***
Frederick asked for an update on the progress he’d made since their last lesson. In between, the tutor had missed two lessons, giving his apologies each time. He replied that he’d taken the opportunity to practice all the pieces in the book several times over. ‘In my own way, of course,’ he added. ‘There must be mistakes and faults. But I felt I needed to unleash myself.’ ‘How much time do you devote to practice?’ the teacher asked him. ‘Six hours,’ he replied. ‘Three hours in the morning from ten till one, and three hours after lunch from three until six.’ Frederick thought that was too much time to spend practicing. After playing for some time, the teacher stopped him. ‘Great. I don’t want you to play the complete pieces. One or two phrases from each will be enough until we reach th
