ladiesâ room. On my return to the reception, Ugo materialises just as I had given up hope of seeing him.
He says that he became involved in talking with members of the orchestra and that he wasnât in his own room. He is here now and he has some paperwork to do with me. We order sandwiches for lunch and we sit down to look at the papers.
I have some forms to fill in. Forms are always tedious and Italian ones are especially so. I also have to give him some money for some taxes that have to be paid. I donât really understand these taxes. There are three different sums to be paid. One is a yearly tax for students attending a course. Another is, I think, because I am joining the course. The final one is because I have been late in sorting out the paperwork for entering the course. It is a sort of fine, I suppose.
The three sums, 26,000 lire, 53,200 lire, and 11,700 lire, make a total of 90,900 lire. I felt quite alarmed. It sounds so much and it is unexpected â at the best of times, I have always found numbers so confusing.
In reality, the bill is not so bad. It is approximately 100,000 lire, which is about forty pounds. It is just that it is an extra sum to find for my, as yet, not funded course of study.
There is another very important task I am told that I have to undertake before I return to Italy. I have to take all my certificates to the Italian Consulate in order to obtain a
Certificato di Equipollenza
, a certificate of equivalence. It is at this point that things begin to take a complicated turn.
I am told that my Masterâs degree and my Violin Diploma are not sufficient to convince the Italian authorities that I am proficient in theory, harmony, history of music, keyboard skills and so on. I am a little aghast but I try not to show it. The authorities require my grade certificates for piano and theory, dating back to my childhood. They also want to see the syllabuses for my diploma and degree courses, in order to understand that I have already covered all the other aspects of the mandolin diploma course. This is because Ugo is trying to arrange it for me to visit only for the mandolin lesson.
One significant problem in all this is that the authorities require proof of an exam they call
Licenza di Teoria e Solfeggio
.
Licenza
means certificate or diploma, so it is an examination that includes both theory and
solfeggio
. I feel fine about the theory because I know, whatever the standard, I have covered everything. The
solfeggio
is another matter.
Solfeggio
is a system of identifying sound names with the pitch of written notes. It is a foolproof method of being able to sing from sight. It is a fundamental skill, which is useful and some would say essential to any musician, instrumentalists and singers alike.
I have been exposed to
solfeggio
but I havenât used this system exclusively. The issue is that
solfeggio
is a method of ear training that helps the musician to perform more efficiently. He or she learns a vocabulary of rhythms and pitches separately from the instrument. When the performer uses the instrument, he or she can concentrate more fully on the technique of the instrument since the rhythms and pitches are second nature. It is an excellent idea.
However, training the ear, or aural work as it is often called, is organised differently in England. The same work, recognising pitches and rhythms, is divided into a range of listening activities. These activities, singing back a tune or clapping a rhythm in the early stages, become progressively more difficult as studies continue. They are examined at each stage with the practical examinations. So, for example, someone who has the Grade Eight Violin exam has studied aural work to a high level. The aural work is an integral part of the instrumental exam and not given a separate certificate.
How I am to overcome this difficulty is beyond me at present. I feel overwhelmed. I am told that I must get all my certificates translated into
He says that he became involved in talking with members of the orchestra and that he wasnât in his own room. He is here now and he has some paperwork to do with me. We order sandwiches for lunch and we sit down to look at the papers.
I have some forms to fill in. Forms are always tedious and Italian ones are especially so. I also have to give him some money for some taxes that have to be paid. I donât really understand these taxes. There are three different sums to be paid. One is a yearly tax for students attending a course. Another is, I think, because I am joining the course. The final one is because I have been late in sorting out the paperwork for entering the course. It is a sort of fine, I suppose.
The three sums, 26,000 lire, 53,200 lire, and 11,700 lire, make a total of 90,900 lire. I felt quite alarmed. It sounds so much and it is unexpected â at the best of times, I have always found numbers so confusing.
In reality, the bill is not so bad. It is approximately 100,000 lire, which is about forty pounds. It is just that it is an extra sum to find for my, as yet, not funded course of study.
There is another very important task I am told that I have to undertake before I return to Italy. I have to take all my certificates to the Italian Consulate in order to obtain a
Certificato di Equipollenza
, a certificate of equivalence. It is at this point that things begin to take a complicated turn.
I am told that my Masterâs degree and my Violin Diploma are not sufficient to convince the Italian authorities that I am proficient in theory, harmony, history of music, keyboard skills and so on. I am a little aghast but I try not to show it. The authorities require my grade certificates for piano and theory, dating back to my childhood. They also want to see the syllabuses for my diploma and degree courses, in order to understand that I have already covered all the other aspects of the mandolin diploma course. This is because Ugo is trying to arrange it for me to visit only for the mandolin lesson.
One significant problem in all this is that the authorities require proof of an exam they call
Licenza di Teoria e Solfeggio
.
Licenza
means certificate or diploma, so it is an examination that includes both theory and
solfeggio
. I feel fine about the theory because I know, whatever the standard, I have covered everything. The
solfeggio
is another matter.
Solfeggio
is a system of identifying sound names with the pitch of written notes. It is a foolproof method of being able to sing from sight. It is a fundamental skill, which is useful and some would say essential to any musician, instrumentalists and singers alike.
I have been exposed to
solfeggio
but I havenât used this system exclusively. The issue is that
solfeggio
is a method of ear training that helps the musician to perform more efficiently. He or she learns a vocabulary of rhythms and pitches separately from the instrument. When the performer uses the instrument, he or she can concentrate more fully on the technique of the instrument since the rhythms and pitches are second nature. It is an excellent idea.
However, training the ear, or aural work as it is often called, is organised differently in England. The same work, recognising pitches and rhythms, is divided into a range of listening activities. These activities, singing back a tune or clapping a rhythm in the early stages, become progressively more difficult as studies continue. They are examined at each stage with the practical examinations. So, for example, someone who has the Grade Eight Violin exam has studied aural work to a high level. The aural work is an integral part of the instrumental exam and not given a separate certificate.
How I am to overcome this difficulty is beyond me at present. I feel overwhelmed. I am told that I must get all my certificates translated into
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