Chapter 5: Softly 3
I faced forward.
Before my eyes were more than a dozen opera department students, teacher Ku Mingi standing next to them and in the centre were me and my group members.
I, or rather, we were going to perform in front of them.
“…”
The temperature being conveyed from the touching shoulders felt strange.
Glancing towards the side, Han Dasom didn’t seem to be nervous, not to mention Lee Suh-ah and Noh Jusup.
Hmm.
Returning my gaze to the front, I felt the gazes of the audience piercing into my body – teacher Ku Mingi smiling at me, Jun Shihyuk with his crossed arms, the relaxed Kim Wuju and Song Mirae glaring over.
After glancing over the classroom, I finally realised, that I was a little nervous.
“Hu…”
Forcing a deep breath in and out, I let my body relax. Good, I could feel my heart relaxing by a bit.
“Let us begin then.”
Hearing teacher Ku Mingi’s words, I tensed my nerves… although I pretended to be calm in front of my members, there were a few circumstances that called for nervousness. Things I couldn’t avoid on the stage had been added up.
First was… my vocalisation.
Due to using a new vocalisation method for a week and trying to change it entirely, my original vocalisation was a little shaken. I was in the middle of getting rid of the installed habit so it was natural for it to be unstable. Consciously, I had to control this trembling vocalisation and suppress it.
That process wouldn’t be so easy.
On top of that, we had to sing a chorus.
A chorus. At a glance, it might seem that a chorus which was sung together would be easier than a solo. Because you know, if you made a mistake while singing alone it would be in broad daylight while in choruses you could somehow ride along and hide it.
But aren’t there things that are more comfortable when done alone? Singing was exactly like that, and especially a quartet with 4 voice types, with each making a different note, was extremely sensitive to changes.
We had to mix in four different melodies to build a tower called Counterpoint and imagine there being a row of bricks strangely placed. It would be considered fortunate if it just quivered and would normally break apart.
For choruses, it was that important to make no mistakes, forming music with other members as one. The key would be to practise a lot to match each of our frequencies as one.
However, my vocalisation was unstable, Lee Suh-ah and Noh Jusup were too busy to practise often and Han Dasom would stiffen her voice when nervous.
“…”
Along with a click, the accompaniment slowly started flowing out from the speaker. The little skipping sound of the violin could be heard, and together with that sound, all the worries that had filled me thus far vanished without a sign.
“Ha…”
A smile escaped naturally and glancing to the side, I saw the same smile on Han Dasom.
This accompaniment was just way too familiar. Even with my eyes closed, I could remember vividly the song I sang with Han Dasom every day. The fresh morning air or the warm sunlight of the day – singing whenever I was free during any of those times, that memory was properly etched into my body.
In the end, the only change was in the location.
Naturally, I just opened my mouth.
“Quaniam tu solus sanctus!”
The first sound changed the atmosphere of the class.
Students that had been leaning casually raised their bodies and teacher Ku Mingi’s eyes showed a trace of a strange colour. Kim Wuju wore a slight smile, Jun Shihyuk twitched his eyebrows and Song Mirae crumpled her expression.
Even while I was singing, all of that had entered my sight so clearly that I might even be able to touch it with a reach of my hand.
Ah, it’s because I’m so used to it.
With a smile, I matched my eyes with theirs and sang.
“Tu solus dominus–”
The pitch flowing out from my mouth was natural. After consolidating practice upon practice, the body could form the pitch by itself unconsciously. The sound then reached into the familiar melody of Han Dasom like always, and formed a harmony.
As the two of us led the melody from the front, Noh Jusup and Lee Suh-ah rode on with a comfortable expression.
“Tu solus altissimus…”
The waves of the song gently embraced the audience, or pulled pranks by shaking them roughly as it continued endlessly. Just like that, the chorus of the four which had resonated as one had played the final bit of part 11.
And straight after that was the start of Vivaldi’s Gloria part 12.
Cum sancto spiritu. With the Holy Spirit.
This song which started off with a bass had a strange aspect to it. It was that it was a fugue, a repetition of the same melody.
“Cum– sancto spiritu.”
As if responding to Noh Jusup’s lyrics, the soprano Han Dasom would follow immediately while Lee Suh-ah who had taken the role of an alto would follow suit after Han Dasom, with me joining at the very end.
