Vincent van Hessen

THE MAGICAL NOTE “Once upon a time, or maybe twice, in a far, faraway land, over the snowy mountains of Swiss, the green valleys of Transylvania and the muddy swamps of Germanium, the busker from Amsterdam embarked on a long journey, which was set for one, and one purpose only: to meet, listen, experience, but mainly to learn a thing or two from the great maestro and virtuoso, the celebrated piper/flutist Ras el Jaafar, who lived in a tent camp with his 12 wives and their offspring in the desert of Trans Jordan in the Middle East. The busker from Amsterdam, arrived at Ras el Jaafar's tent camp early one evening in late June after a long and exhausting busking tour which brought him along many foreign and exotic cities and pitches, to be greeted with a very very warm welcome by Ras el Jaafar himself, who subsequently organized a mighty feast and a courteous meal, in honor of his young and tired foreign guest. After a warm meal and some sweet tea, Ras el Jaafar clapped his hands, and 7 of the master’s most gifted students all dressed immaculately, walked into the tent and commenced without further a due, on one of the most unforgettable performances, specially designed, conducted and performed for the maestro’s guest. The busker from Amsterdam sat there totally bewildered and listened, in silence but with absolute amazement, totally flabbergasted, totally taken aback, or 'Totally blown away’ as some of us refer to similar situations (you know... back home) to these 7 students, whom all, with no exception, played the most intricate, heartbreaking, beautifully interwoven melodies and rhythms on their simple wooden flutes, so well it seemed unprecedented, like something out of this world, it seemed to make the busker from Amsterdam, wish he could be swallowed by the ground underneath him in that particular instant, purely out of sheer awe, and respect for this breathtaking and extreme high level of musical virtuosity he had just witnessed. Finally, as the the 7 students ended their breathtaking performance, what and which was to be the icing on the cake, on that warm June evening in the desert of Trans Jordan; Ras el Jaafar picked up his flute and played one simple long, not too long, single but yet very bewildering, humbling, but still a tickle conceited, in an absolution: one enchanting magical note. All the guests, the 12 wives of Ras el Jaafar, the tribe’s elderly, the offspring whom were just dozing off, and naturally the 7 immaculately dressed students, stood up and broke out in a loud and frantic cheers with a standing ovation, for he's a jolly good fellow, and no! no one could deny it! not if it depended on them... for that great musical moment: maestro Ras el Jaafar's performance. The standing ovation and cheers lasted for well over than 7 dog minutes, which in human terms is quite a long time. The busker from Amsterdam, in a... one might say; somewhat awkward slight disbelief, totally bewitched and still full of anticipation for Ras el Jaafar's flute playing and musical virtuosity, inquired: “Great maestro el Jaafar, all your students, all 7 of them, just now, played the most intricate, breathtaking, in my ears, musically groundbreaking and unprecedented melodies, yet you, the great maestro, just played one single, yet very bewildering note, it is maybe a foreign sound to my learning humble ears and my expectations are beyond anything comprehensible, so with all due respect and humility I would like inquire: What was the reason for that "one note" great Maestro?” Ras el Jaafer gazed at his foreign guest for a long minute... or maybe two. His deep dark brown eyes, which were surrounded by a skin full of wrinkles, made by time and some, by a bit more than a few sand storms and the blazing desert sun. Smiled at his guests' wondrous and inquisitive face, a very wide smile and wisely replied: “My dear pale young and exotic guest, all of my students, all 7 of them are eagerly and vigorously searching for their personal magical note, even between the most intricate melodies they are searching, searching and searching for this truly magical note. I my dear busking friend on the other hand, have found my magical note a long long time ago, and this magical note, was the note you have just witnessed and heard!” THE END! An insight to Vincent van Hessens inside busking tours life.