Old-time musicians

"Initial light?..."

Monroe and Sheeran pondered this word, and the two knowledgeable people felt a strong mysticism.

Sheeran, who is especially proficient in linguistic research, knows that in the word formation of the ancient Janus language, the "original" affix plus the root word "ray"... this word refers to "glow".

There is a difference between "initial light" and "first knowledge of light". The latter refers to the gift of light when a knowledgeable person is promoted for the first time, that is, "the first understanding of the initial light."

Fan Ning had read this poem, and now he was re-reading it, but he experienced a completely different feeling.

"When things come to this point, music can finally produce some omens and trends that are divorced from the human world." Fan Ning's eyes drifted away, "The solemn funeral of the giant, the inextricable reminiscence of the past, the dangerous and chaotic movement and the hysterical sound Scream... Then, I do not deny that the pain is still there, but it has become a quiet pain, which is the quiet desire before leaving the world, praying temperately and devoutly..."

This change is partly because the narrative context and mood have changed.

More importantly, together with Miss Roy, he studied and thought about a large number of cantatas from the medieval period, as well as the creative techniques of romantic art songs, and also discussed a considerable number of original texts. These accumulations and insights were reflected in his re-examination. There was a wonderful chemical reaction to "Initial Light".

A melody about "First Light" appeared in Fanning's mind. Although it was incomplete, the solemn musical character it should have was very clear. .

"It's not instrumental music, it's a ballad, a friendly and gentle female voice. She sings for me, for our buried hero... It's not a high-pitched, loud, crisp soprano, nor is it magnetic and sexy in a different way. The female bass, she is a mezzo-soprano, gentle and simple, just like the tranquility with pain, the longing with pious temperament..."

"This is not the final movement, and I already have three movements, but why can't I write one more movement?"

"Even the struggle in the potential plot was temporarily eliminated at this moment - the world is in a great dilemma! People are living in great pain! - the desire to be redeemed has been nakedly revealed , this is clear and clear, but we still can’t understand how to get there.”

"What is the purpose of living? Is there any point in suffering? In this era of booming technology, even religious believers may not believe that heaven really exists. Mystics also know that Yiyong is not a place of peace and eternal life. Those silent The souls of the dead have been drifting infinitely into the distance...but this is a wonderful introduction, this is a wonderful transition..."

"Caron..." Sheeran pulled Fanning's sleeve to remind him that there was one more thing on this trip.

Fanning looked up from inspiration and contemplation.

"Ms. Hamilton, we sincerely invite you, your relatives, friends and students to attend the New Year's Concert on the evening of December 31st."

He took out 10 tickets from his briefcase and put them on the table: "Because the number is uncertain, I have reserved this number for the time being. It doesn't matter if there are any discrepancies. Everyone can just come over."

"New Year's concert? Yes, the year 914 of the new calendar is coming soon." The old lady's voice was old and vain, "Thank you for your kindness, and the magical medicine you sent me a few days ago. It gave me more time. It also allows people to focus more away from discomfort, but my time is still too little..."

Fan Ning was a little surprised by the rejection in her words: "You should really enjoy going to concerts."

"Yeah... I used to go to the Uvranser City Concert Hall and the Municipal Opera House." Hamilton turned to look out the window. The street scenes composed of gray clouds, steel and soot made her recall. , “I have gone less in recent years, and I prefer to listen to the organ and choir in the church as before. There are more friends there, it is more lively and there is gospel, and the cantatas, hymns, passions and masses are there. Music makes people feel more happy or comforted by the Lord..."

"So you..." Fan Ning said.

"I have too little time." The old lady repeated again and again, "If I listen less to this concert and sort out more things, more people will have more opportunities to live in the future. There will always be someone among them to take their place. I went to the concert.”

She motioned to her assistant to rock up the seat again, unscrew the pen cap and continue working.

The title page of the short poem "First Light" is covered.

Fan Ning thought for a moment and then slowly spoke: "The last piece of the New Year's Concert is an orchestral piece with vocals. The choir will appear in our band at the grandest moment. Yes, it is part of the 'Music Relief' project. A choir of one," Fanning emphasized at last.

The old lady's trembling pen tip suddenly stopped.

"Don't you want to see what those children look like now when they step onto the stage of the Symphony Hall?"

