Chapter 79

Chapter 79

Fortune Teller

Anyway thanks to Mr. Salvatore I entered the festival site inside with a free pass.

I expected even before entering, but as soon as entering inside the rough heat of the festival immediately touched the skin.

What first captured my interest was the music sound echoing from all sides.

Really to the point of resembling a complete British market alley it was noisy.

Korea's traditional markets are also noisy but there if big music sound comes out it's regarded as nuisance, but this era Britain the situation was a bit different.

British markets weren't simply places buying and selling things but received treatment as complex entertainment spaces like modern multiplexes, among them the biggest was street performance.

Street organs, flutes, and exciting fiddle playing continuously echoed from all sides, and people stopping while walking the road and appreciating music or throwing half a penny as performance fee was daily.

Especially if saying market music one can't leave out the fiddle.

What is a fiddle?

One can see it as a violin played at a very fast tempo often heard in Irish music. The structure is the same as violin but the playing method is different so sometimes called country violin.

Characteristics are strong rhythm, fast tempo, and energetic melody.

Among Irish origin there are many sailors, and what can't be missing if doing ship work was dance and instruments, songs. Because riding a ship on the vast Atlantic Ocean where not even one island is visible is scary, they might have subdued with rough and dynamic music.

Like that going through the Age of Discovery and industrialization Irish people came to reside a lot in London, so Irish traditional music spread together to Britain and became mainstream.

Gentry drink tea listening to classical piano sounds at clubs or salons, lower class drink beer listening to cheerful fiddle sounds at pubs.

Britain really lives boringly, but the reason music at least became exciting one can see as all Ireland's influence to that point.

Probably such musical tendency later becomes the foundation developing into rock... Still not up to there yet. For it to become rock bass and drums have to be introduced so still premature.

Anyway Italian traditional music was also the same as Irish music charging forward with fast tempo and energy, but the instrument composition was much different.

A few sounds I could distinguish. Accordion, guitar, tambourine.

But unfamiliar instruments also stood out, and among them some even the sound was very unique.

I pointed to the instrument one person was playing among them. It was a string instrument that looked similar to a lute.

"Mr. Salvatore, what is that?"

"Huh? Ah, that? It's mandolin. Our traditional instrument."

"Mandolin?"

A very cheerful yet light sound came out. A small instrument held in the hand, it also seemed similar to ukulele.

It seems quite fun if learning, can't one obtain somewhere?

"That's that, wait a moment. I'll call Maria! Look around the festival! Luigi! Explain well to the guest!"

"Yes, Capo!"

Capo? Is it Mr. Salvatore's nickname? Anyway if he entrusts me to Luigi to that point, Luigi would also be about 5th or 6th in the organization.

Luigi was a man who looked early to mid 20s. Just looking he looked greasy like a typical Italian man. He greeted me very politely.

"Please take care. Please call me Luigi."

"Understood, Mr. Luigi. Then I'll look around once. I don't want to open a signing session like earlier so if people flock please restrain a bit."

"Understood."

Like that after parting with Mr. Salvatore, attaching Mr. Luigi behind my back instead I turned my footsteps sideways. There was a place I was curious because people were flocked as soon as entering.

Pushing through between people and looking at the front, my gaze met a person who did strange makeup.

What is this? Is it a mask play?

"When the Italian king was kicked in the hind legs by a foal and fell into dung water and screamed ouch, the nun next to him shouted together. Madonna!"

"Wahahaha!"

"Puhaha!"

Is it something like Korea's ogwangdae or mask play? It seemed Italian traditional play wearing something similar to yangban mask or gaksi mask and playing.

Britain has no such mask play tradition at all. Similar type of satire play at most pantomime is all.

What is so funny, they were chattering in awkward English mixed with Italian accent and people were giggling, certainly here the cultural difference was greatly felt.

People standing around weren't pale Anglo-Saxons but Latins so it might have been, there were tremendously many black hair. Just looking at hair color to the point one could mistake returned to Korea.

