Old-time musicians

Early the next morning, a shiny black, brand-new limousine with a slender waistline slowly drove out of the outer courtyard of Turner Art Hall and moved slowly on the icy streets.

Taiwan Novel Network→𝔱𝔴𝔨𝔞𝔫.𝔠𝔬𝔪

Pedestrians huddled their necks and walked in a hurry, and white smoke spewed out from the nostrils of the animals in front of the carriage, but there was a natural and even flow of warm air flowing inside the carriage.

"Is it because I lack understanding of this luxury car that costs five times more than the school bus?" Lawyer Monroe sat leisurely in the back seat. "Does it contain some kind of hidden, gentle and efficient steam pipe?"

His impression of Fan Ning's use of the invisible power of the "candle" was limited to simple exchanges and the control of burning people with curse seals.

"It's your lack of understanding of the current President Carloen." Sheeran, who was in the passenger seat, puffed out the mist on the car window, drew out the words and patterns with his finger, and then quickly erased them and started over again.

Fan Ning, who was holding the steering wheel in the cab, looked forward, and there was the sound of paper turning behind him.

"There is no workload for that piece of music, I will arrange it myself." Fan Ning said, "...Besides, Master Schillings is the master in the end, so just practice your voice, walk on stage, and rest more during the rest of the time.

"Being on the same stage with two masters, especially in a male trio with Master Niemann and the famous composer Mr. Virgil, I have to pay attention to this." Kaplan, who was also sitting in the back row, was looking down at the music score. Wearing a thick black coat, his face was pale but his eyes were in good spirits.

"Of course, no matter how much I attach importance to it, being on stage is also a hindrance to the master. Fortunately, the vocal clip is not long, and it is not as complex as your previous works. My plan is to capture these baritone parts. Knocking to death, striving to keep the beats aligned and the pitch not drifting... Professor Fan Ning, in terms of the subtlety and touching degree of your "Choral Fantasy in C minor", it is still as good as any previous work. In my opinion, you and "Second Symphony" "All that's left is the last flash of lightning and sparks."

As he spoke, he pinched his wrist and arm in several places, seeming to frown because of the pain, and then turned his head to look at the street scene outside the car window, his eyes slightly out of focus: "Perhaps, if there is hope early next year, I will really have time to hear it. Premiere…”

"Or maybe, even if I don't have time to know what the final movement is like, the solemn and sentimental funeral scenes, the warm memories of old friends and the sunshine of the past, and the hoarse venting screams in the chaos and danger are already very good. It’s a good emotion to express, but unfortunately I can’t wait until the day when I can personally interpret it. It would take too long and too many years of experience..."

Fan Ning, who was driving, moved the corners of his mouth when he heard the words and organized some words, but was dismissed by the thought.

The hands on the steering wheel tensed and relaxed, then he rolled down the window, shivering from the cold wind, and then closed it again.

After a long time, he smiled and said:

"The premiere of Symphony No. 2, you're on."

Sheeran's movements in the co-pilot's hands stopped for a moment. She knew how complex the orchestration and texture of Fanning's future work would be, and how daunting its difficulty and length were. She seemed to hear the familiar " No no no” voice.

But Kaplan, who has always avoided similar topics, was uncharacteristically not waving his hands or shaking his head today.

Because what a kind gesture of comfort and friendship it is.

"It's a surprise arrangement, you see, so the idea of ​​'resting more' is untenable." Kaplan laughed, "Obviously, my research on the first few movements needs to continue, otherwise this matter Maybe it’s too late. Just take the fact that I was taken out for afternoon tea socializing or today’s visit as an example. I was at least extra delayed in the following aspects, first..."

"The name for visiting the hospital today is the official name of Turner Art Hall, and your identity is one of the main management representatives." Fan Ning emphasized the necessity of going with him.

In fact, Fan Ning knew that Kaplan's physical condition had declined significantly recently.

Normal people would generally not be able to withstand the pressure of rehearsing a new piece of music that was airtight and performing every other day.

Even the musicians of the old symphony orchestra were all replaced by Fan Ning in a reasonable allocation of repertoire. Fortunately, when they were recruited, the size of the orchestra was based on the future "Second Symphony", which left some space for them. A lot of room to operate.

Only a handful of people can maintain a strong mental state and high-quality output from beginning to end, including Kaplan, whose workload is second only to Fanning.

So he had to find a reason to take him out and force him to rest, such as having afternoon tea every day, or visiting Ms. Hamilton after the opening season.