Like this, each voice part would repeat the same lyric endlessly and creating a counterpoint whilst doing all that was what a fugue was.
As such, the sounds made by each voice part were different.
When the soprano was pronouncing ‘sanc’ the alto would be pronouncing ‘to’ while the tenor would be singing ‘spiri’… Every pronunciation was filled with a variety of individualism but as it was a chorus, the resonances had to be matched.
If they weren’t matched?
Rather than a song, it could become a horrible static noise. It would be worse than four broken radios being played one by one.
But if they could be matched,
Then the image of the Holy Spirit which Vivaldi was trying to portray would be made somewhat visible.
“…in gloria Dei patris.”
Noh Jusup layed a firm ground as the bass. On top of that, I laid stepping stones and Lee Suh-ah formed pillars.
Finally, Han Dasom stepped forward and sang.
“Ah–!”
Like a comfortable roof laid on top.
High but not sharp. A definite shape but not over-the-top, and soft, without any shyness. Han Dasom had sung in a timbre beyond perfect, far more than I had been wishing for.
And thus, the harmony was formed.
“…in gloria Dei patris.”
Laying my part from the back softly, I closed my eyes. The melody of the soprano jumping above reached into my ears.
Ah, good, Han Dasom. She was showing off 120% of my expectations.
The perfect concerted music vocalisation method was brought to the mouth while the vowels were spherical yet clear. She didn’t put in more strength than necessary due to nervousness and with exactly the right amount of pressure, she boasted off her unique colourful timbre.
Just, softly.
“Amen–!”
When we closed our mouths, the resonating sound left echoes before soon dissipating, and feeling that trembling air, I slowly opened my eyes to see the students. Staring at them for a bit, I tilted my head.
The song was over…
Glancing to the sides at Lee Suh-ah, Noh Jusup, and Han Dasom, they all stood there with blank expressions.
Well, whatever, let’s finish up.
Only after giving the gesture to bow and bowing together, did the sound of applause start to fall.
“Oohh!”
Like they had just woken up from a dream, the sound of claps slowly got louder before cheers started coming out from here and there. There were some who blabbered on about something while clapping, students who glared at us while biting their lower lips and those who showed pure admirations.
Also checking Song Mirae who was standing blankly, I made a smile and glanced around.
“Who was the soprano?”
“Her voice was really good.”
“Of course it was Lee Suh-ah.”
“That’s what I thought too but it’s a little strange.”
Their eyes fell on Han Dasom.
I could see Han Dasom not knowing what to do after suddenly becoming the target of several gazes. Why is she shy about things like these after singing the song perfectly?
Meeting her eyes with mine, I gestured with my mouth.
‘Well, done.’
To the same sentence which I had always told her, Han Dasom showed a response different to normal. With a bright smile, she replied.
“Thank you.”
I was telling Lee Suh-ah and Noh Jusup, well done, while shoving each others’ shoulders, when the rowdy atmosphere had calmed.
Stepping forward, teacher Ku Mingi opened his mouth.
“Now, you all heard that right? Anyone with feedback or things to point out on?”
The class turned quiet in response to the teacher’s question. Nodding his head after seeing the speechless class, he returned his eyes back to us, and wearing a smile on his face, he opened his mouth.
“Group 4. It was very good. A selection of a song, completely different to the previous Group 3. A beautiful harmony with four students becoming one – that is the charm you can only feel from choruses. Group 4 had shown that extremely well.”
“Thank you!”
When we replied with a smile, another round of applause escaped before soon stopping. With a nod, the teacher then turned his gaze towards Lee Suh-ah.
“Especially student Lee Suh-ah. I found it intriguing that despite your spectacular skills, you had been the alto instead of a soprano, but was there a special reason for that by any chance?”
“Dasom would be more suited to this song’s soprano than me”
Throwing a glance at me, Lee Suh-ah added more words.
“…was what Jo Yunjae had said.”
The gazes of everyone inside the class gathered on me.
“…”
Oh…
This is a bit scary.
In front of the prickly gazes, I blinked and stood still as teacher Ku Mingi’s face entered my sight. With a surprised expression that said, ‘Look at this guy’, he soon nodded his head seemingly coming to an understanding.
“That’s what student Jo Yunjae had said huh. To lower student Lee Suh-ah who had entered as the freshmen’s top achiever to alto, while making student Han Dasom the protagonist.”