…

More than ten days flew by.

On the evening of December 31, 2013, in the living room of Turner Art Hall, Fan Ning, who was sitting at his desk, closed his pen, stood up, lifted the curtains, and pushed open the window.

In the dark night, the cold wind howled, carrying goose feathers and heavy snow and pouring into the room.

"The second New Year in the old industrial world?..." Fan Ning looked far away.

In the field of vision, fireworks and firecrackers exploded high in the sky, and colorful sparks burst out and fell. The steel skeleton of the city of Ufranser, as well as the gray-white outer blanket covered with heavy snow, were constantly changing with various flashes of light.

At the end of the year, the pressure of rehearsals dropped dramatically, but daily chores were busy.

However, fortunately, Fanning's new musical idea is not long. Just now, he completed the fourth movement of the "Second Symphony".

As the "introduction" and "transition" before the imagined finale, its estimated duration is only four or five minutes.

Fanning gave a "simple but extremely solemn" instruction at the beginning of the movement. In addition to the orchestral arrangement, it also requires a mezzo-soprano solo.

Although Fanning's energy was conceived as an "art song" after the early discussions and inspiration, in fact, when developing and expanding the musical idea, the symphony was shown as always, and those instruments occupied the same position.

Rather than saying that it is an art song with orchestral accompaniment, it is better to say that it is a symphonic cantata.

The first section of the theme is calm and painful, and then there are intense and frequent changes in key and instrumentation. Fanning tries to blend the crisp bells of the celesta and harp, the thick nasal sobs of the clarinet, and the deep prayers of the solo violin, showing a kind of heavenly timbre and an illusory paradise scene.

After the strong lament of the pain of the world at the beginning of the poem, the sentence "I would rather choose to live in heaven!" is repeatedly reproduced by Fanning in the middle climax of the 58th bar, re-interpreted in a shortened way, and a somewhat harsh sixth-degree chord is added after two bars.

Yearning, longing, is like an unfulfilled wish.

A wish that has not yet been fulfilled.

"My second movement is too nostalgic, and the third movement is too negative. Although I have deep doubts about the meaningless life there, I still enthusiastically imagine that heaven really exists, so that the people I miss who are no longer in the world, and the people I fear will leave in the future, can still look at this spiritual garden."

"And I will definitely find a way to realize that unfulfilled wish for redemption, and before my own haze falls."

Fanning stepped out of the living room door. The outside was bright and decorated with lights. Even the fireplace in the public area, which was mainly used for decorative functions, was burning with a blazing fire. There were many Hoffman ethnic fabrics hanging on the ceiling and railings, and inevitably under Fanning's influence, they brought a bit of festive red from another world.

The air flow in the symphony hall was warm and magnificent, and the poetic music flowed and flew.

Fanning sat alone.

The position was in the corner of the leftmost and front row of the first floor of the audience. He appreciated the "Blue Danube" conducted by Master Schillings on the stage.

The string group surrounding the front of the stage sounded as delicate and smooth as velvet, the brass' shouts were warm and deep, the woodwind's ripples reflected the glimmer of gemstones, and the delicate and elegant waltzes made Fanning's heart soar.

The New Year's Concert started with "The Blue Danube" and "Thunderbolt Polka", which had been seen by the audience before, followed by ten Janus-style opera overtures, waltzes and marches, and finally the "small tribute and first attempt" that attracted much attention in the music industry.

There was no marketing activity for this performance, no additional publicity, and the upper limit of the VIP price was set by Fanning at 24 pounds according to the conventional top standard. The only change in the arrangement was that the ticket seats were divided into two batches of 50%, and the tickets were sold three days apart, so that music fans from foreign cities such as Santa Ana would not miss the opportunity to buy tickets.

But they were sold out before the end of the two mornings.

"So many familiar faces..." During the applause, Fanning glanced back from the corner of the audience in front. He saw old lady Hamilton, who looked quite good today, wearing a fashionable shawl, sitting upright in the left side of the 8th row; he saw a large number of familiar classmates who had graduated or were still in school; he also saw Sir Viadrin, lawyer Monroe, and Cynthia, apothecary, and other colleagues of the school; he saw a group of impressionist painters and several academic painters with whom he had a close relationship, as well as dignitaries, nobles, and critics from various departments of the empire.

