A small sound of a violin welcomes me to a courtyard. Divan brought this sound far in the middle. Nice and calm melody. Ton Charles, like everyone who knows him, is sitting under his piano, his violin in his hand, and he is making the beautiful rhythm of a waltz that glides through the air.
Charles Lesperance, aged 74, who is a very nice man, invited me to listen to another very popular piece – Mrs. Karozen – and his son Daniel Jessy accompanied him with his guitar.
Ton Charles started playing the violin at a very young age, inspired by his father and uncle who also played this musical instrument.
“But it’s starting to get worse, but before the Covid-19 pandemic, I played in a hotel. All my life I have played music, not only the violin but also the guitar,” he told me.
“Music is my life and my life. I said when I die put my violin in my arms.
His career in music started with Mr. Gerard Savy, but then Ton Charles went to form his own group called Bandits , which was very successful during that time.
I played with Mr. Morley Esther and Norbert Lepathy and together we played for several years in many hotels and even balls, Ton Charles relives these memories.
This very talented man took me on a short journey into his past, where I learned more about how he learned to play the violin.
“I learned to play the violin on a wooden box and a coconut stick, I arranged the stick and put it in the law, in accordance with the law. I scratched it and got that hard, that’s what I used.”
“I got my first violin from my late uncle, he was the one who inspired me along with my father, when I watched them playing I also wanted to learn the same,” Ton Charles told me.
That violin that was for my father, I didn’t have the right to read it. My father died in tetodorie and continued. It had a sad sound, if you take it to know. Well, Charles, I watch when father is not there, I take my dream.”
“I learned to play on my own. I have seen all their techniques when they play and when my father is not there I put them into practice on the violin. Now one day when I feel I can, I cry to my father and I tell him I want to sleep.
“Father asked me, Charles, do you know how to play your violin?” I told him yes. Father said to me, my little one, if you don’t play the violin, you will be beaten. I borrowed a violin from a man, and I started playing.
Ton Charles said that everyone was shocked that day. His talent was recognized, and with this little surprise, his father simply went to the platform and cried.
That’s where it all started for him, on another level. Ton Charles started accompanying his father when he went to play music and he also played, and then when father could no longer play, of course Ton Charles took the bar.
Your Charles passed this knowledge on playing the violin with other young people who showed great interest, including one of his sons.
He took a little break and played another little morso for me, this trip his son Daniel came to accompany him with his guitar. You said that we were in a small creole ball.
Ton Charles even went to play in several balls and even traveled to Djibouti where he performed different pieces on his violin.
Charles was born in Baie Sainte Anne, but his childhood was spent in Anse La Blague, where it was described as an interesting one. Apart from the violin, he also likes to play ducks, but nowadays apart from his violin, his little garden is his passion.
During the Lar e Kiliner Festival that took place in Praslin last weekend, Ton Charles received a little surprise. He was honored as one of the pioneers in culture on this island.
My course at Ton Charles was very interesting because I even learned to play the violin.
Source: Seychelles Nation