lead you nowhere, like Paul curious about Keller and keeps on asking questions, Keller also thought that he was invincible, just because he had played for Hitler, and was the best pianist in Europe. It is far easier to retrospect and look back and realise your mistakes.