Moreover people here were all brown eyes, so my jade-colored pupils rather looked heterogeneous.

Olive-like tanned skin, thick lips, round chin, small height.

People who looked like Napoleon Bonaparte were standing dozens around me that talk.

Whether wearing laborer's clothes, or gentry's clothes, whether old or young, the people standing here were 100% pure Italians.

But that person, the voice is also trembling and acting seems a bit not good?

The chin under the mask also flushed red as if embarrassed. Isn't it just an ordinary person?

"Mr. Luigi, what is this performance?"

"That... It's Commedia dell'arte."

"Dell'arte?"

"Hmm, our traditional comedy. There was no one who knows how so we just made anyone volunteer... It's embarrassing to show so let's go elsewhere."

Ah, because it's an Italian festival they want to show off, so they tried to do traditional play once but it didn't go well?

Whether the people laughing over there are laughing because the play is fun, or laughing because the person doing the play is funny I absolutely couldn't distinguish.

Looking at the high proportion of older people it also seems like savoring recalling memories.

Anyway my gaze stuck on the stall that was doing business next to the person unfolding the mask play in full swing.

That man was laying out and selling masks that looked similar to the masks used in the mask play.

"What? Buying a mask? Just give 3 lira!"

"Lira?"

Lira is Italian money. Here is Britain?

At my absurd expression he giggled and laughed.

"It's a joke. Because you're a handsome British young man I got jealous so I did! 2 shillings."

2 shillings is also expensive! 8 pence would be appropriate. Isn't this a rip-off?!

While looking absurdly Mr. Luigi who was standing behind approached the man and whispered in his ear.

Then that man was greatly startled.

"What! You're exactly that Ja—"

"Shh!"

"Hmm, I'll give for free. Take one you want. It's my gift."

Is it okay for the attitude to change 180 degrees suddenly?!

Anyway since giving for free there was no me to refuse. I quickly picked one mask and put it on.

A bit big, but not to the point of unusable.

"How is it, strange?"

"Boss, a bit scary."

As traditional masks of various countries in the world are generally like that, this was also a quite scary looking mask.

Hahoe masks are also familiar to us, but foreigners say they're equally scary.

Italian masks were half masks empty below the nose, coated with pitch-black varnish so they looked like pirate masks.

"But why a mask suddenly?"

"If doing this people won't recognize me wherever I go. Since I can't do makeup here I have to use even this."

"Aha."

I did a big show doing a signing session in front of the festival site, but that commotion didn't seem to have been conveyed inside. Anyway because I entered faster than the people waiting outside.

Putting on the mask the gazes pouring on me greatly decreased.

Because half mask it wasn't that uncomfortable either, and people wearing such masks were also often seen more than thought.

Like the sensibility of doing rabbit ear headbands when going to an amusement park?

"Teacher, if going to another place I'll guide ahead."

"Please do."

Certainly the festival was a festival.

Whether Italian traditional crafts or daily necessities unknown things were laid out a lot on the street, from handicrafts that looked splendid like Venetian masks to plates, bottles, cups, decorative wood carvings, tablecloths there were also so there was fun looking around.

Especially because Italy is the center of religion, religious decorations like saint statues or rosaries, crosses were also seen a lot.

Different from things seen at British markets.

Whether because of Puritan influence in Britain handicrafts also preferred simple and crude designs rather than splendid decorations, Italy whatever doing one eye-dizzying pattern always entered one.

While looking around like that for a long time I felt a presence pausing behind.

"Joe, if there's something you want pick any one."

"Boss, are you buying?!"

"Of course. What do you see me as?!"

"No that's I've never seen the boss buying... Then this looks fun to me."

What Joe picked was castanets made by carving wood. It was that one I played with in elementary school.

Even if looking small and insignificant it strictly belongs to percussion instruments. There are also classical pieces made with this.

An instrument not easily seen in Britain, to Joe it seemed to have looked like a fun toy.