"Hospital, I go to the hospital a lot." Kaplan closed the music book, "It's not a good place. Every time you go to a place like this and come back, you will have doubts about your daily peaceful life. and uneasiness…”

"During the more than a year of regular check-ups after suffering from leukemia, I saw workers who fell from a relatively high place while working, suffered severe head injuries but doctors could not help, and whose strong bodies were unconscious on stretchers. The ground was making its final twitch; I have seen parents surrounding their children who were about to die just after birth, and the child in the process of passing away was like a little angel resting quietly; I have also seen the pillars of middle-class families who have just started to improve their lives. After getting sick, he leaned on the bed and watched his relatives gathered around, making a decision with conscience confusion between 'giving up directly' or 'giving up after spending money'..."

"For lawyers, this is also a perspective that reflects joys and sorrows." Monroe took over the conversation with emotion and approval, "Whether public or private, regardless of the audience class, it is the evidence tracing site for 80% of inheritance division lawsuits, the scene of 60% of accident compensation and divorce disputes, and the final destination of a small number of civilians who enter the public assistance field and die silently..."

Kapulen nodded: "In short, after going to such places more often, you will find that how "comfortable", how "decent", how "elegant and poetic", and how "happy" your life is... Hey, then It’s not about how capable you are, but simply because you are ‘not unlucky enough’. Life’s pranks haven’t played on you yet… Some people want to learn from people who suffer from terminal illnesses or accidental injuries, and categorize the causes of misfortune into ‘low morals’, ‘carelessness’, ‘indulging in alcohol and sex’, ‘involved in bad habits’, etc., in order to avoid following in their footsteps. This is somewhat useful, but not much…”

He wiped his gold-rimmed glasses, and his tone and demeanor were completely as if he was out of the matter, neither a ‘being teased’ nor a ‘fear of being teased’.

The chat came to an end inadvertently, and everyone looked at the receding scenery outside the window for a while.

The car passed a steel guardrail along the street, turned into the courtyard, and stopped in front of two light-colored buildings that were still tall and imposing, but the walls looked a bit old.

As a reform product separated from the workhouse after the introduction of the Urban Poverty Law, this county-level mental patient committee hospital was obviously in the first echelon of the construction funding at that time. However, after years of erosion and major and minor repairs and maintenance, this building built more than 30 years ago now has a significant difference in appearance from the surrounding areas.

Footsteps and whispers wandered in the halls of the hospital. The floor was covered with neat but not aesthetic tiles, the walls were painted a thick grayish white, and the smell of food mixed with disinfectant could be smelled from time to time in the air.

There were also uneven breathing and suppressed sobbing behind some doors that Fanning's spiritual sense could detect.

Everyone came to a single ward on the fourth floor with better facilities. A male and a female family member of the same age as Kaplun leaned on the end of the accompanying bed in a daze. When they saw Fanning and his party coming, they smiled and stood up to greet them.

Two little boys were playing with a ball by the window, with a carefree expression, but it seemed that they had been scolded, so they just shook the ball in their hands hesitantly and did not dare to shoot it.

At the workbench in the spacious single room, Fanning met Ms. Hamilton and her three student assistants.

During the conversation, Fanning learned that Hamilton's main problem was liver and kidney failure caused by the accumulation of toxins, which was consistent with the relevant etheric body indications he observed with his spiritual perception.

The old lady's mind was still clear, but the usual serious temperament that made strangers a little scared seemed to collapse all of a sudden, and she became an ordinary old woman who was taciturn.

She looked very bad and needed help to move, but she did not rest. Instead, she asked the assistants to lay her down in a semi-lying state, and then extended a set of foldable tabletops in front of her.

On it were manuscripts, small brick reference books and bound pamphlets. At the far end, there was a mountain of file paper shells, and there were more under the table. One assistant was squatting on the ground to count, and the other kept making marks on the label paper, tearing off and sticking it on one after another.

Hamilton held a pen, calmly called Fanning "chief" and said hello, then asked: "Can you tell me the progress of the compensation implementation?"

"85%." Monroe stepped forward, "The rest is mainly due to the second review process just started."

"Thank you." Hamilton thanked and continued to write. After a few minutes, her hands were shaking. The assistant wiped her face and hands with a warm towel, then temporarily retracted the folding table and temporarily laid the bed and chair flat.

Twenty minutes later, she asked to restore the table and angle again.

"Chief Fanning, I'm very sorry. I have the responsibility to thank you for what happened in the past six months, but I feel that I don't have much time and I'm busy with things. I can't entertain you."

Responsibility? ...Thank you? ...To me?

Fanning was stunned.

"You are too kind. It's okay. I'll chat with everyone." He smiled.