“…Yes.”
When I glumly answered, the class started to turn rowdy again.
“Lower Lee Suh-ah?”
“Just believe in Lee Suh-ah and get carried.”
“If it were me, I would’ve pushed everything onto Lee Suh-ah like Kim Wuju’s group and played around.”
“But that guy said to Lee Suh-ah that that girl with long bangs was better?”
Seriously, it had been more than a month since admission so how come you can’t even memorise her name yet? What do you mean, the girl with long bangs?
I was in the midst of throwing a glare at them when a strange sound suddenly appeared within the classroom.
It echoed, clap, clap, clap.
The class immediately turned quiet and gathered their eyes onto teacher Ku Mingi who had been clapping. He smiled.
“A wonderful choice.”
In response to his compliment, the students that had been in debate had a sudden change in mood. Getting up from his seat, teacher Ku Mingi walked steadily at us before opening his lips.
“Student Han Dasom. Make an ‘ah–’ sound.”
“Sorry…? Ah. Ah–…”
“You too, student Lee Suh-ah.”
“Ah–.”
Hearing the two voices, he then turned his back to us.
“How was it. You could hear a significant difference in the two’s timbres right? Student Han Dasom’s is more Leggero, light and soft while student Lee Suh-ah is more elegant and clear. No matter how you saw it, it would be better for student Lee Suh-ah to be an alto than student Han Dasom.”
Seeing the students nodding away, teacher Ku Mingi turned his head towards me.
“Besides, the selection of song that amplified student Han Dasom’s timbre was good. It was student Jo Yunjae that chose the song too right?”
“…Yes.”
“I knew it.”
With a clap, he changed the atmosphere and opened his mouth.
“Then, let’s end Group 4 around here and shall we go over to Group 5? Kim Dongsik, Song Mirae, Jun Shihyuk…”
Phew, it was finally over. I’m free now.
Feeling relieved I was returning to my seat when I noticed Song Mirae’s completely blank expression from the side. Why was she like that, was she shocked?
Shrugging my shoulders, I placed my bum on the seat when Han Dasom immediately sat closeby. Glancing over, I saw her face right next to mine – her flushed expression, the circular forehead that appeared while sitting down, the sparkling eyes and lively lips that were raised high were laid bare.
She was indulged in the excitement from the stage no matter how one saw it. Han Dasom, now that I thought about it, wasn’t it her first time singing properly in front of others?
When I grinned and met her eyes, she slowly grabbed my hand.
And whispered.
“Yunjae…”
Slowly raising my hand up, she carried it steadily over towards her collarbone and from that young skin, I could feel the heat being sent to my palm. Feeling like I could hear the loud thumping heart, I pulled my hand back with a start but Han Dasom kept it there with a firm grasp.
She opened her lips.
“I… I think I’m in love…”
Looking at me blinking my eyes, she smiled bashfully.
“Singing, makes me so happy, that my heart goes like this.”
It was bright. Her happy smile seemed to be brightening up the surroundings as joy overflowed from her crescent eyes and delight was reflected from her smile. It was my first time seeing such an expression on her face.
Seeing that appearance, the old memories flashed past in my head.
I who had been as shy as Han Dasom. Teacher Kwak Jungsoo who had led me; the practices that had continued for entire days; standing on the stage and the applause from the audience that I had felt with my entire body…
Han Dasom’s smile overlapped with mine from the past.
“So… Thank you. Thank you Yunjae.”
“…”
I could feel my heart being filled. To think that the girl that would get teary saying she couldn’t sing would grow into this, who would have imagined?
Feeling proud as I gazed at her, I replied.
“No need to thank me. It was you that tried hard.”
“No. If Yunjae wasn’t there, I wouldn’t have even been able to practise like that. Too shy to do that.”
Why is she like this all of a sudden? Feeling a little awkward I quickly changed the topic.
“Um… right. You said your dream was to sing valiantly in front of people yeah? How is it, do you think you’ve achieved it?”
In response, she smiled a little before replying.
“No…”
“Un?”
Lowering her gaze, she tickled the back of my hand with her fingers. Her long eyelashes reflected the sunlight, while the thumping heartbeats were still relayed to my palm.
“The heart is so frightened, and, thumping like this… Not yet I think, so…”
Raising her head, she met her eyes with mine and smiled.
“Can you continue practising with me?”