Chapter 6

We went by tram, somewhere on Pyatnitskaya Street, past old mansions.

Suddenly Kitty rushed to one side and, shining with unexpected joy, shouted so that
turned to us:
"... Look!" A typical house in the style of up to 102 flats!
He bent over the rear fence of the tramway, seeing off
look at his native house hearing. And when he disappeared, he, rubbing his hands,
laughed,
enjoying him one clear harmony. They looked at us with bewilderment.
I confess I was embarrassed.
But there was no shadow of embarrassment in Kotik. Or did he not notice
people?
No, he was not divorced from the environment. Abstractness was not felt in him
either
drops. He was fully incarnate, able and happy and angry. Could and how
already it was said - to mock. What gave him the armor, me
unavailable?
And he was distracted in conversation.
"I forgot to tell you," he said, "that yesterday I
pprove-ryali! (He nodded his head, hurrying ahead of himself) ... that is, they
wanted to know, it's true that I hear all these sounds! They did not say -
so: "Etto is necessary - for nnauka! .. And here you are (that is I) zarzhzhzh ..."
- he
faltered, zavjaz in the buzz of this "?", and, like a beetle, trapped in treacle,
stirs
paws, so he methodically struggled with the inability to overcome the word. But
neither
Then, and no later, I did not notice any irritation in him for interfering with him
stammering, or nervousness, which I met with the other stutterers. It is rather
was given to the sense of humor of this fight, sometimes leaving it with a laugh,
and
never retreated, perhaps, taught by a speech therapist to persist in
achieve the desired sound. No, perseverance lived in him! Maybe,
covered in some kind of funny single combat? Or in the comprehension of the comic
situation: he is not given a sound - him! - with so many sounds owning him,
their wealth gifted above the possibilities of others! And he is not given
any one sound!
Beetle in-s-l-e-s from treacle!
"Vova must help us!" - he continued. - There were several, and I
-- one. Two of them were wearing white coats, this was like a laboratory. I
very laughed! What is there to verify that I - I hear! I think their
it is more interesting to check why they do not hear anything! One kind of flat,
one sharp, only! And they will build up their mu-zzyk, et-perirovannoy!
- Kitten, well, how did they check you?
- In my opinion, they did not check me, but to check their devices, because, -
he became very lively, but, as always without having time to catch up with his
thought with speech,
hurried, interfering with himself: - Onni pprivereli meme in a very high-quality
room,
there were a lot of glass things, and themetallic ones too, and posadnli
I'm at a table like this, and they put on some clothes, then they took off, a raft
opnjat nnadevali. And then they screamed ochchen, argued. I do not know about
chchto, I ochchen laughed. I zabyl that then bbylo, I ettto told
Julia Alekseevna, and her dad inquired and asked me everything.
- Well, all the same, what did they, Kotik, check?
- Onnie Ttako said: that scolko etti pribobri mmogli after me
to be in time, because of my hearing-some kind of "colleague". (There's still
something
gambled, like - a hint of a whip ...) Onni have written etto - all that is right-
wise
I hear, and apples with ettimi "fluctuations" the same! And pottom it's all
stopped - and I heard, but they did not say any more, because that onni -
are over! - Kotik laughed with childish joyful spontaneity, - and I
I did not end up, and then it all ended, because they could not already
verified. Their "hesitation" ended, and Mmoi - and Mmoi because only
have begun!
He no longer told me, he laughed, laughed so, that I, in fright
for his nervous system, tried to interrupt him, to distract - and this finally gave
me
managed.
We were already passing yards: led - he.
"Are we really going?" - I said, as if worried, - we do not
lost their way? After all, Yulechka is waiting for us! And we will not be late for
that church, where
today you promised to call?
Among the musicians of Moscow the talk about the bell ringer Saradzhe was
growing.
Interested and admired his works on the bells (and many - and
his playing on the piano) said that he was still young, what else could he
study! The presence of hypersynesthetic rumor allows him to create such
magic combinations of sounds! This can not be stopped, it is necessary to explain
to him
the need for teaching! Well, let not in the conservatory (he, perhaps, without
habits of learning will no longer overcome the difficulties of related subjects -
yes!).
He can also learn from one of the outstanding musicians-composers -
composer's art! Let him learn privately, stutter this
not prevent! It's the same duty for the entire music community to do it.
fate, to intervene, finally, in his stopped on the bell game
musical development. In it, genius abilities!
There were, however, skeptics:
"Well, how can you check such a rumor?" Just take it for granted? It,
do you know...
"And it was checked not long ago," somebody objected, "it was
checked the subtlety of his musical ear. He has the same crazy theory,
that in the world, that is, in the octave, is 1700 with something sounds, and he
differentiates, that is the interest!
- So it's again with his words, it's not proven!
- Partially - it is proved! - responded to other - measuring instruments
frequency of sounds; their, as it were, split. Indications
corresponded to his statements - how these instruments could give
indications. And everything was the same. And then the instruments stopped showing,
and he
continued to assert, and with such inspired precision that it is impossible
to play. And why play it? In this same it does not make the slightest sense! You
you see, it is natural, as an animal, as natural in its
unnaturalness of any phenomenon! And I think not so much here is the question of
that he must learn how to learn from something,
look, so to speak, for his shoulder in what he sees (hears it).
After all, this is extremely interesting from a scientific point of view ...
So spores flared up everywhere where Kitty had been or where they heard him
bell game, marveling at her, unable to compare her - with nothing.
