Boston is located little higher than Pyongyang (42 degrees north in latitude), and it is along the Atlantic Ocean. Boston also is an area of high snowfall. This year, although there was not much snow and the spring came a little earlier than usual, the flowers which signal the arrival of spring, such as Croatia, Hyacinth, Tulip, did not blossom until April.
On the fifth of April, Asian American Diabetes Initiative (AADI) held a fundraising event (A spoonful of Ginger) to raise research fund. The event was regarded as one of the best food tasting event in town because of the famous chefs and restaurants that sponsored the event.
On the seventh of April, Chan-Ho Park who recently transferred to New York Yankees, recorded his first win in Fenway Park. On the eighth of April, Tiger Woods, after six months of break, participated in the Masters, and came in 4th place along with K J Choi. On the 19th, a Kenyan runner named Cheruiyot set a best record of 2 hours and 5 minutes in Boston Marathon which is well-known as the world’s most difficult marathon race course. For Marathon, because geography, temperature, humidity, wind and other factors differ in every competition, they prefer to use the word “best record” to “new record.” Unlike most of other sports which pay attention only to those who came in first place (and in poker, the runner-up’s loss is the greatest), in a marathon race, everyone who finishes the race hold the spotlight. Joslin Diabetes Center again organized a marathon team composed of patients and their family members to participate in the 114th Boston Marathon. While running a marathon race, if you run in the lead, you might lose your pace because of head wind. So-called “pace-makers” are in charge of helping the runners avoid the head wind.
Mozart, since his youth, had been a musical pace-maker in his era. His father, who was well-known for his business-mind, traveled city to city along with his son, after discovering his son’s musical talent. Mozart quickly earned a European reputation for being a genius. Mozart’s such experience later contributed to his musical development.
Beethoven’s father, who was a tenor in a court choir, also traveled throughout Europe to raise his son to be a musical genius so that he can make money, but they eventually failed to attract attention from the Europeans who already experienced young Mozart’s flair. Beethoven’s role as a pace-maker came into its own after he moved to Vienna (1971 – a year after Mozart’s death). In November 1972, when war rumors (France v. Germany) were prevalent, Beethoven left Bonn and moved to Vienna. In the next few years, Beethoven wrote music that is of Mozart’s musical style. He also studied works of famous musicians, and thought of himself as being next in line of succession to the throne of musical master which Mozart had held for years. Since this period, (when he was 26) he had hearing difficulty. It is very well known in music history that Beethoven’s doctor and friend, Malzel (Johan Nepomuk Malzel) invented metronome (device that produces musical tempo) to help deaf Beethoven. Melzel also invented hearing-aid to help Beethoven, but Beethoven rejected to use the device, saying that he will use his soul, rather than his ears to compose music.
A week before Beethoven’s death, Schubert visited him. Schubert also followed Beethoven’s cortege, and was standing in the very first line. Schubert had always been under the shadow of Beethoven and his era did not appreciate his music. Shubert wrote music with his guitar in a garret of his friend’s house, even without a piano. Nevertheless, he often said “leave me alone, I like the way it is now. I was born just to compose music,” and laid his musical motif down on his diary and letter envelopes when he ran out of manuscript paper. Shubert loved drinking beer (his nickname was a beer barrel), and he was very humble and gentle. Shubert’s fan club, “Shubertiade” which enjoys and appreciate his music had held daily meetings to help Shubert to perform his music with a concentrated mind to spread his music to the world. They wanted Shubert to be the next “pace-maker” of European and German music, after Beethoven’s death. Unfortunately, only 18 months after Beethoven’s death, Shubert passed away after saying that “If I die, burry me next to Beethoven.”
Soon after Salieri’s death in 1825, “The Free Shooter,” Von Weber died in 1826. Beethoven died in 1827 and Shubert died in 1828. The capital of the musical world moved from Vienna, Austria to Germany, and romantic music had begun to prevail. The main issue of the period was who was the next music master after deaths of Beethoven and Shubert, and this is when musicians such as Mendelssohn, Shumann and Chopin appeared, but none of their reputation rose up to the level of a “pace-maker.” Meanwhile, the new “face-makers” appeared in Europe, who were born on the 7th and 22th of May. They are Brahms and Wagner. In Hae-nam General Hospital, our new face-makers, Dr. Lee Won-Hee (Chief of Pediatrics), Dr. Yoon Chang-Hyo (Chief of Neurology), Ko-Il-Woong and Kim Young-Il (Residents) have begun to work. Here in Boston, on the first of May, Long Wood Symphony Orchestra, (which is composed of doctors, nurses and pharmacists) is scheduled to hold a concert to raise fund to help ATASK (Asian Task Force Against Domestic Violence). Boston and Musician 4 is about them.
Tae-Young Yang, M.D. Ph. D.
Chief, Department of Internal Medicine, taeyoung21 clinic,
Jostlin Diabetes Center, Harvard Medical School
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