"Gilbert Beilschmidt. Well, it doesn't really sound like a composer name does it?"
"Don't be a bitch, Lizzie. I'll be one of the big B's: Bach, Beethoven, Brahms and Beilschmidt. You'll see!"
"Ha! Yeah right! You don't even have any compositions yet!"
"Yes I do! They're just mostly...well, they're ones I did for harmony class..."
"Uh huh. And what about some original compositions?"
"Well, I've got ideas for pieces!"
"Ha! Everybody has ideas! It's the people that actually make something that count!"
"Fuckin' hell. Well, it has been kinda hard to compose stuff on my own without being given an assignment..."
Gil hung his head and sighed, looking rather pathetic, until Liz broke down and tried to encourage him.
"You know, there's a composition class coming up this semester."
"Oh yeah?" Gil's head shot up, his red eyes looking at her eagerly.
"Yeah. I heard the teacher's really good. His name is Dr. Edelstein."
"Ah, one of my countrymen!" Gilbert was ridiculously nationalistic, something that would forever mark him as a rebel in Germany. Nationalism was so un-PC there that it was almost a hate crime.
Liz scoffed, "No, actually he said he's Austrian, from Vienna if you can believe it! Wow, and he said it with this snooty air. He actually put his nose in the air! I thought it was just a figure of speech, but apparently not!"
Gil's brow furrowed doubtfully, "Is he really such hot shit?"
Liz grinned maniacally and nodded, "Hell yes! I saw the faculty concert last month and he played the Rachmaninoff Piano Concerto No. 2."
"Huh? There was an orchestra?"
"No, they used a piano reduction so they hired an accompanist."
"Oh. Wow...I guess he is hot shit."
"Yeah, and like, in more ways than one!" Liz squealed and waggled her eyebrows.
"What d'ya mean?"
"He's like, thirty-something but looks twenty, I swear! Handsome, slim, elegant..." she sighed the last word, staring off into space with a dreamy smile on her face.
"Hey, earth to Liz. I think you're drooling." Gil waved his hand in front of her face and smirked at her when she shot him a dirty look.
"Seriously, I heard the class is super hard, but he's such a great teacher you'll get so much out of it. I think it's just what you need to get composing."
Gil nodded, "Okay. Are you going to take it too?"
Liz just laughed, "As if! I've got the dumb guy major here, performance is it for me. Composing is too hard!" She took off down the hall and threw over her shoulder, "You're on your own Gil! Have fun with Dr. Edelstein!"
...
Gilbert sat down outside classroom 128. 'This was the right room right?' Dr. Edelstein's class was entitled: "20th Century Composition Techniques" and that sure sounded a lot harder than he was prepared to manage...but he'd done the prerequisites so how bad could it really be?
Gradually other students started to gather next to the door. They all started asking each other if this was the right class. Occasionally, their eyes would flit over to him sitting on the floor, dart away, then stare at him again. Despite his hood covering his white hair, his paper white skin was still visible. His red eyes framed by pure white lashes were not as visible in the low light but still looked strange. Gilbert sighed softly and tried to ignore their curious glances. 'Why don't they just talk to me if they're so interested? If they think I'm too awesome for them now, just wait 'til they see me in class!'
A sharply dressed figure walked quickly into the midst of the milling students and opened the door. Gil jumped up and went into the class room. He sat about halfway back against one of the wall so he wouldn't be stared at too much but he could still see the board then pulled out his pen and notebook.
"Good afternoon class. My name is Dr. Edelstein. If you would like a syllabus the web address is on the board. Now, let's take roll. Is Michael Alexander here?"
Gil looked around as roll was called. There were about twenty students in the class with a more or less even mix of males and females, all of them in their twenties and of every race. The two Asian girls sat next to each other, and a couple of the guys and girls were paired off, but the rest spread out and sat by themselves.
"Gilbert Beilschmidt?" Gil met Dr. Edelstein's gaze and raised his hand. A frown passed over the professor's face. "Please, no hats, hoods or sunglasses in my classroom! That goes for everyone!" He said snippily and went back to his list.
Gil flushed, which for him was embarrassingly evident, and pulled back his hood. He imagined that the florescent light reflected off his white hair like the sun hitting white snow. 'Maybe all the people staring at me will get snow blindness.' he thought angrily as roll finally concluded.
"Well, it seems like there is a lot of interest in 20th Century music! That's good because it is a very exciting subject. The last hundred years have seen more radical musical change and innovation than the previous three hundred! So, given that tremendous variety in musical ideas and techniques, we have a lot of ground to cover! You had best go and buy the book immediately. I know that it is expensive. At the bookstore on campus I believe they are selling it for almost two hundred dollars, but it is well worth the investment, and if you spend some time looking online I'm sure you can find it for less. Please have the book and read the introduction and first chapter by our class next week. Are there any questions?"
Dr. Edelstein rattled off his speech in a distinct Austrian accent while the students bemoaned the state of their finances and whispered to each other about where they were going to search for the textbook.
"Alright, if that's it, then feel free to leave early today. Remember to look at the syllabus online so you know what is expected of you!"
Gil walked briskly out of the class and headed to the bookstore. 'Better get there quick before all the used copies are gone.'
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