Chapter 11 - Improvisation

Translator: Lynn

Jian Jie glanced at the curriculum schedule and discovered that the vocal music teacher’s name was Qian Yumin, but he lacked further information about her. Qian Yumin was a renowned artist and vocal teacher in the industry, having lent her voice to numerous film and television works. She rarely took on newcomers as students, but it was solely due to Long Zichen’s influence that she joined Xinghuo Music as a vocal teacher.

Qian Yumin was of average height and appearance, and her marriage and motherhood had caused her to gain some weight. However, her singing skills were indisputable, and her voice possessed explosive power, which contrasted with her serene demeanor. Her lectures were infused with passion, and she never grew weary while discussing topics such as vocalization and breathing for an entire hour.

Jian Jie attentively listened to the lecture, simultaneously observing the projected content and taking notes. Suddenly, the teacher announced, “Everyone, take a 20-minute break and return to practice the songs I assigned last time. We’ll sing them together when we reconvene.” With that, Qian Yumin packed up her belongings and left the classroom.

Upon hearing about the upcoming singing assessment, Jian Jie felt momentarily stunned. He hadn’t prepared at all and was unaware of which songs the teacher had assigned. Anxiously, he turned to a nearby young man and asked, “Excuse me, have you written down the songs the teacher assigned?”

“No, I didn’t remember many of them,” the young man replied.

Jian Jie was about to ask someone else when Tong Liangliang dashed over from the front row, enthusiastically saying, “Brother Jian Jie, do you not know which songs the teacher gave us on the first day of class? I memorized a few, but I didn’t write them all down. I’m sorry.” 

Tong Liangliang pulled out a small notebook, opened it, and placed it in front of Jian Jie. “Here’s what I wrote down.”

Jian Jie quickly skimmed through the notebook and discovered that he recognized several of the songs. Joyfully, he thanked Tong Liangliang, saying, “This is great. Thank you, Xiaoliang. I was worried.” 

Tong Liangliang responded, “No problem. But I only have the lyrics for the song I want to sing. Would you like to read them?”

“Oh, it’s alright. Thank you. I’ll be singing ‘Riding on the Wings of Singing.’ I just heard it, and I probably remember the lyrics,” Jian Jie replied. He noticed that most of the songs assigned by the teacher were famous foreign songs, with a few excerpts from operas. Having heard them all before, he was more familiar with “Riding on the Wings of Singing” as he had practiced its piano performance and knew the lyrics. Hence, he chose this song.

Upon hearing Jian Jie’s response, Tong Liangliang nodded and pouted, complaining, “Brother Jian Jie, you’re amazing! I haven’t heard these songs before, and I only learned them two days ago. I don’t remember much now. I’ll go outside and practice again. I’m really scared that I won’t be able to sing anything when it’s my turn in front of the teacher.” 

“Alright then,” Jian Jie replied.

“Well, Brother Jian Jie, do your best,” Tong Liangliang sweetly smiled, clenched his fists, and made a cheering gesture before bounding out of the classroom.

Jian Jie picked up his pen, recollected the song, and hastily transcribed it into his notebook. He quickly skimmed through the sheet music, and the lyrics were fairly well-written. However, the main challenge was adapting the song to suit his own voice. His vocal range wasn’t broad enough to smoothly handle a song primarily composed for a soprano without dropping the key. Unfortunately, time was running out, and Jian Jie could only skim through the adaptation briefly before Qian Yumin returned to the classroom. Accompanying her were Long Zichen, Chai Xuyang, and Tang Xiaohui.

Their entrance created a stir among the newcomers, but the three of them responded differently to the greetings. Chai Xuyang and Tang Xiaohui at least smiled and greeted the newcomers, while Long Zichen remained indifferent and took a seat in the front row without looking around. His large sunglasses accentuated his aloofness. The newcomers were unaware that the three individuals were company executives, and their presence sparked a desire among the newcomers to perform well. Everyone wanted to impress and strive for an early debut. Once the classroom settled down, Qian Yumin began calling individuals to the stage to sing one by one.

The front of the classroom had playback equipment and various musical instruments, offering flexibility in the choice of singing style. However, the songs provided by Qian Yumin were all art songs, which were relatively unfamiliar to those without a music background. It was a challenging task to master them within a week, let alone memorize the scores and perform them individually. Consequently, most newcomers sang using the teacher’s equipment to play the accompanying music. Only one person chose to sing while playing the guitar, which produced a favorable effect.

Although Jian Jie wasn’t acquainted with many of the newcomers, he listened attentively to each person’s performance. Tong Liangliang was the second-to-last person to take the stage, performing “Homesickness” composed by the famous Ma Sicong. It was an adagio tenor bel canto song. Surprisingly, Tong Liangliang showcased an incredibly wide vocal range, easily reaching D3. To put it into perspective, in the songs we’re familiar with, the highest note in “Love To Die” is approximately D3.

Tong Liangliang’s exceptional voice stood out among all the newcomers, prompting even Qian Yumin to smile. Chai Xuyang and Tang Xiaohui also showed their satisfaction by nodding and exchanging a few words. The only person who remained unimpressed was Director Long Zichen, who maintained his expressionless demeanor, seemingly unaffected by anyone’s performance.

In truth, some of the previous newcomers displayed good singing skills, including a girl who chose the same song as Jian Jie. However, her singing felt somewhat rehearsed, lacking any standout elements. While listening to her performance, Jian Jie quickly revised the score he had memorized, formulating ideas on how he should approach his own rendition.

After approximately forty minutes, all thirteen newcomers completed their performances, and finally, Qian Yumin called out Jian Jie’s name. Carrying his notebook, Jian Jie stepped forward, catching Qian Yumin’s glance towards Long Zichen, who continued to maintain his cool facade. Qian Yumin smiled and addressed Jian Jie, saying, “You joined the class today, right? Did you have time to prepare for a performance beforehand? If you didn’t get the chance, it’s fine to sing a good song. I’m eager to hear your singing.”

Knowing that he hadn’t prepared extensively, Jian Jie didn’t want to make it too remarkable. He replied, “Mr. Qian, I watched the video after class and downloaded the track you provided. But I’m not fully prepared, I apologize. If you don’t mind, I can sing it right now.”

Qian Yumin nodded, saying, “That’s okay, go ahead and sing.”

“Alright. The song I’ve chosen is ‘Riding on the Wings of Singing.’ Also, I’d like to use the piano for accompaniment. Is that alright?”

“Of course,” Qian Yumin replied.

Jian Jie turned to the page in his notebook with the score and placed it on the piano’s music stand. He then seated himself in front of the piano, taking a moment to collect his thoughts before playing the song’s gentle and lyrical melody. His singing followed suit.

“Ride on the wings of singing, my dear, please follow me to the banks of the Ganges, the most beautiful place…” The tune of the song was soothing, with poetic lyrics by the German poet Heine, evoking a beautiful artistic conception. Jian Jie incorporated elements of soul music into his singing, delivering a sincere and natural performance. With the crisp piano accompaniment, it created a serene and tender ambiance.

After listening to Jian Jie’s singing, Long Zichen couldn’t contain his excitement any longer. His eyes sparkled beneath the shade of his sunglasses. He eagerly nudged Chai Xuyang with his elbow and whispered, “Old Chai, look at this! I didn’t ask him to prepare anything, yet he completely adapted the song in such a short time. This guy is truly a born singer!”

“His singing is truly exceptional,” Chai Xuyang agreed, nodding appreciatively. “He possesses a star quality. I understand why you value this young man.”

Please let me know if there are typos/mistakes in the chapter.

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