Chapter 5.3 - Softly 3 (1/2)

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.