22 : The Exercise 23: Part No.
22 : The Exercise Part No.
22
The Exercise
The second movement of Moonlight Sonata began, and once again, it sparked surprise among the people.
This part was clearly different from the first one, it was no longer as calm as the night moonlight, but it had a lively sense that evoked the image of a beautiful flower garden filled with the beauty of nature.
It was a melody that no one had expected it to be this way.
[This part is so bright.
I’m surprised it’s in the same song.]
[Makes me think of a field of flowers.]
[I imagine a bright morning after a dark period.]
[This doesn’t seem that difficult to play.]
[The God’s reward is definitely mine now.]
[This part is so cute.
Even if it doesn’t feel as deep, it really gives the sense of a bright morning.]
The viewers praised the melody of the second movement, unable to hide their surprise.
When the movement ended, Gabriel turned back to read the messages from the viewers who talked about the music he had just played in a lively manner.
“Everyone seems to find this part bright and cheerful, too, right?” Gabriel laughed, seeing that most people felt the same emotion from the music as he did.
“There was a famous musician named Franz Liszt, who referred to this movement as ‘a flower between two chasms,’ indicating that this second movement has a bright melody, unlike the other two… As you’ve all heard, the first movement was serene and deep, reminiscent of moonlight reflecting on a lake.
As for the final movement… well, you’ll have to hear it for yourselves.”
Gabriel explained additional information but he chose to leave out an explanation of the third movement, prompting groans of sadness from the audience.
[God, why leave us after making us want to hear it!?]
[Does that mean the third movement is very different from the second?]
[If that’s the case, maybe it gives us the same feelings with the first part.
Like a cycle of nature: the first part is nighttime, the second is morning, and the last returns to night again.]
[That’s an interesting concept.]
[No way!
Remember, the God said it’s a romantic piece.
How could it be about nature?]
[Or maybe the melody is super sweet like Canon in D.]
[That’s possible.
If that’s the case, I could play this song.]
Gabriel couldn’t help but feel happy when he saw that many viewers begin to be interested in the final movement of Moonlight Sonata.
He was slightly excited as the time to play it drew nearer, and the audience could sense his excitement too, as they saw the God’s long, slender fingers fidgeting.
Before they could offer him any soothing words, the God placed his hands in ready position.
In the end, the fans chose to go silent and focus on listening to the final movement with anticipation, so eager to discover what the last melody would sound like.
Before the viewers could wonder any longer, there was the pounding sound that came along with a quick transition of notes, before it returned to the pounding sound once again.
It caused everyone to look at Gabriel’s slender fingers in enjoyment, they even quickly sat upright.
They stared at the performance before them till their eyes nearly popped out, wanting to get into that screen.
What is this!?
The relentless, frenzied melody almost made them stop breathing.
No one had expected to encounter such an aggressive performance.
Especially, the rapid pressings on the piano that created a depress melody that seemed to narrate a story filled with stress, pressure, and confusion.
Yet, there were moments of sweetness, like a romance doomed to end in sorrow.
It caused the listeners to get goosebump from the performance full of constant changing in emotion, just like a storm that became fierce after a short moment of brightness, then it would become bright once again, it kept switching that one could not adjust their mood accordingly.
Gabriel’s fingers, used to play the song, moved so quickly that the viewers saw it as if Gabriel softly brushed his fingers against the keyboard.
He then moved his fingers smoothly like the wind.
Yet, the wind before them at the moment was no gentle breeze—it was a fierce storm, pounding relentlessly, leaving everyone nearly forgot to breathe.
Originally, the diehard fans hadn’t set high expectations for God’s piano playing.
They thought the god just wanted to play the piano to kill his boredom.
They hadn’t thought that the god was still the god!
Whether violin or piano, he played at a level they could never hope to reach.
Realizing this, the fans who already idolized Gabriel now wanted to kneel and pay respect to him as they witnessed the performance that required such an unordinary hand speed!
[Ahhhhh!
What did I just watch!?]
[I’ve never seen hands move that fast before.]
