Josef

Professor Vicenzia prepared the way by distributing copies of the biography to each reporter in advance of the meeting.

As a result, the meeting consisted mainly of Josef posing for pictures and verifying a few points mentioned in the biography.

As with the audience at the previous evening’s performance most of the reporters seemed to be in awe of Josef’s

accomplishments.

That afternoon Francesca insisted that Josef rest while the rest of the family went out with the Marchettis to see more of

Rome. Josef rested for only a short time and then became restless. He decided to dig out his diary, which he had brought

with him, and try to write about the events of the past few weeks. He was still working on the diary when the family returned.

Francesca questioned him about what he was doing.

“I’m writing in my diary,” he replied.

“Your diary?” was her puzzled response.

“Yes, I started writing it after I was shipwrecked. I thought I might not remember everything that happened unless I wrote it

down.”

“May I read it?” Francesca asked.

“If you’d like, but most of it is written in Croatian. I didn’t start writing it in Italian until after I arrived in Florence.”

“Oh! Can you translate it for me?”

“I’ll try.”

When Josef started reading the family gathered around him to listen, as did Professor Vicenzia, who had come into the

room while Francesca was questioning him about the diary. It was almost an hour later before the reading was finished.

Professor Vicenzia then made the statement, “I wish I had known about the diary, Josef. I could have made the

biography I gave to the reporters more complete.”

“I’m sorry,” Josef said. “I didn’t think of it.”

That evening, before the orchestra members went on stage, Herr Reitling called them all to attention. “I have a brief

announcement to make. One of the major television studios has received permission to tape tonight’s performance, for

replaying at a later date. It seems we have a celebrity in our midst.” At this he nodded toward Josef.

“Not that all of you are not deserving of celebrity status, but you have to admit it is rather unusual to have a twelve year old

boy as a guest artist. To provide all of you, including Josef, with protection from the media we have taken the precaution of

hiring extra security guards. Except for one or two cameramen from the studio none of the media will be permitted

backstage. If any of you wish to talk to them at some other time please feel free to do so. The only request we have is, if they

ask about Josef please refer them to his school advisor, Professor Vicenzia.

“Several minor changes will be made in the program tonight. First, there will be a television on stage to make all the

introductions. Second, Josef’s encore will be a little more structured than last night. We will still let the audience be

surprised by his selections but it won’t be a surprise to us. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen. Last night all of you were

outstanding, tonight should be the same.”

While he was waiting for his entrance Josef noticed that the stage area was much brighter than it had been the previous

night. Then it occurred to him, the TV needed more lighting than an ordinary program would.

The audience was waiting for him. As soon as his name was announced they were on their feet, stomping, and shouting

enthusiastically, “Josef, Josef, Josef …”

Again his performance was superb. A standing ovation followed both his violin and piano solos. When he was called for

his encore the stomping and shouting went on for more than ten minutes. Josef played one note on the piano then stood up

and bowed. The audience went wild again. When he began playing the jazz numbers pandemonium broke loose, only to

quickly quiet down because they wanted to hear him play.

After they had left the stage Maestro Bonino walked over to Josef and, with a huge grin, asked, “Do you know what a

ham is?” Josef nodded his head and grinned back. “Well,” continued the maestro, “when you played that one note and then

took a bow you were being a ham. Nothing wrong with it, mind you, but it needs to be kept under control.” He then hugged

Josef and told him his family was waiting backstage so he wouldn’t have to run the gauntlet of the media.

The following day, Christmas Eve, Signor Marchetti flew Josef and the family to Trieste. From there they all piled in the

family pickup and drove over the winding mountain road to San Reino. Here, on Christmas day, many of the townspeople

came by to see Josef. He was pleased to see Antonio and his family among the visitors. When Antonio informed Josef he

was going on a short fishing trip in two days Josef asked to go along.

The fishing was a decided change of pace. He once again was thankful it was not an occupation he would have to work

at full time. At the end of each day his muscles ached from the unaccustomed exertion.

