A Day with Brahms

（一）試題
【提示】如果可以穿越時空和一位歷史人物度過一天，一定是個很棒的經驗！請寫一篇英文作文，文分兩段。第一段說明你會邀請哪一位歷史人物和你一起度過這一天？為什麼？第二段描述你會如何規劃這一天或一起做些什麼事。

It is such a blessing that human beings are capable of creative thinking, making people can’t help but organize sentences starting with “What if”. — What if after scientists grinding for a few more decades, suddenly new research revealed that a time machine is practically possible to build?

If I had the chance, I would like to visit Vienna in the 19th century to spend a day with one of the most renowned composers, conductors, and pianists, Johannes Brahms. As a classical-trained pianist, I’m familiar with many of his works like his piano sonatas, concertos, and one of the most recognized overtures, “Academic Festival Overture” You may not know the title of the piece, but you must have heard it somewhere before. Vienna Philharmonic just performed this world-famous classic on tour in Taiwan last year in November, which made me get goosebumps and become speechless.

People in the 19th and 18th centuries, especially artists, many of whom are multi-talented. I suppose one of the reasons could be there weren’t too many distractions in the past; therefore, musicians could devote their whole lives to trying to make the greatest pieces that ever existed. I would be especially curious about how he composed those timeless works with just paper and pen. In addition, delving into the way he interprets his compositions is one of the things that I can’t miss.

Such a precious opportunity could not be wasted, so the schedule must be compact. I guess he would start his day by writing music. While I was practicing some of his piano sonatas, there were a lot of questions popped into my head. How did he organize the voicing? Why did he choose to use a diminished chord here? What was in his mind when writing this beautiful melody? After some deep work, we can relieve some stress by learning how he practices the piano. Do they use metronomes at that time? Do they practice scales and arpeggio too?Since I have so many answers I’d like to know, I should bring a notebook and a smartphone with me. Undoubtedly, if someone could have a selfie with Brahms, that would be one of the coolest things in the world!

In the afternoon, I think he would do some conducting. No matter if it’s part of his income source to compose more, or even do some rehearsal of his drafts before going live. Last, I would like to end the enriching day in fine dining. Such an atmosphere would be perfect for deeper conversions. We can talk about the culture during the 19th century in Vienna, his core values about his music career, or, most interestingly, his thoughts about people playing his works everywhere in the world!