"45 detection and measurement methods for 27 specific occupational disease pathogens, 6 types of production site epidemiological survey guidelines, 910 representative patient diagnosis and treatment files, 75 sets of diagnosis and treatment recommendation modules, 3 unfinished medical journal papers, 4 public health regulations drafted by the parliament, and graduation thesis guidance for 4 graduating students..."

In the conversation with assistants and family members, Fanning understood why Ms. Hamilton was so eager to work.

She wanted to sort out the unfinished research results as much as possible while she was still conscious, and provide guidance and handover to younger students on this road.

The assistants couldn't bear to refuse the old lady's "order".

Kaplan stared at the empty bed behind him in a daze. After a while, he took a small green pill because of the pain and discomfort.

During the time of visiting and chatting, several groups of workers and middle-class families wanted to visit. They should have learned about Ms. Hamilton's serious illness and came to visit with some flowers and small gifts.

For example, the couple working in the chemical factory accepted some treatment and conditioning advice from Ms. Hamilton due to the risk of organic teratogenicity, and came to thank her with a healthy and lovely baby girl.

Hamilton always asked her assistant to apologize and refused to see her.

Fanning and her group stayed here until after eleven o'clock in the morning, and her sorting work was temporarily suspended.

So she finally chatted with Ms. Hamilton, who was resting with her eyes closed, for about ten minutes.

He talked about his "popularization of art" concept, saying that his overall idea is "first to let some civilians have the opportunity to learn serious music, and then let more civilians have the opportunity to listen to the former perform serious music", so as to promote it in a cycle.

He also talked about the "music aid" plan that is being implemented, saying that the recruitment of choir members went smoothly, but the youth symphony orchestra involves instrumental music, and the difficulty of digging out among the civilian group is a little slower. Those who meet the basic requirements, either their ancestors have experience in military bands or rural musicians, or their middle-class families have suffered changes, or they have met some generous teachers who recognize talents. This group may not be fully in place until after the New Year.

The old lady listened very seriously.

"It's a bit stuffy, I want to get some fresh air."

"The weather is very cold, you can't do this for too long." The assistant carefully opened the sliding window a few centimeters.

The notebook that Hamilton had closed before was opened by the cold wind.

"Can I see your title page?" Kaplun had been standing silently beside him with something on his mind, and at this moment his pupils suddenly focused on some words.

"Please, Mr. Commander."

The lying old lady responded weakly and waved her hand to indicate that it was okay.

Kaplun bowed slightly and picked it up.

The poem recorded on the cover of the workbook by this usually serious old lady is a short poem:

"Oh, little red rose!

The world is in great trouble!

People live in great pain!

I would rather choose to live in heaven!

I walked to the wide path,

An angel came and tried to send me back.

No, I don't want to be sent back to the world!

I came from the glory and will return to the glory.

Dear initial light will open a ray of light to me,

Illuminate my eternal and happy life!"

"Distressed questioning, solemn desire."

Kapulan recited the short poem twice as if no one was there: "I really like its ending sentence."

"For me, it's not the ending sentence that's important, but the beginning." The old lady responded with her eyes closed.

... The beginning...? Kapulan read it again and nodded gloomily and politely.

He and her, both of whom have little time left, met for the first time, but exchanged a short poem whose source is unknown?

"Man lives by life instinct, but he lives for stronger motivations, and it is these motivations that burn him out." His tone was full of respect, as if he was just evaluating the other person.

Just evaluating the other person.

"Madam, may I ask where it came from, or if you wrote it yourself?"

"I can't write poetry." Hamilton said, "It came from an old friend many years ago, Mr. Vien, the old organist, and I wrote a letter. Judging from the context, it is not his original work. I have no idea where it came from..."

"The Magic Trumpet of the Boy."

Fanning's words made everyone around him look at him.

"A collection of folk songs circulated in the Western Continent compiled by the Janus poet 'Barentero' in the early 20th century, which contains a total of 15 poems. But this can only be considered half of the source, because the original authors and ages of these poems cannot be verified. When the poet 'Barentero' translated them into Janus, the materials he collected were not the original texts, but translations that had been circulated many times in the market and countryside."

"Carlon, you know everything you encounter." Shiran looked at Fanning with a glitter in his eyes.

Even if he is not engaged in artistic work at the forefront of the stage, he is also an outstanding music scholar.

Fanning continued to explain calmly: "In terms of the content of "The Magic Horn of the Boy", some are secular and some are religious. For example, the corresponding allusion of the sixth poem is the material of the third movement of my "Second Symphony" - the medieval hymn "St. Janin of Pontua Preaching to the Fishes" of the Holy Sun Church, and the 11th "Three Angels Singing Sweet Songs" is also something I am fascinated by..."

"And the song copied in the letter from the organist of Vian should be the 12th, and its title is - "The Initial Light."