The children's Bach

There was a piano in the kitchen and during the day Athena would shut herself in there under the portrait of Dexter's father and pick away at Bartok's Mikrokosmos or the easiest of Bach's Small Preludes. Preludes to what? Even under her ignorant fingers those simple chords rang out like a shout of triumph, and she would run to stick her hot face out of the window. Excerpted from The Children's Bach by Helen Garner All rights reserved by the original copyright owners. Excerpts are provided for display purposes only and may not be reproduced, reprinted or distributed without the written permission of the publisher.