They returned from the fishing trip on January 2. As soon as he got off the boat Josef was aware that a change had

taken place in the sleepy little fishing village. Reporters, somehow, had discovered Josef was staying there and had invaded

the town. Many had to sleep in their cars as there were no hotels and few other accommodations available. Some were

parked almost by Pietro’s front door waiting for Josef’s appearance.

As Josef walked along the street towards the house he noticed the vehicles parked there and people standing about. As

he was dressed in typical peasant-type fisherman’s clothing they let him walk past with hardly a glance. Only when he walked

up to the front door did one of them suddenly realize it was Josef. By the time the reporter had recovered and made a move

in Josef’s direction Josef was inside and had closed the door.

“What’s going on outside?” he asked Mamma Francesca.

“They are reporters, they want to talk to you. I told them you were not here but they wouldn’t believe me. What am I going

to tell them now?”

“Tell them I’m not allowed to talk to reporters. They will have to see Professor Vicenzia in Florence. He’s trying to

protect me from them, I guess, but what harm they can do I don’t know.”

“They won’t give you a minute’s peace, once you start talking to them.”

For the next two days the reporters waited outside the door. Each time a family member or visitor entered or left he was

met with a barrage of questions. Josef and Giuseppe got around them by going out the back door and climbing over the

fence.

Josef had to return to Florence on January 6. Pietro drove him to Trieste and then, as he did on his first trip to Florence,

Josef took the train. The night before he left San Reino Josef presented a concert for the people of the village, a shortened,

unrehearsed version of his Rome concert. As was expected, the reporters got wind of it and arrived there in force. When the

concert ended Josef was escorted to the basement of the town hall, where the concert had been held, and exited by a door

into a side alley, thus avoiding the reporters.

Upon his return to Florence Josef came down with a severe case of stomach flu. He could keep nothing down and ran a

high fever for a few days before Professor Vicenzia insisted he be hospitalized. For the next week he remained in the

hospital, gradually recovering his strength and returning to a normal diet. He had never been so ill in his life, even when he

had the measles as a small child. During his several months of homelessness, when he had to scrounge for food, he hadn’t

had a sick day. As a result of this bout with the flu it was late January before he resumed his studies and several weeks after

that before he was strong enough for a full schedule.

Shortly after he returned to his studies Josef received a message from Maestro Bonino that a distinguished visitor would

be in Florence in late February who would like to meet Josef. This news, more than anything else, helped speed his

recovery. He was curious about the identity of the visitor and also curious about why the visitor wished to meet him. Signor

Marchetti sent his car for Josef at the appointed time, ten in the morning on the last Saturday in February. When he walked

into the maestro’s office he was introduced to a tall, broad-shouldered man he didn’t recognize.

“Ah, come in, Josef,”said the maestro. “Come meet the famous concert violinist, Jakob Perelson.”

Josef was stunned. He had heard of this violinist and had listened to many of his recordings, but had never seen a

picture of the man and thus would not have recognized him. As the man reached to shake his hand Josef stammered, “I-I’m

pleased to meet you, sir.”

“Signor Perelson has something he wishes to discuss with you. I’ll let him do that without any preamble on my part.”

When Signor Perelson spoke to him, in English, he had an accent Josef didn’t recognize but later would learn was an

Israeli accent. “I saw a television tape of your Christmas concert shortly after Christmas and was quite impressed with your

playing. To such an extent that I wanted to meet you and ask you to accompany me on a concert tour I will be giving in

America this Spring. Maestro Bonino assures me you can play even better than you did at the concert. If so, I would be even

more pleased; I thought your playing was superb then. To return to the concert, I will be visiting six different cities in May and

June. Whenever I tour I like to introduce new talent to the world; you would be an excellent choice.”

“I’m flattered,” Josef replied, “but I’m not certain I’m ready for such a tour. In any event, I can’t give you an answer until I

talk to my advisor, Professor Vicenzia. How soon do you need to know?”

“As soon as possible, I’m afraid. I planned to contact you earlier but I understand you were ill. Now, unfortunately, there

isn’t much time left to finalize the plans.”

“If you have the time now let me call the professor at his home. Perhaps he can come here right away and we can

discuss it today.”

“That would be fine, but I don’t want to rush you too much, ”Signor Perelson replied.

