The First Solo

Text 1: The Fourth Bar, by Elin Mercer

An original novel extract.

Behind the curtain, Maya pressed her thumb into the folded programme until the paper became soft. Beyond it, the hall murmured. A chair scraped. Someone coughed. Then the applause for the previous performer rolled towards her and stopped.

Her name was announced. For a moment, Maya’s legs forgot what they were for. She took one step. Then another. The stage lights hung above her like white moons, and the audience had become one dark, waiting shape. In the centre of the stage, the piano stool waited in a pool of gold.

Maya sat down and placed her hands on the keys. The first note trembled. The second was steadier. By the fourth bar, the music had gathered around her and was carrying her forwards. Her shoulders loosened. When the final chord faded, there was a breath of silence before the hall burst into applause. Maya smiled before she remembered to be afraid.

How does the writer make the reader aware of Maya’s changing feelings during her first solo performance?

In your answer, you could write about:

• how particular words and images show Maya’s nervousness
• how sentence lengths and the movement from backstage to the performance show change.

You should use relevant subject terminology to support your answer.