THE FARRINGFORD CADENZA Ii

THE FARRINGFORD CADENZA Other books by Robert D. Sutherland Language and Lewis Carroll Sticklewort and Feverfew A novel (with 74 pencil illustrations by the author); received the Friends of American Writers 1981 Juvenile Book Merit Award for author/illustrator THE FARRINGFORD CADENZA is a work in the tradition of the following: THE EIGER SANCTION THE HOLCROFT COVENANT THE DA VINCI CODE THE SCARLATTI INHERITANCE THE EUSTACE DIAMONDS THE WAPSHOT CHRONICLE THE BOURNE IDENTITY THE CHANCELLOR MANUSCRIPT THE IPCRESS FILE THE MUSGRAVE RITUAL THE MATARESE CIRCLE THE DAIN CURSE THE BRASHER DOUBLOON THE SOTWEED FACTOR THE LAZARUS VENDETTA THE CASSANDRA COMPACT THE DISNEY VERSION and THE PETER PRINCIPLE If you enjoy THE FARRINGFORD CADENZA, you’d probably like other N. F. Trntl mysteries also: THE ESHOBI TRUNCTURE THE SNODGRASS STYCHMODIUM THE HALLERELLI PÚCERON v v THE FARRINGFORD CADENZA A Novel by Robert D. Sutherland The PIKESTAFF PRESS v Copyright © 2007 by Robert D. Sutherland First Edition 2007 All rights reserved. The Farringford Cadenza may not be re- produced, translated, stored in a retrieval system, or used, in whole or in part, as the basis for another work in any me- dium, or (except for brief passages of the text to be quoted for review or critical purposes) transmitted, in whole or in part, in any form or by any means—electronic, digital, me- chanical, photocopying, audio-recording, or otherwise—with- out prior written permission from the author or his heirs. Library of Congress Control Number: 2006933874 ISBN: 978-0-936044-08-8 Published by The PIKESTAFF PRESS P.O. BOX 127 Normal, Illinois 61761 e-mail: [email protected] Cover: design, © Robert D. Sutherland 2007; electronic pre-press, Carl Burton Printed on permanent/durable acid-free paper and bound in the United States of America. v The Farringford Cadenza is dedicated with thanks to the memory of two remarkable, gifted friends: J. W. Rivers and Will Leinicke I also wish to thank the following: City of Baltimore Department of Parks & Monuments, Mike and Mary Jane Brunt, Terry and Sue Cain, Jolene Eatherly, Eileen FitzGerald, Manon Getsi, Matt Haller, Charles Harris, Robert Hathway, Dorothy Kennett, members of the Killinger family: Bill, Joleen, Ed, and Libby Killinger Chavez; Monty Python, J. D. Scrimgeour, James R. Scrimgeour, Ellen and Ralph Smith, David Staniford, members of the Sutherland family: Allan, Bhavani, David, Jennifer, Marilyn; Tom Tcheng, Arnold Tracy, Drake Zimmerman, The English Department at Illinois State University, and the many writers (too numerous to list) both present and departed whom I’ve read, enjoyed, admired, and learned from over many years and whose works have helped to establish the themes and conventions of mystery, intrigue, and suspense fiction upon which infinite variations can be composed and played. The Farringford Cadenza is a work of fiction. Except for the names of historical personages, trade names of familiar con- sumer products, and the names and locations of well-known landmarks in particular locales, all characters, business corporations, plot incidents, and situations are the products of imagination. When parody or burlesque occur, they are to be seen as generic in nature and not aimed at specific or particular “real-life” targets. If readers think they discern similarities to earlier imaginative and fictional works, or to actual persons, organizations, corporations, or institutions, I assure them that such perceived similarities are a function of their imaginations; and that if any such similarities do in fact occur, they are entirely coincidental and unintended by the author. v PROLOGUE I October 18, 1947 As the tran slows to a crawl for ts scheduled stop at Brstow, Pennsylvania, its cars glide like dark coffins past the lights spaced evenly on poles along the staton platform. Eght coaches back from the locomotve, the wndow of a partcular sleepng compart- ment presents a blank and starng eye to the lghts as they tck rhythmically past. Each, in its turn, briefly illuminates the table just inside the window—the highball glasses and overflowing ash- tray—the formal dress-sut, wth taled coat, hangng on the wall— the rumpled bed—the body on the bed. When the tran has chuffed to a halt wth a rumblng shud- der and hssng of steam, a lght-pole stands drectly opposte the wndow. Should anyone look n—that porter, say, trundlng past wth hs baggage cart—he’d see, starkly dsplayed among the tan- gled bedclothes, a man of mddle-age—lean, angular, face-up and stretched full-length n strped pajamas. Left arm bent across the chest; right flung far aside to hang in space. Dark chestnut hair just slghtly