More letters

I cannot fail to share other extracts from Dina’s letters as I want you to get to know Dina well.

3 December 1916: “…  Speaking  of  my holidays. I will probably be with you in three weeks’  time, We will arrive in Montreal on the Sunday morning of Christmas Eve. We will go to Mass and then leave for Quebec in order to arrive in time for Midnight Mass. If you need anything, for presents etc., please ask me soon so that I can buy them. I assure that there is a wonderful choice, please give me some ideas. If there are things that will not pass the Customs I will let you know… I feel that I am making great progress with the piano. I have acquired extraordinary strength … Do you know what happened yesterday? While practicing the Rhapsody of Auvergne, I broke a key, the wooden support of one of the hammers that hit the strings…”

12 February 1917: “…  I am very well and eat enough for three! Are you smiling doubtfully?  Every morning, except Friday, I have a steak and four pieces of toast, yes, four, each about three inches square. The fear of war has not ruined my appetite... Greetings to you my dear parents – I cover the letter with kisses – look carefully at the envelope in case one should escape!”

22 May 1917: “… Last Saturday at three o’clock, I did my piano examination. I was not at all nervous and neither did my memory fail me. I played twenty variations: eleven pages. At first, the teachers, Mr Damrosch and Mr Newstead were following in my exercise book, but then they came as close as possible in order to observe the movements of my hands, fingers, arms etc. Then Mr Damrosch stopped me and patted my shoulder, “You are very talented! You have made a lot of progress since I heard you the first time. I can see that you work very hard, I am very pleased with you!” Then he took my hand and said to Mr Newstead, “she has a long narrow hand; with such a hand she will be able to have more strength and extend it even further”… and he added “She did not buy it in the market! She had to accept it as it was”. I laughed. Yesterday I had a lesson with M. Newstead… He began to talk about next year, but I interrupted him, “if I do return …” “Don’t say that to me “ he replied. If all that is said is in order to encourage me, then they have succeeded; you will understand that this encourages me to work: I am very well…”

25 October 1917. “I went to the Conservatoire this afternoon. They awarded me an A, the top mark, for harmony. The piano goes from strength to strength.  Have you noticed the moon? Tonight I asked it to do something for me. Take a careful look at it, it will pass on many loving wishes from me. Did you sleep well last night? Today has been sunny and I am now going to the  Rosary for the month of October.  Good night, dear mother and father – I send you a big hug.”

Well, I could quote much more from Dina’s letters to you, but I do not want to go on for too long. I am sure you feel you know Dina well.  Now we will follow her when she returns definitively to Quebec.

On finishing her studies her parents offered her a piano and she went to choose and buy it with her father in New York.  Having made the choice they found that it had already been sold, but that three other very good ones had just arrived, so Dina picked a dark-coloured one that she liked very much. She was so happy and dreamed of playing it at home, drawing out its sound and, more than anything, giving pleasure to her parents.