Mediterranean region commoners use small percussion instruments like tambourines or castanets a lot, while Britain string instruments like violin or fiddle were mainstream.

Things like piano or organ were expensive so culture the noble class enjoys.

Ah, thinking of the festival there was something that came to mind by any chance is there that?

Handing the castanets to Joe's hand I asked Mr. Luigi.

"Mr. Luigi, by any chance is there an astrologer here?"

"Astrology?"

"Yes, whether tarot, crystal ball, palm reading anything is fine. Something one can divine fate such..."

When going to a festival divining is a cliché, right?

Lately experiencing this and that troublesome matters, I suddenly became curious what my fortune this era people divine would be like.

"Ah, there is. There's one person who came over from Sicily. I don't know the skill well but... Anyway I'll guide. There's a bit of distance. You have to go further inside."

"Thank you."

Following Mr. Luigi and walking pushing through between people, I reached a space where men and women pair up and dance matching the mandolin sound. It looked so fun I just stopped my footsteps.

"Can I look for a moment? What is that?"

"It's a tarantella dance contest. There's a small prize money."

"Tarantella?"

From here surrounding people mixed a lot of Italian in conversation so I could only roughly grasp the atmosphere.

Is it a traditional dance mainly danced on the Sicily side?

At a glance it also seems like France's cancan dance, or Russia's ballet, but they were holding tambourines and spinning round and round.

"That, in our hometown there's a big poisonous spider named tarantula, they say there's a superstition that if bitten by that spider one has to dance madly to detoxify. So they say it's a dance made like that..."

Tarantula was a poisonous spider?! I thought it was a big harmless pet spider?

Mr. Luigi whether because of the mission received from Mr. Salvatore, tried to squeeze out what he knows and explain but even to him there seemed no particular confidence.

So perhaps he suddenly turned the topic.

"Would the teacher also like to dance once? If wanting to learn, I think I can introduce a person who will teach the dance."

"Me?! Can you teach?"

Just in time the dance seemed to have ended one set, cheers burst and a brief rest time arose.

Well such things are also cultural experience in a way, learning at this opportunity wouldn't be bad either.

When I nodded Mr. Luigi briefly left the place, and soon brought a man of small physique who looked about late 30s.

The head was about to bald or not, and wearing a mask the same as me so it was hard to recognize the face.

"This side is Signore Gabriele D'Annunzio. A famous artist and poet of Florence, he came here due to connection with the boss. And the person here is also the boss's guest..."

Gabriele D'Annunzio? A poet?

It was a name I've never heard. But the gaze was very clear and distinct, a person who looked quite backbone.

According to my experience such people become famous sometime. So I decided to just naturally reveal my name.

Anyway if just came from Italy even if knowing who I am they won't be surprised, right?

"Hmm, I'm Jean-Paul Durand."

"Jean-Paul Durand? It's not a British name by any chance are you French?"

Awkward English popped out of his mouth.

"No. I'm British. The name well... Family circumstances."

In the past I would have confidently said British, but knowing that damn bloodline something became awkward.

This was a problem that still needed time.

"Ahem, anyway this also became a connection! Yes, you want to learn tarantella from me? Very honorable! But the teacher doesn't particularly need to learn even the dance I think."

"Yes? What on earth is that..."

At my retort Mr. D'Annunzio said confidently in English with strong Italian accent.

"Even wearing a mask it's felt! An appearance like a masterpiece God sent down to the lower world! A voice as noble and firm as a Roman marble statue! The teacher is a face that will continuously fall into woman trouble ahead! By any chance isn't there a beautiful woman loitering around? Please definitely catch one among them. Life will become prosperous!"

Weren't you a dance teacher?! By any chance did you wrongly bring the fake fortune teller I was looking for?!

But he's just a crazy person.

I looked back at Mr. Luigi with an absurd expression.

He also lowered his head deeply and tightly closed his eyes.