Part No. 3

    Pachelbel’s Canon

    “In the past, when I practiced the piano, I just played by following the sounds I heard. For example, this key makes this sound, and this key makes another sound. If you keep playing often, you’ll get familiar with it.”

    Gabriel quickly explained when he saw his younger sister’s shocked expression. During that, he pressed the keys to let her see a clearer picture.

    In truth, this was a major challenge for Gabriel as well. He couldn’t teach anyone how to play music. Ever since he could remember, playing music was something he did automatically. He started playing the piano at age four, and after that, he fell in love with music irreversibly.

    Everyone around him, including his teachers, would say he was a prodigy who could play music beautifully. No matter how difficult the piece was, he could play it well. Sometimes, he even surpassed the performance of well-known musicians. His path was set to be that of a musician before he even turned ten, and so music had been his only lifelong companion. He was utterly passionate about playing music until the very end of his life, where he found himself alone on the cold throne of a musical king. 

    “I don’t understand.”

    Gloria shook her head once she finished listening to what her older brother had explained. Was her older brother one of those geniuses most people talked about? 

    “Then you should try pressing the keys yourself.”

    This was because Gabriel believed that hands-on experience was the best. 

    As soon as the chubby fingers touched the keys, a gentle sound rang out. As she moved those fingers across the keyboard, the notes rose and fell like the sound of the flow of a stream.

    With a gentle look, Gabriel watched the little child having fun moving her fingers across the keys. Once, he too had felt the joy of playing music this way. But eventually, he entered a battlefield filled with brilliant musicians, all vying for popularity. All of this was for fame, power, and an endless stream of wealth. 

    He had been one of the many fish swam along the fierce currents, and when he reached the peak of popularity that many longed for, no one had ever told him of how cold and lifeless it was at the top. In the end, he died on that lonely throne. 

    “You’re starting to make music. Well done.”

    Gabriel praised when the girl began to play music with the keys she pressed. It seemed like his younger sister had good ears.

    “But I feel like it didn’t sound like this.”

    Gloria argued. 

    “What should it sound like then?”

    Gabriel asked back with a smile. 

    “Play it again, Brother. Maybe I’ll be able to play it if you play it for me to see one more time.”

    Gloria insisted, offering a deal. Seeing his beloved younger sister pleading, Gabriel played Ode to Joy once more. However, this time, he teased his younger sister by secretly adding a few more notes to make it a little more complicated. Even so, the melody didn’t change much, he only made it more harmonious. At first, he hadn’t expected his younger sister to notice it, but it turned out that she noticed that he discreetly played it in a different way. 

    "That’s not how you played it before!"

    The little princess protested loudly the moment he finished. 

    "Why do you think that? I heard the same one."

    Dylan, who had been listening all along, asked. He enjoyed watching child play music like this the most. The bright child made his heart feel energetic.

    "No, I swear, Big Brother played it differently.”

    The girl was confident in her listening skills the most. Even if a single note was changed, she was certain she would notice it. 

    "Well then, why don’t you try playing it for me? I’d like to know what you heard.”

    He wanted to test the hearing ability of his younger sister, so much so that he couldn’t help challenging her. Perhaps Gloria was a music genius like he did. 

    "Alright…"

    Upon seeing her older brother challenging her, the little girl immediately accept it. Naturally competitive, she couldn’t give up upon facing this thing.   

    Her chubby fingers pressed down on the keys, moving from one to the next. She slowly followed the order of the melody that stuck in her memory while copying her older brother’s movements which she remembered. And that made Gabriel watch her with excitement—it wasn’t common for a child this young to play the piano with both hands without someone teaching her. Sometimes, even adults couldn’t do that. While the piece she played sounded dull and lacked emotion, it was unbelievably gentle. 

    "Isn’t this what you played earlier?"

    Once she finished playing, Gloria turned to stare at her older brother.  

    "But just now, you added this note here. It was only a few times, but I remembered.”

    She didn’t just say it, but the little one also played the song once again with her little fingers. Certainly, when it was the girl who played it, Dylan, who had been listening, noticed the difference between the two melodies too. 

    "Oh… it is different. But why couldn’t I tell the difference when Gabriel played?" he asked, puzzled. 

    "Because I play more softly, so you couldn’t tell, Mr. Fidango.”

    Gabriel answered the question as he played Ode to Joy in a more complex version for others to hear. 

    "Wow! It’s the same song, but now it sounds so intricate. It really becomes even more beautiful.”

    Carla, who had been sitting, couldn’t help praising it. It was lucky for her family to have children visit and play occasionally.

    When Dylan had told her that a friend’s son would be coming over to play the instrument, she had mentally prepared herself for the possibility of having to replace the piano before her. However, when she first saw the boy, she couldn’t help being surprised by the calm aura emanating from a ten-year-old. His elegant piano playing movements, even if a bit rough from unfamiliarity, didn’t annoy her in the slightest. On the contrary, she was even more delighted, and it turned out that both she and her husband found themselves anticipating the child’s visits every week. 

    "Gloria, you did great. If you practice often, you’ll be as good as your brother.”

    Gabriel praised his younger sister happily. Although he loved playing music, having someone to play alongside would be quite nice. 

    "Will you teach me, Big Brother?"