[God, please accept my worship.]
[Are you sure this is a romantic song?
It gave me chills.]
[The God got us good!
The first two movements were manageable, but I surrender to the third.]
[Screaminggg!
Where’s my prize?
Why is this song so terrifying?
crying…]
[God, are you sure you’ll get to hand out the prizes?]
[I’m withdrawing from the activity.]
[No way!
For a reward from the God, I’ll try even if my fingers break.
Sobbb.]
The fans’ cries affected Alan.
Numerous texts were simultaneously sent in within just a second, besides, each contained different opinions, causing Alan to be unable to process them in time.
Gabriel wouldn’t be able to read it all himself, since the messages flowed so quickly at the moment that he had no idea how to read them in time.
In the end, he could only look at his screen, which was full of text boxes, while blinking.
“I’m sorry, everyone.
There are so many messages that my AI can’t process them all in time.” Gabriel wanted to cry.
[The AI can’t keep up?
Hasn’t the God updated his AI?]
[Right.
Normally, AIs need to be updated yearly.
Other streamers don’t have a problem with processing messages.
Why does the God?]
[If you’re in Sagittarius, the AI updates automatically.
Does that mean the God isn’t in Sagittarius!?]
[No way!
Not in Sagittarius but has two instruments?
You made things up.]
[The comment above is the one who made things up!
Outer planets have more access to instruments now.
What surprises me is someone from the outer regions being this skilled at playing music.
That’s the real unbelievable thing.]
It turned out that Gabriel’s words caused panic among many fans.
They had always assumed that the god, who had many talents, before them must be the child of a wealthy family in Sagittarius.
But the truth hit them like a slap in the face!
The great god wasn’t from Sagittarius!
Who would believe it if they told someone?
Of course, Gabriel had no idea how misleading his demeanor and how he dressed were.
Whether it was his movements, his posture when he stood, his walk, his sitting, or even the tone of his voice—it all seemed flawless.
This was because Gabriel was carrying over the habits he had developed from his past life.
As a professional musician, he had needed to work with high-profile individuals in society.
Therefore, the way the musicians carried themselves was crucial.
Gabriel had been trained in this since childhood, so he was used to his usual way of presenting himself, which he used to it all along.
“Sagittarius?
I don’t live there.
The planet I live in is on the edge of the galaxy.
And yes, I only have two instruments.
This piano was a birthday gift from a friend of my father’s, and this violin was a present from my father when I turned ten.” Gabriel answered straightforwardly.
Because Gabriel only focused on the things that interested him, he was unaware of a deeply-rooted belief among people in the planets era: that Sagittarius was the center of everything.
It was the center of talented individuals.
Whether it was power, fame, or wealth, everything was concentrated there.
This was a clear display of the gap between people.
As for this matter, one of the obvious displays was the fact that all the top-ranked streamers lived in Sagittarius.
So, for the extremely talented streamer that was called a god like G Clef channel to tell them that he was at the edge of the galaxy was something they couldn’t believe!
[God must be joking.
If the God’s from the outskirts, then what does that make us?]
[I heard that only Sagittarius could teach music.
So, where did he learn?
Where did he get the sheet music?]
[Just by looking at him, I can tell he didn’t play it himself—he used the system.
And these songs must be made up too.]
[If he’s not from Sagittarius, then this is disappointing.
I stumbled onto a fake channel.
I’m out.]
[Don’t forget that Earth, which everyone praises, is on the outskirts of the galaxy too.]
[Wait!
Is everyone trying to avoid the God’s activity by changing the subject?]
[The song must be too difficult, so the losers keep switching topics.
If you want to leave, go ahead, but why spew garbage?]
[God, don’t pay attention to those people.
Your talent is real!]
[Exactly!
It doesn’t matter where you’re from.
Your skills have already proven themselves, God.]
“Thank you all for taking an interest in my life, but let’s talk about something more interesting—the activity we just discussed previously.
As I mentioned earlier, Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata will be used for the special activity in the community.
Anyone can participate.
