• THE NEIGHBORING VILLAGE consists of three-and-a-half settings of a two-sentence short story by Franz Kafka, and a musical enactment of the telescoping of time that the story describes. The first setting is one minute in length. Setting two is twice as long at two minutes. Setting three is twice as long as that at four minutes. Setting four is slower still. It would be eight minutes if allowed to continue at the pace set, but ends mid-sentence, only half-way through the text. As narrative becomes less taut in each setting, the story’s meaning is expressed more purely through form
• the short journey/story becomes, in these settings, increasingly eternal
• the destination of the village receding farther and farther into the distance. The final setting is just partial, as at that point we can imagine the process of telescoping continuing into infinity. In my reading, Kafka seems to offer us two linked perspectives: While we can hope to achieve almost nothing in life (there’s both not enough time and endless digressions to face), in the end everything we could want
• perhaps even total abundance, timelessness
• lies in the expanding distance between here and the very next village.
• Gregory Spears

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Orchestral Instruments - Delivery is FREE within Great Britain for all instruments. The price you see is the price you pay. (Instruments over £100 are always sent by our Express service, regardless of the service selected in the checkout.)

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Doorstep Drop-off only. Pianos are delivered flatpack, usually on a pallet, for self assembly. Please be aware that if you choose our courier service for larger items such as digital pianos, the courier is not contracted to carry items up any steps or stairs. If there are stairs leading to the front door of the delivery address, or you live in an apartment which is not on pavement level, it is your responsibility to arrange for transportation from the pavement level to the delivery address. Please be aware that the box can weigh 60Kg to 120Kg. We recommend that that you have help to move the box to the room of your choice from two or three able-bodied persons. In this instance, the delivery driver may, at their own discretion assist you in carrying the parcels into the delivery address, but they are not contracted nor obliged to do so.

Piano deliveries in Sussex - Subject to availability, we are often able to offer a free, pre-arranged timed delivery and setup service within 50 miles of our shops. With this option pianos are delivered and assembled in your home and the piano is left ready to play.

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• Standard: £2.00 for all orders under £15.00 - FREE for all orders over £15.00 (usually 1-4 business days)
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Please note: Digital Sheet Music purchases do not count towards free shipping eligibility.