    Upon seeing that, Gloria quickly asked, her eyes sparkling. Gabriel hesitated at the sight of her pleading expression. He couldn’t promise anything without permission from the house owner, so he immediately turned to the oldest individual in the room. 

    "Mr. Fidango, may I bring my younger sister here with me?"

    “Go ahead, as long as you play me a song or two in return. How about that?”

     Dylan agreed generously. Everyone knew how much he and his wife adored this child, so there was no need to make a big deal out of such a small matter. 

    “Thank you so much!” Gabriel was happy upon hearing it. 

    “But what about the song you promised to play for me—it’s not Ode to Joy, right?”

    It seemed Gloria had a better memory than he expected. She wanted to see her older brother seriously play the piano the most. 

    “Oh, I almost forgot.” The boy recalled the important matter. “Well then, little princess, please move and sit next to Mr. Fidango, so you can get a better view.”

    “Okay!” The girl obediently nodded. She jumped down from the bench and went to sit between the husband and wife, who had left space for her. 

    Once he saw that everything had returned to its peaceful state, Gabriel turned back to the piano in front of him. The piece he intended to play this time was one he had never performed for anyone in this world before. It was a piece that once held great popularity and recognition: Canon in D by Johann Pachelbel. Pachelbel was a German composer from the Baroque period, which, from the planets era, was thousands of years ago. Because of its melody’s beauty and nice sound, it became one of the most popular classical pieces that people played in the era when Gabriel lived his previous life. 

    The boy’s small, slender right hand’s fingers gently touched the keyboard, and a cute, high-pitched notes began to play slowly. The introductory melodies were filled with sweetness, gradually increasing in intensity. When the boy’s left hand moved as it joined in, the higher and lower notes harmonized beautifully and perfectly. 

    The higher melody followed by the same melody, but in a lower pitch. They mingled with each other. It started, it ended, and it went back to the same melody once again. It created harmony, evoking feelings of sweetness, beauty, and pleasure. The outstanding part of Canon, which derived from the German word Kanon, was a repeating pattern between two similar melodies played at different times. 

    The Fidango couple and Gloria, the little princess, sat still, listening to the music which was being played. They felt as if they were in heaven in their minds. Especially, Gloria, with her special talent for listening, sensed that the notes being played were simple, yet the arrangement and technique made the melody so beautiful and enjoyable. It could make one enchanted by the softness and gentleness of the music.

    The piano continued to play amidst the silence. Everyone was quiet as they focused on listening, so much so that they nearly forgot to breathe. As the cheerful melody gradually slowed and came to an end, they all slowly emerged from the trance-like state of the music. 

    “My God…”

    Carla murmured in astonishment. It felt as if she had been drifting in a dream. This song was one she had never heard before, and it was so beautiful that it captivated her heart. 

    “This song is so beautiful, it’s hard to believe it even exists.”

    Dylan was also stunned.

    “This piece is called Canon in D. It was composed by Johann Pachelbel, a human who lived on Earth thousands of years ago, before humanity was able to travel in space.”

    Seeing everyone’s astonishment, Gabriel quickly began explaining the details of the piece. 

    “…Because of its simple yet beautiful melody, it can be considered as one of the songs that is popular among the people in the past.”  

    “Big Brother! I want to play this song!”

     Gloria, who had just come back to her senses, blurted out. She had fallen in love with the piece at first listen, and her heart was urging her to practice to play it herself. 

    “Gloria likes it, huh?”

    It seemed he had chosen the right song. In fact, it was a piece that nearly everyone fell in love with after hearing it. 

    “Yes!!” The girl nodded and confirmed it in a firm tone. 

    “But I have another song I want to play for you.”

    In fact, there were many cute and cheerful songs that would suit his little princess, but since they were still in Mr. Fidango’s home, he wanted to pick a piece that both adults could enjoy as well. 

    “Is there a song even more beautiful than this one?” Gloria was curious. 

    “Mmm, beautiful or not is something you’ll have to decide for yourself, but I’m sure it’s certainly more fun than Canon in D.”

    “A piece with a fun melody, you say? You usually play romantic songs for us, so now I want to know about it.”

    Upon hearing it, Dylan clearly expressed his interest.

    During his trips to Sagittarius, Dylan had seen live performances by streamers, but most of the music they played relied on synthesized sounds or was created and performed using the systems. And when there were people playing instruments, it was usually the piano.

    But despite that, the songs they played didn’t make him feel the same emotion with the songs as the ones Little Gabriel played at all. That was the main reason he always wanted this little child to come and play music at his home. 

    “I always see you two being sweet together, so I wanted to add a bit more sweetness.” Gabriel laughed upon hearing Dylan’s sad complaint. 

    “This kid! Do you think humans only have one emotion? Sometimes, I want to hear sad songs, love songs, or some relaxing tunes too. If your little sister weren’t here, would you never play anything else for me?”

    Seeing the old man starting to feel hurt, the boy raised his hands in surrender. 

    “In that case, today I’ll play a cheerful and cute piece for everyone.”

    He placed his hands on the keyboard to show he was ready to start playing the music. 

    “I’ll play a piece inspired by the charm of Earth’s seasons. It’s one of the movements from The Four Seasons, and I’ll be playing Spring by Antonio Vivaldi.”