The first three people to play the song will receive a special gift from me.”
Gabriel paid no mind to the messages that aimed to attack.
He was used to facing people’s hatred.
The more attention he gave these people, the more satisfaction they would get.
So, Gabriel’s precious attention wasn’t going to be used for the dog-hearted anti-fans.
[God, please have mercy on us!
Can we change the song, please?]
[The moment I saw the third movement being played, I lost all hope.]
[Please change the song, please, please, please.]
[If you stick with this song, I have no chance.]
[My fingers aren’t even half as nimble as yours, God.
cries…]
[Another supporter here.
Please, change the song.
It’s really too difficult.
I’m sure many others think the same.]
[Is there a better option?
I really can’t do this, even if it’s you, God.]
“Many of you are asking me to change the song.
From the messages you sent in, most of you have issues with finger speed or flexibility while playing, right?
In that case, I’ll play a piece for you all to practice improving your finger speed.”
Seeing the cries from the viewers, Gabriel didn’t ignore them, he quickly suggested a solution.
Even though Gabriel was the kind of person who didn’t care much for many things, he wasn’t heartless enough to overlook the cries of his fans in front of him.
“This piece is one of the finger exercises I often use to practice my hand speed.
It’s by Johann Sebastian Bach, another well-known composer from Earth.
His piece is called Prelude and Fugue No.2.
The song’s playing is separated.
The Prelude is quite free in its structure, so it is short, just to introduce the main melody of the piece.
In contrast, the Fugue has more complex style, weaving multiple melodies together like a song in a bal.”
Gabriel did not forget to explain the story before playing for the viewers to understand.
[Finger exercise?
God, you’re so kind.]
[This gives me some hope now.]
[Bach?
The name sounds familiar, but I can’t remember who he is.]
[He’s the one who composed Air on the G String.]
[Even the God has exercises.
Who are we?
Why didn’t we do exercises back in school?!]
The fans, who had been crying earlier, now flooded the chat with messages thanking Gabriel.
When they first saw this activity, they felt hopeless, thinking they were doomed to fail due to the deadly effect of the final movement.
But they never expected the God to be so considerate as to give them an exercise to practice.
The sense of gratitude was overflowing within the hearts of the die-hard fans.
Everyone intently watched the performance before them with hope.
But as the piece began, their faces gradually twisted, as if they were being crushed under a hammer and stomped on.
The first thing that came to their minds was: The God tricked us again!
The listeners’ brains were stunned just by the first part that he played.
They couldn’t distinguish what notes were being played; they only saw the god’s fingers moving back and forth while his hand stayed in place.
At a glance, it seemed easy, but the sound of notes it created was so rapid that it wasn’t hard to guess how extraordinary the required finger speed was!
The little fans reflected on the God’s earlier words.
What did he mean by “an exercise for everyone”?
This was clearly an exercise meant only for the God!
Tears streamed down the people’s faces as they bit down on their handkerchiefs in despair, looking at the performance in front of them with a fierce look before their sanity seemed to slip away bit by bit until the final part came to an end.
“How was that?
Not too difficult, right?
Actually, the Prelude section isn’t that complex.
But because it requires high speed to play, it seems hard.
As for the Fugue section, you might need to use a few playing techniques.
But it’s not that complicated.
I believe it’s within everyone’s ability.
Give it a try!”
Once he finished his performance, Gabriel immediately turned to encourage others, sounding bright and lively, as if the mind-blowing performance earlier hadn’t drained his energy in the slightest.
This unbothered attitude of his made the die-hard fans feel so exasperated!
[…I have no words.]
[Oh, this is what’s considered easy?
Even if you’re our God, you can’t hurt our feelings like this!]
[Is the God discreetly messing with us…?]
[Seriously?
Who could even play that!!]
[I think it might be doable.
The notes themselves really aren’t difficult—it’s just the finger speed that’s hard.]
[‘Just’…?
I never thought this word could sound so aggravating until now.]
[This truly is worthy of the God… My humble self could never reach such heights… sob.]