The scene opens with the piano teacher, Antonio Cantabile, teaching his students a piece by a famous composer. The piano player, who has been studying with the teacher since he was a young child, is impressed by the teacher's ability to read music. He is also impressed by his mother, who taught him piano at an early age. He praises the piano player's mother's skill in teaching him music, and he asks the teacher to teach him a more "happy sort of turn" on his wrist so that he will be able to play the music with grace. The teacher replies that he does not eat well, but that his wife is a "top - notch" cook. He tells the piano student that he has a salon concert coming up, and that it is a good idea for an audience to hear his music. The two of them discuss the upcoming concert, and Antonio cant wait to play a piece for the audience. He says that he feels like he is "watching" the teacher, who is thinking about him "that much" . He notices that the teacher has left out food for a month, which he knew would happen. He asks Antonio to make him a favorite dish for the concert, but Antonio says that his favorite dish is "water buffalo mom salad rolls" , which Antonio says is the best thing he has ever eaten. He then asks Antonio why he did not kiss her when she was visiting, but she says that she is visiting and that they should not have kissed. She then asks him why he has not spoken to her since he came to Paris. She tells him that she has fallen in love with him, and she asks him to come back to the piano.