A Book With History

Have you ever bought a used book and noticed an inscription inside? I just bought a used book of Brahms pieces on Amazon. I already own a copy of this music but it happens to be in storage, so I bought a second version to work from in the meantime, as I revisit some pieces I've been studying and playing on and off for years. Brahms is my favorite composer and this book is filled with some of my favorite music in the world, so I am happy to have this redundancy in my music library.

When I opened the book, I noticed this little inscription on the inside.

Happy 74th! Wow. The image these words conjured for me is such a sweet one--a little old man, working on Brahms Rhapsodies, his gnarly fingers finding the notes and his heart finding joy. I don't have any idea if this man was a trained pianist, or just loved music; if he taught himself or took lessons; if Brahms was his favorite composer among many, or if learning these specific Rhapsodies was a lifelong pursuit for him.

I imagine that the reason this book was for sale was because this man, Mort, has since passed away (judging by the date, he would be well into his upper eighties by now). Sadder still, maybe he's still out there but has stopped playing the piano in the last years of his life. It will always be a mystery but I'm thankful to have this book for myself. There is something so intimate about an inscription like this--there's a story and a history in the pages, and shared beauty between two strangers who love Brahms.