Everyone was there.

Except for those who were no longer there.

"This may be nonsense." Fanning raised his head slightly and looked at the brass and lights on the top. "But I really hope that my family is here too, and I hope that Teacher Anton can see all this, and Dean Gould and others can sit in the audience..."

"But no matter what, everyone who is here is here, and there will be more and more familiar faces on the stage later." Fanning let himself think about something more worth being happy about, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth, he closed his eyes and listened to the music, and waved his right hand slightly to the beat.

Bringing joy to everyone is a warmer and more fulfilling thing than simply enjoying joy by yourself, and he finally built a free spiritual home with his own hands, a harbor for the soul to rest.

Even if their souls drift infinitely in the migration, "Ge" will feel relieved.

"It's almost my turn."

After the last piece of music began, Fanning flicked his fingers in the air eagerly, then crouched down and quickly slipped out of the audience from the side aisle.

In the slightly darker side aisle of the stage, he met Master Schillings who had temporarily retreated from the podium.

The two shook hands, and then Maestro Schillings made a gesture to invite him to go first.

"Wow!!"

Fanning, wearing a tuxedo, walked into the stage without a baton, but received a wave of enthusiastic cheers and shouts from the fans.

He smiled and bowed to Sheeran, and the two shook hands and winked at each other.

The second round of applause rang out, and Schillings came on stage to conduct and took the initiative to shake hands with Fanning again. At this time, quite a few audience members felt a little confused.

What's going on? How come the entrance of "C minor choral fantasy" looks like a concert of piano concerto?

Orchestral works with chorus can't be fake.

A large number of music fans glanced at the back of the symphony orchestra, where the choir boys and girls were in place in advance. They were wearing neat black suits and white evening dresses, sitting with their heads held high in the choir seats below the reserved seats for the organ.

They must be the last to stand up. What about the piano? How does the piano enter? Together? Or somewhere in the middle?

The audience and music critics stared at this talented musician who changed his role tonight.

Fanning sat down, tried to step on the pedals, adjusted the seat position, and adjusted his tuxedo.

In front of him was the smart and elegant "Boethius" trademark, as well as the warm and delicate black and white piano keys, which made Fanning's thoughts drift back to the night of December 22, the eve of graduation season a few years ago, and then drifted further and further, arriving at the European winter night of the same month and day in 1808.

Vienna Theater, how happy the citizens who attended the music feast that night must have been.

It can be said that there is no regret in this life.

Beethoven brought them so many programs, and they were so great: "Fate" of the "Fifth Symphony in C Minor" and "Pastoral" of the "Sixth Symphony in F Major" premiered one after another, and Beethoven himself played the piano "Piano Concerto No. 4 in G Major" and "Mass in C Major" (86) and other vocal works.

However, Beethoven thought it was not enough. Look, since there is already a conductor, an orchestra, singers and a choir, and he happens to be sitting in front of the piano, why not integrate all the elements into a brand new work?

I was struggling to think about the choral writing of the future symphony, so why not give it a try first?

Because it was a spontaneous act on the eve of the performance, this "C Minor Choral Fantasy" was prepared too hastily.

So much so that even the beginning was not written.

During the performance, Beethoven improvised instead, and the audience who felt the sublime power responded with great applause. This piano cadenza introduction that embodied the supreme inspiration of the "Torchbearer" was also fixed in the score of later generations.

So today, those music fans were surprised to find that --

Master Schillings on the stage smiled and stood with his hands behind his back, and seemed to have no intention of starting the beat.

The musicians did not raise their instruments to prepare.

This made the audience even more confused.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Fanning's expression became sad and deep in an instant, and both hands fell on the keys.

Starting from the bass octave C in the left hand, the gray and heavy C minor block chords were played, just like the beginning of Beethoven's Pathétique Sonata.

From two C minor triads, to F minor triad, to the dominant seventh chord of E flat major...

They imitated four sentences with the same pattern, climbing up and falling down, climbing up again, and falling down again.

Depressed, cold, and painful.

The conductor stood in silence, the whole audience was silent, and the orchestra and choir were silent.

The only thing being played was the piano under Fanning's fingertips.

...Piano solo?

"What kind of presentation is this?"

Many listeners guessed wrong.

But the dramatic sound has already grabbed their hearts tightly in the air.