And Kotik laughed. Not evil, good. His all this reasoning about him
amused. What will they teach him? What to talk about? About sounds that are for
them
Do not exist in the existence of which they doubt?
"Mm," he said, "you must stop hearing, and then I would
could become their pupil, because they learned a lot, and I - only
in my ddetstve, when I had to learn the notes, and all these musical rulers,
and white circles, and black, and these pauses and keys, violin and bass. To
write memoirs of children's compositions! But for the colic all this does not have
values, these signs do not help anything, and it's all wrong, because I'm on
these rulers can draw only one sharp and one flat, and flats 121
and the sharpshoot is 121 ...
- Yes, it is our tragedy, that there is unavailability here, -
I told someone about the Cat, - and not his tragedy, since he hears
more than we!
- No, this is also a tragedy, - they answered me, - hearing
unthinkable overtones is a disaster. And bring this sound tsunami in
the state of harmony is hardly possible ... Maybe the science of the future ...
- No, he really could create unheard-of sounds, if only
learned to manage them according to all laws of harmony! insisted another.
"That's the logic!" - someone answered. - Unheard soundings - we are the same
heard them! And they do not need our harmony ...
- Then he would have owned those spheres of sounds that are heard to him! -
continued his companion. - And while they own it, and he just breaks into
unknowable and something from there to us dumps. Some ...
"Firebird feathers!" -- I said. - And the feathers of the sound peacock,
which we hear and admire them. Although many people deny it, they consider it
nonsense
these dozens of flats and sharps, the reason for his unusual compositions. Here
some vicious circle!
But I was told that everything I said was fiction. It's all about
not this: to compose music, you need to study counterpoint.
And Kotik Saradzhev left us on the night streets, surrounded by houses in
style of non-existent for us dozens of flats and sharps, and in the stillness of
the night to him
From afar came the ringing of bells near Moscow, which the wind touched.
Soon Kotik came to me. He carefully carried a knotted ribbon
a box.
"I've brought you a biscuit!" - he said festively and bowed with
pride. Carefully untied the ribbon and put on the box, opened
cover and put it next to it.
- You, please, eat! - he said ceremoniously - if his tea with
milk - it is very nutritious. And give his son!
I thanked, embarrassed laughing. It was also so unexpected!
We sat at tea, in the evening, at my friend Meshcherskaya, that I worked
accompanist. Kitty played us on the piano his early harmonizations, which
did not attach importance. He listened indifferently to our praise, but to
questions
mistress of the house, an exquisite pianist, answered intelligently and patiently,
Kotik
seemed tired.
- Again tsbem tserem! Ettyam sasame, Fedor Ioanych, or something ...
Not interesting! And why should they need it? How can I be a king? They say
me: "You're a type (what's this?). Yes! Magnificent, you decided to shy
Ioannichem this, and your appearance, even makeup is not necessary "! Nno after all
they have
absolutely worthless bells, where I can not play at all. Three four
a bell - that's all! If there was one big one, at least it would be possible, and
then ... And they say - we need a trezvon! We, they say, will also ask
Narkomprosa bell, just play! All Moscow, they say, to the play
will come, you know? But I told them - no, that's enough! And let the bell give on
My bell tower Narcompare! And I left.
His face turned a shadow - and he spoke suddenly quickly, quickly, but not
in Russian, but in a language completely incomprehensible; irritation was heard in
intonations.
We stared at each other strangely, not understanding anything.
"In Armenian," flashed through my mind, "my father is an Armenian, and maybe
be, in his childhood ... "
Pouring children's laughter brought us out of confusion. This was a laughing
son
girlfriend, little Tula, delighted with the unexpected. He admires
He stared at the wonderful guest, not listening to his mother's exhortations. Light
blush
her face twitched; eyes, soft, under heavy eyelids, looked at Kitty,
trying to understand what had happened. But he, having already come to himself,
also laughed, nodding
child, and, blushing too, - apologized.
"P-forgive me!" I - zbbylsya - pprostite! Etto with me, I,
sometimes I worry, I start to say the words - back, not like in books
print, but - on the contrary ... Etto all because of these - actors, - he said with
unconcealed discontent, - I frightened you, forgive me ...
But Tula did not stop.
- And how do you do it? I toze hotsu so! he shouted in extraordinary
excitement. -- How? How?
The end of the evening was peaceful, usually. Kotik behaved like the most
a simple guest, except for calling us instead of names and patronymics -
our tonalities, but we have already become accustomed to this.
The next day to the keen interest of my son Andryusha, the great
boy, Kitty was sitting on the couch, surrounded with photographs from all sides,
and,
throwing them, not asking anything, not at all interested in who it is,
he called the tonality of the depicted people on them. (What is this rumor?
brain? - I thought, marveling more and more - and what confidence!)
I watched his rapid movements - to his left on the sofa already
there was a pile of scanned photographs. Now he was shifting cardboard
pages of a small faded velvet album - and every time
met - at any age - Andryushin's father (whether a child, in
gymnasium uniform, adults, where only it was hardly possible to believe,
that this is the same person), Kotik called him Xi 12 sharps. As was curious,
that infants' amateur photos of the son of Andryusha (which bloomed
convinced that he looks like me) Kotik invariably referred to his close father
tonality: "Si 21 flat" ... And my father, Ivan Vladimirovich, every time
came alive under the fingers of Kitty - an old man, a student, the elderly, in
different
suits, with a bald head, with light brown hair, even glasses were not always
present
in photographs - and this is among the many other faces - all in the same "up to
121
sharp"...