Professor Vicenzia was delighted at the opportunity to meet Jakob Perelson and was able to arrive at Maestro Bonino’s

office within a half hour after Josef called.

A long discussion ensued during which many aspects of the tour were discussed. At the conclusion of the discussion the

professor was pleased with the answers to all his questions. Josef would be well fed and always under the supervision of a

teacher/chaperone. Money paid for Josef’s appearance would go into a trust fund. Josef would need to obtain permission

from the Board of the Conservatory. Professor Vicenzia assured Signor Perelson that would not be a problem.

“It will certainly be a feather in our cap to have one of our students receive such publicity,” the professor stated. “And

Josef will be required to keep up with his regular studies while on the tour. But that shouldn’t be a problem either.” Turning to

Jakob Perelson the professor added, “I think we can give you a tentative yes.”

“That’s good enough for me,” Signor Perelson replied. During the next two weeks Josef met with different officials at the

Conservatory. They discussed the tour and what would be expected of Josef in terms of his responsibilities to the school

and to his studies. An agreement was reached following which Josef and Professor Vicenzia again met with Jakob

Perelson to draw up a formal contract.

May couldn’t come soon enough for Josef. He worked hard at his music and at his other studies and started working on

a third etude for violin. He also began rewriting his diary, in English, adding to it and constantly updating it. When he showed

Professor Vicenzia what he was doing the professor remarked, “When you return from your tour we’ll show it to a publisher

friend of mine.”

Josef met Herr Perelson in Rome on May 18^th and flew from there to New York. It was another new, exciting experience

for Josef. He had often seen the huge airliners flying over Florence but had never seen one up close. Being able to fly in one

had never entered his mind and to fly first class was an additional treat. Josef was waited on by the flight attendants as if he

was a member of royalty. When they arrived in New York a taxi took them to a luxury hotel where they would stay for a week

during the time of the New York concert.

Up to the time of the tour Josef’s education had included only sketchy information about the United States, its history and

geography. This was remedied shortly after his arrival in New York by a young woman who had been hired as his chaperone

and tutor.

Christina Panelli had completed her first year of doctoral studies at Columbia University. A former high school teacher,

Christina was a second generation American of Italian descent who spoke fluent Italian. She had been hired by the tour

company to accompany the tour.

A better choice could not have been made; Christina and Josef immediately became friends. She was enthralled by the

talented musicians surrounding her and he was fascinated by her knowledge of the United States. Two of the books she

brought with her provided Josef with a comprehensive overview of the country. He devoured both books during the first two

days in New York. Christina added many anecdotes of her own to supplement what he read. They conversed at times in

English, at other times in Italian and Josef introduced her to his own Croatian tongue.

When Josef had spare time away from his practicing and other studies Christina gave him a personally guided tour of

the city, a city she knew intimately. All the usual tourist sites were visited plus many other lesser known places that were

Christina’s favorites. One night she introduced him to the American game of baseball by taking him to Yankee Stadium.

The first of the scheduled concerts was in Carnegie Hall five days after his arrival in New York. After Jakob Perelson had

completed the first half of his concert he introduced Josef. Once again Josef overwhelmed the audience by the two

selections he played on his violin. At the conclusion of the program Josef returned to play excerpts from Gershwin’s

“Rhapsody in Blue” on the piano, to thunderous applause.

When he returned to the hotel Josef entertained his group and several hotel guests by sitting at the hotel’s piano and

playing several boogie woogie numbers.

During the next five weeks five more cities were visited: Philadelphia, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and

Houston. In each of the cities the tour was a resounding success. Josef’s playing on both the piano and violin drew rave

reviews from music critics. He twice went on television with Jakob Perelson and was asked innumerable questions about

his background, his music, and his life at the Conservatory. He answered them all with an aplomb worthy of a person many

years his senior. When asked about his future Josef replied that he hoped his playing would be enjoyed by man people but,

at present, his goal was to become accepted as a serious composer. Then he repeated the advice he had been given

months earlier by Maestro Bonino, to make sure he enjoyed being a boy as long as he could and not worry about growing up.