streaked wth gray. Face lke putty, gone to sag; back- ward tlted, mouth agape; eyes sltted upward wth a jelled stare. A closer look: the pajama shrt s wrongly buttoned, the trou- sers twsted awkwardly askew and backsde front. Three cars forward—bundled n a heavy coat and carryng two sutcases—a passenger descends from the tran, maneuvers past three men watng to board, deftly evades the porter, and strdes quckly nto the staton. The watng room clock reads 3:7. Passengers aboard, steam shrouds the platform, and wth a slght jolt that rocks the body’s head upon the pllow, the tran begins to move. Slowly at first, then ever more quickly, the com- partment flickers bright and dark as lights flash past the window. A water tower; sheds; the open country. And, settled nto cours- ng speed, tralng a smoke-plume over ts long cortege of somber cars, the engne churns eastward through the Pennsylvana hlls, bearng the body, n darkness total, across the nght. II From The New York Post-Inquirer (October 8, 947): BULLETIN Charles Phlp Farrngford, not- ed Amercan composer and concert panst, ded late last nght whle travelng from Cleveland, Oho to hs home n New York. He had just concluded a success- ful concert tour of three ctes n whch he performed hs recently completed but as yet un- publshed Ffth Pano Concerto. He was 46. An obtuary wll follow n the mornng edton. From The New York Daily Chronicle (October 0, 947): FARRINGFORD CADENZA MISSING! The manuscrpt of the cadenza of Charles Phlp Farrngford’s Ffth Pano Concerto, whch dsappeared at the tme of hs death two days ago, has not been recovered. The cadenza s a sx-mnute pano solo n the concerto’s fourth movement. Farrngford, one of Amerca’s foremost com- posers and concert pansts, ded on a tran whle returnng to New York from a tour n whch he performed hs recently completed Ffth Concerto n St. Lous, Chcago, and Cleveland. Presumably he had the cadenza manuscrpt wth hm when he boarded the tran n Cleveland, for he ntended to delver t to hs publshers upon reachng New York. Although Farrngford’s death s ascrbed to natural causes and no foul play s suspected, when the tran bearng hs body arrved at Pennsylvana Staton, nether hs luggage nor the cadenza was found. Despite an intensive search by railroad au- 3 thortes and polce n New York and Cleveland, no trace of the cadenza has been dscovered. Farrngford’s publsher, Norton Lunner, president of the firm Lunner & Dinch, has offered a reward for nformaton leadng to the manuscrpt’s recovery. In a press conference today, he sad that the cadenza s “the capstone of the concerto, and—by all accounts from those who heard t performed n the three concerts—probably some of the finest piano music that Farringford wrote.” The firm intends to publish the Fifth Concerto as orgnally planned. If the cadenza s not recovered, a blank wll be left n the score at the spot where t should occur. “We must do everythng n our power to find the manuscript,” Lunner said. “Loss of the cadenza would be one of the greatest tragedes n the hstory of musc.” From “Knowng the Score” by Chesney Fleschauer n Music, Maestro! Magazine (May 9, 948): Of specal note to the muscal world s the publcaton ths week of the long-awated Fifth Piano Concerto of Charles Phlp Farrngford. Lunner & Dinch, the firm which has had exclusive rights to publsh Farrngford’s works snce 934, has provided the world in this, the composer’s final composton, not only a modern masterpece, but what well may prove to be Farrngford’s crown- ng achevement. I do not speak lghtly. My fath- ful readers well know my loathng of hyperbole, my cauton n bestowng prase. They know how strngent my standards are, how dscrmnatng my taste. Be advsed, then, that havng studed the score n pre-publcaton copy, I can promse that you wll be astounded, overwhelmed, utterly en- thralled when you hear ths concerto performed by Rubnsten, Bralowsky, Lpatt, Serkn, or Myra Hess. 4 Unfortunately, the cadenza whch Farrngford wrote to be performed n the fourth movement, the manuscrpt of whch dsappeared at the tme of hs death last October, has alas! not been recovered and s thus of necessty omtted n the present verson. A btter loss! In the face of such exquste beauty as the concerto embodes, the cadenza’s absence gaps lke a mssng tooth n an otherwse dazzlng smle. We can only hope that the cadenza wll subsequently come to lght to be ncluded n a future edton. Immedately pror to hs untmely death, when Farrngford performed the concerto for au- dences n three mdwestern ctes, the solo and orchestral parts were avalable n galley proofs. But the cadenza exsted only n a sngle manuscrpt whch Farrngford kept wth hm for re- vsng pror to publcaton.

Load more