Chapter 615: Chapter 23: Playing the Zither
Such a space, though comfortable and open for most people, was quite lonely for the young Yurong. Without a teacher around, painting and playing the piano by herself here was indeed a solitary thing. No wonder she later went through a rebellious phase, when her parents were too busy to control her, she would run wild with spoiled brats, and prank others for fun.
Li Yan hugged her with one arm and stroked her hair with the other, reassuring her, "Actually, when you’ve flown a lot, you’d start longing for this kind of peace. Aren’t you free to fly now?"
"Yeah, that’s why I often prefer living in the dormitory. Although the environment isn’t great there and I have to share a small space with others, at least I don’t feel lonely..." Saying this, Yurong suddenly laughed, "But now I’m not lonely anymore. Whenever I feel lonely, thinking of you makes me not lonely."
Li Yan pinched her nose, smiling, "Are you saying nice things on purpose? I seem to remember someone being quite prominent in school, didn’t you have a group of bodyguards? Even when playing tennis, there were usually guys cheering for you."
"Hehe, are you jealous, Uncle? Those are just some kids."
"And what about you? Are you a kid too?"
"Of course not! They’re mainly immature," Yurong laughed as she let go, "Let me play the piano for you! Let’s see how my level compares with Nian Yufei’s."
"Sure, but if you play for me, wouldn’t it be..."
"Playing to an unappreciative audience! Haha..."
Both of them said it at the same time and burst into laughter.
...
When Yurong sat quietly in front of the white piano, her hands on the keys, she really had a bit of aura, a quality that comes only after years of study and practice, which shows itself especially when sitting at a piano. At least, to Li Yan, he couldn’t pretend to have such an aura.
Yurong looked up and smiled at Li Yan beside her, "What song would you like to hear?"
Uh... Li Yan pondered. ’Back when you said your legs would part, they parted just so’, the song "Love’s Betrayal" was definitely off-limits. He should at least mention something like "Für Elise", right?
"Chopin? Bach? Liszt? Tchaikovsky?" Yurong blinked and asked.
Li Yan broke out in a cold sweat, he was glad he didn’t say anything. Forget "Love’s Betrayal"; even though "Für Elise" is a masterpiece by Beethoven, it’s so well-known it’s almost clichéd.
He took out his cigarette pack, giving a wry smile, "I originally wanted to act like I know a lot about music and have good taste. But I really don’t know much about music; I’ve heard those masters’ names, but their works don’t leave an impression."
Yurong burst out laughing, "Just teasing you! Actually, I’m quite annoyed with those great works too; even looking at the scores, I might not be able to play them. The pieces I can play are just some small pieces."
Li Yan originally wanted to smoke, but remembering she had a cold, he put the pack away. He laughed, "Then just play whatever you like, and I’ll listen to whatever you play. It doesn’t matter if you play randomly either!"
Yurong thought for a moment, "Then I’ll play a section of Canon!"
Then she started pressing the keys one by one, and gradually both hands danced, and the music flowed out. After listening to a segment, Li Yan realized, "I’ve heard this before!"
Canon, or Canon, is originally a musical composition technique, like the fugue, it’s one of the methods of composing polyphonic music, using imitation techniques of counterpoint. It also refers to works composed using the Canon technique.
The most famous one is "Canon" by Johann Pachelbel. It is the first part of "Canon and Gigue in D Major for three violins and basso continuo," often simply referred to as "Canon in D." Most people mentioning "Canon" are referring to this piece.
In traditional performance, the piece starts with a cello, and then the three violins join successively with an eight-beat gap, all playing the exact same melody, there are only three different melodies in total, each only two measures long for repeated playing; the cello has only two measures of melody throughout, repeated over twenty-eight times, but listeners are deeply intoxicated by the melody without feeling monotony. The ability to create complexity from simplicity suggests the composer had reached a high level of mastery.
This Canon has had many versions over the years, remaining constantly popular. It appears in many movies and idol dramas. In 1985, pianist George Winston released his solo piano arrangement of Canon, which popularized the romantic trend of performing Canon on piano. Now Yurong is playing the George Winston version.
Li Yan found it familiar, not because he learned it from film or TV, but because one of Zhang Yurong’s favorite pure music records included George Winston’s piano pieces. So, when she played it, he quickly recognized the familiar melody.
Hearing Li Yan say he heard it before made Yurong play with more heart. Although the piece isn’t high in difficulty, with many repetitions and variations, if she made a mistake, it’d be more noticeable to listeners.
This Canon isn’t long, and the piano arrangement is just over four minutes, so Yurong quickly finished the piece.
Li Yan clapped with a smile, "Not bad, not bad, I can’t understand deep techniques and difficulties of the piece, but listening to you play, I can resonate with it; I hardly recall anything from Nian Yufei’s concert."
This wasn’t flattery, but the truth. For ordinary people, musical pieces are easier to remember and resonate with, unlike lengthy grand classical compositions lasting tens of minutes with multiple movements, which even classical music fans struggle to familiarize themselves with without reaching a higher level or spending significant time listening. This is why most people are familiar with Beethoven’s "Ode to Joy," "Für Elise," and the prelude of "Symphony No. 5" with Canon technique.
Yurong showed an enchanting smile; in that moment, the troubles and pains of learning piano all felt worth it. Being able to play for someone she liked and gain his appreciation, isn’t that the happiest thing about learning piano?
"I’ll play another classic for you!" Like a little girl encouraged, she began excitedly anew.
"Not too long..." Li Yan thought of the classics of classical music, but soon, he heard a familiar melody. It turns out this classic was actually a classic of popular songs—she was playing "The Moon Represents My Heart"!
Li Yan silently made a clapping gesture and then followed her melody, humming along: "You ask me how deep my love for you is, how much I really love you..."
This song by Deng Li Jun from decades ago, reinterpreted by many superstars, has remained popular as ever. It’s also one of the best declaration songs for couples. Now with Yurong playing and Li Yan humming along, though his voice didn’t do justice to listeners, it was a delight for the two of them.
Toward the end, Yurong also joined in singing; she didn’t even need to look at the keys, her gaze on Li Yan as she kept playing.
When the song ended, Li Yan lightly kissed her on the lips, then the two smiled at each other and clapped together again.
"Not bad, not bad, Uncle, your singing isn’t too deadly! How about collaborating again on my birthday?" Yurong smiled and said.
"Your birthday? When is it?" Li Yan was a bit embarrassed; he admitted she was his girlfriend, yet he didn’t know her birthday.
Yurong had actually meant to remind him and didn’t expose his awkwardness. She smiled and said, "It’s soon, just next weekend!"
Li Yan quickly noted down the date, making sure not to forget it. But speaking of birthdays, he suddenly recalled someone else’s birthday was coming up too, and... he was speechless; how could it be such a coincidence?
(Thanks to yesterday’s supporters: Liu Jun, reader 100321145519085, Long Wind~~, Moonlight and Star, Love Taotao, Step Snow Seeking Plum 1971, zjun971210, kgjo, dongmin8061, wish [He]for wife, CP Pampas) (To be continued, to learn more, please log into www.qidian.com. More Chapters available, support the author, support legitimate reading!)