Josef was amazed at the luxuries that seemed to abound in America. Both Florence and Rome had seemed affluent to

him compared to the austerity of his native Croatia but when comparing Italy to the United States Italy seemed poor. He

resolved then and there that whatever else he did with his life he would work toward improving the standard of living in

Croatia and in San Reino.

After he returned to Florence in late June Professor Vicenzia recommended he take a few weeks off before returning to

his studies. “Go stay with your family and play games. Forget about the piano and violin, be a boy for a while. And leave

your diary with me; I’ll have my publisher friend look at it while you’re gone.”

Josef made arrangements to take a train to Trieste the following day. A telephone call to Signor Bellini resulted in a

promise from the signore that he would get a message to Pietro and Francesca so someone would meet the train.

For three weeks Josef played in the village with Giuseppe and Lucia. He wandered through the village renewing

friendships with the villagers. He went on a fishing trip with Antonio, this time taking Giuseppe along as a replacement for

Luciano, who had gone to Venice to spend some time with his older brother. Giuseppe by now was almost as tall as Antonio

and, although not much taller than Josef, was sturdier and stronger. After learning what his tasks were Giuseppe proved

equal to the occasion. Josef again became the iceman.

During the fishing trip Josef talked incessantly about his tour and about life in the United States and the many luxuries

that country had to offer. Giuseppe was all ears but Antonio let Josef know it was okay for some people but he loved his little

village of San Reino and would not want to live anyplace else.

“I don’t want to live in America,” Josef replied. “At least not in the cities I visited, but I would like to visit there again and

see what life is like away from the cities.”

“I want to go there some time,” said Giuseppe.

When Josef returned to the Conservatory he discovered that many of the students and instructors had been asked to

take an extended vacation. The board of directors had decided to cut expenses by limiting classes offered during the

summer months. Josef was one of the two dozen or so students there for those months. Because of the diminished staff he

had classes only three times a week. This suited him fine, it gave him more time to devote to his composing. He also spent

more time in the music library listening to other composers, both classical and modern. As his roommate was not one of the

students in attendance for the summer Josef had his room to himself, a situation which he also appreciated.

Late in July he received the news from Professor Vicenzia that the book publisher wanted to meet him to discuss

publishing the diary. A meeting was arranged for the following week and a decision was made to publish the diary, in Italian,

in Italy only, as a test to see how well it would sell. If it did well the publisher would contact publisher friends of his in the

United States.

When September arrived the diary began to appear in book stores, both in Florence and in Rome. Josef was asked to

put in an appearance at a Florence store to autograph copies. The public response was overwhelming. In both cities the

first printing sold out in less than two weeks. At this the publisher ran a second printing, much larger than the first, and also

contacted one of his sources in New York.

The diary provided Josef with as much acclaim as his music. One literary critic called it spellbinding. He was hailed

widely as a child prodigy and literary genius.

In September another change took place. Josef’s roommate, Angelo Grosetti, had moved on to a larger Conservatory in

Rome for more advanced studies. A new roommate was assigned, a short, pudgy, dark-haired boy named Guillermo

Parotta.

Guillermo was a year younger than Josef and came from a small town near Trieste. His instrument was the cello. Josef

was in his room on a Sunday early in September when Professor Vicenzia entered with Guillermo and introduced him. Josef

immediately volunteered to show Guillermo around.

Having Guillermo as a roommate was good for Josef. Guillermo was good-natured and easy-going. He had a ready

grin and, Josef soon discovered, a mischievous streak. Josef found he could relax around Guillermo, something he never

did with Angelo. In a short time they became good friends.

One facet of his new roommate Josef discovered quickly. Guillermo was lazy. He did only what had to be done to help

keep their room neat and orderly. The same trait carried over to his studies. In contrast to Josef, who worked hard at his

music and rarely procrastinated, Guillermo constantly let his work slide and frequently had trouble making deadlines.

This, in itself, caused a change in Josef. He recognized that, since arriving at the Conservatory, he had been pushing

himself too hard. He had always tried to finish his work ahead of schedule and seldom took time to relax. He vowed that he

would relax more, not as much as Guillermo did but enough to allow him some time to play.

