| The Notes that Fell from the Sky By Edward Jon |
| The keys of the piano move gracefully as I play "The Girl who Fell from the Sky." The work is a most touching piece composed for the anime film Laputa: Castle in the Sky. It is one of the simpler pieces I have played in my lifetime. There are no tricky triplets, no sixteenth notes testing the skill of my bony fingers. Recently, a close friend of mine, Akane, moved away to Japan. I played this piece for her before she left because I knew that she loved Laputa so much. I had not played the piece for a while and I tripped over notes here and there. Upone reaching that last minor chord, I felt horrible, but Akane said, "Thank you, Edward." I wish I could have played better, but at least I tried. And in trying I touched her in a unique way. Now, I am back in the living room, playing the same notes that I had played for Akane. The notes dance in the air as I reanimate the picture of the girl falling from the sky. They linger about and echo in the confines of the dimly lit living room. I hold my breath as I lead the twirling notes higher and higher into the celestial sky, high above the earth, into the heavens, into the stars... and bring them back down, the notes, descending like glowing angels, retreating into the cold mahogany piano. I hold the ending minor chord, a final attempt to give life to the inanimate notes... and they return to where they once were, trapped in the rough printing paper. But now the world knows that these notes exist. So they are now alive, dancing in the hearts of others, in Akane as she is attending college in Japan, reminding everyone that music is alive, and that music can touch people. |