In October, the day before Josef’s 13^th birthday, more good news arrived. An American publisher had agreed to publish

the diary. A release date was set for early Spring, with copies being distributed for sale throughout the United States.

At the same time that the news arrived Professor Vicenzia received a request from a friend of his in London for Josef to

appear there for a series of concerts, also in the early Spring. When he discussed the concerts with Josef the professor

added another suggestion.

“I will contact your American publisher to see if copies of your diary can be made available in England at the same time

as the concerts. That way, you will get recognition for both your literary and your musical talents.”

Autumn passed quickly. Josef continued his regular schedule of classes but spent less time practicing and more time

writing music, for both violin and piano.

His friendship with Guillermo developed so that they spent considerable time together when they were not studying.

Guillermo also chose track and field as his physical activity and joined Josef on the track each afternoon. At first Guillermo

loafed around the track. When he saw how much Josef liked it he began to take it more seriously. Soon, the two were

competing to see who could run the most laps in t5he allotted time. Josef always won but by the time Spring arrived

Guillermo was rapidly closing the gap.

Josef took his new friend with him one weekend in November to meet the Marchettis. Guillermo enjoyed the visit and

particularly enjoyed romping in the fields with Paisan, the Marchettis’ lovable Basset hound. At Christmas time the two rode

together to Trieste, where Josef met Guillermo’s family and made arrangements for Guillermo to spend part of the vacation

period with Josef and for Josef to visit with Guillermo before they both returned to Florence.

When the time arrived for the trip to London Professor Vicenzia informed Josef that he would accompany Josef to

London as his chaperone.

“I had vacation time coming and have always wanted to see London. This is my chance,” he told Josef.

Josef was pleased with this arrangement He considered the professor more of a friend than an advisor.

London, as a city, was a disappointment to Josef. Compared to the beautiful, clean buildings he had seen in the United

States most of the buildings in London seemed squalid and dirty. To add to the gloom every day was a rainy one. Some

days were only brief showers but most of the days rain fell in a steady drizzle. When he asked if the weather was always like

this he was told: not always but frequently, particularly in March.

The concerts were another matter. Josef was the featured guest artist at three performances of the London

Philharmonic Orchestra, two in London and one in Liverpool. For his violin selections Josef played his first two etudes; then,

on the piano he played a combination of Rachmaninoff and jazz. The audience was once again wildly enthusiastic with its

applause.

During the day Josef visited several book stores and autographed copies of his diary. He was amazed that people

waited in line, sometimes n the rain, to be able to meet him and buy his book. He was no longer a newly discovered child

prodigy, he was a celebrity.

Shortly after he returned to the Conservatory Josef was summoned to the office by Professor Vicenzia. In the office,

waiting for him, in addition to the professor, were Signor Marchetti and Maestro Bonino. When they were all comfortably

seated the professor explained the reason for the meeting.

“We have been discussing your future, Josef, and would like to make a few suggestions for your consideration. The

three of us, and we think you will agree, feel you have accomplished as much as you can here at the Conservatory and are

ready for more advanced study.”

Here Maestro Bonino took over. “Our suggestion is that you should be given the opportunity to study the masters and

then apply yourself in depth to the composing which you wish to do. Signor Marchetti would like you to come live with him

and has offered to set up a studio in his house where you can study and compose to your heart’s content. All the music

libraries in Florence and other music capitols will be made available to you when you find them necessary.

“In addition to that I can guarantee twice a year concert tours to all the major cities in the world for as far ahead as you

wish to plan. Now, we would like comments from you.”

For one of the few times in his life Josef was speechless. Here was his dream come true. As soon as he found his

voice he exclaimed, “I would love to do what you suggest, Signores. I find it hard to believe life can be so good to me.”

Early in May Josef said a fond farewell to all his instructors and other friends at the Conservatory and moved to Signor

Marchetti’s house, a completely happy thirteen and a half year old. He could look back with less pain at the loss of his family

in Croatia. He still missed his second family in San Reino but he could visit them frequently. His early dreams of being able

to involve himself completely in music was being realized.

END OF STORY