音時雨 ～Regentropfen～

音楽の中には、強い力をはらんでいると、私はずっと信じています。

いくつか日の前に急に、私の頭の中に浮かび上がったのは、昔のある日、私は音楽に泣かせることだった。どうして私はあの忘れかけたことを覚えたのか、私もよく分からないけど、きっと最近の自分の気持と繋がっているだと間違いない。
気分の悪いときは、やっばクラシックが一番いい選びだね。そうだ、あの時、私はクラシックモードだったから、「あれ」によって特別な気持ちが感じられた。
そして、昔のことを覚えた。

「心を感銘されたかったら、チャイコフスキーを聞いてみよう」と、あの日、テレビから聞いた。クラシック音楽の番組で、チャイコフスキーのバイオリンコンサートを紹介した。私は、13かな14かな、初めてあの作品を聞いたが、すぐに感動された。そして、なぜ、涙がこぼれそうになったのか…私はほとんど泣かない子なのに…ただ普通にテレビからこのメロディー聞いただけ、初めて聞いたこのメロディが、私を泣かせたなんて…
私にとって、泣くことはとても恥ずかしいだ信じるから、小さな出来事に泣くなら自分が自分を嫌いになるかも知れない。そして、他の泣き虫のことも好きじゃない。 「どうしても、泣けない」って信念は、私をどんどん強くなせる。こんな私は、あの時に泣いていた私のことを、嫌いになったのかな？
でもやっば、嫌いになれなかった。
まるで不思議、私という存在は――いいえ、より不思議のは、あのメロディだった。みんなの毎日とも関わっているメロディは、こんな力があるだと、あの頃は初めて知った。

音楽は不思議、この世界中何よりも。だから音楽に泣かせる時なら、その原因もある「小さな出来事」じゃないね。音楽は本当に奇跡みたいなんだ。ある短く旋律から、心を震わせそして泣いて、これはある程度で、人生の素晴らしさじゃないのか。音楽は人間が作るもの、そして人間の心を癒す。これ、まるで「いのちの詩」そのものなんだ！
たしかに、音楽に泣かせたら、恥ずかしいと感じる必要はないの。これは本当に、イノチとタマシイを味わい、人生の最高のことなんだ。

私たちは自分の道にて、何もかも覚えて、そして忘れ続ける。でも、いつまでも忘れられないこともかならずある。なんども忘れかけになっても、いつか覚えらせる。
と、私の記憶の水底、自分を泣かせたこんな「いのちの詩」はいったいいくつある？数えてみれば、このリストを書いた。もちろん、時々、本当に泣いたことはなくても、ただ心がなんとなく、解放されたような超然な気持ちになれる曲も一書にここにある。

I believe that there is a strong power in music.

I retained a piece of old memory a few days ago: I was almost in tears by a piece of music. Yet, I'm not sure why I retained that memory, though I think that should be related my recent mood.
When you're not feeling that good, you should try some classical. Right, I was in classical mode at that time, so toward "that incident", I got the special feeling.
And thus I recalled that old memory.

"If you want to be impressed, please try some Tchaikovsky." I head this from a television program someday. That was a classical music program introducing Tchaikovsky's violin concert. At that time, I was 13 or 14, and that was my first time to listen to that piece. I got impressed immediately. Then, why I was in tears? I couldn't cry that easily... yet I couldn't believe that I cried because of a piece of melody from a television program...
To me, I always tell myself, that crying is ashamed, and I would really hate myself if I cried because of a tiny incident that could happen in every day. Also, I don't like others who tend to cry often. "No matter what, I can't cry" is my belief, and that made me stronger. Would I really hate myself in that situation?
Anyway, the answer was that I didn't.
The existence of myself was so strange -- I think I would rather say the melody was even more amazing. Everyone would have a touch with music somehow in their daily life, but it was the first time I realised in such seems-to-be regular melodies, there is a kind of power that you might never noticed.
Music is the most wonderful thing than any others in the world. When I got into tears by it, the reason was certainly not the "tiny incident" in my mind. Music is like a miracle. It's just so marvelous that our hearts could be touched by a short piece of melody, isn't it? Music is written by humans, and then it heals humans' hearts. It's such a perfect "ode to life"!
It's so true, that there's no need to be ashamed if you cry because of music. Yet, it's the greatest experience during life.

We remember lots of things in our life, and then forget them as time elapses. However, there must be something that we can never forget. Even though we might have almost forgotten it for several times, we'll finally regain it again.
Thus, in the bottom of my heart, how many pieces of the "ode to life" are there? I tried to count and wrote this list. Of course, sometimes you're not really crying, pieces that makes your heart being released and in a superb situation are also in this list.

クラシック編/Classical：
- 「Prelude & Fugue 9 in E Major BWV 878」;
- 「English Suite No.3 in G minor BWV 808 - Gavotte I-II」;
- 「The Art of Fugue」 by Bach
To baroque music, I just love the style. Similar pieces of Bach and others are still a lot, but in my heart, I have special memories to them. The first is so calm, the second is very vivace, and the last one, ah, what I can say? It's just epic.

- 「The Four Seasons」 by Vivaldi
I believe no one doesn't know this work yet.

- 「Symphony No. 9」 by Beethoven
The same as above.

- 「Poem II- Vltava (The Moldau River)」 by Smetana
This could be the most colourful piece I ever knew when I was young. The melody was easy to remember, and like the work itself, it's a perfect paint made by music.

- 「Sostenuto – D-flat major ("Raindrop Prelude")」;
- 「Walze op. 64 KK 849-869 No. 2 C sharp minor Tempo giusto」 by Chopin
Chopin has an unique style to recognize. From most of his typically written works, these two gave me a clear impression of the melodies. No need to say too much here, just listen to them in a silent night.

- 「Hallelujah」;
- 「Amen」 by Handel
Another two most famous works among all classical music pieces. It's the absolute holy talk between the God and Human.

- 「Canon in D」 by J. Pachelbel
Stop thinking any about counterpart, and just feel the entire piece by your soul.

- 「Flute Quartet in A, K.298 - I. Tema (Andante) con variazioni」;
- 「Zehn Variationen in G-Dur, KV 455」;
- 「Zwolf Variationen in C-Dur, KV 265/300e」;
- 「Nine Variations in C, KV 264/315d」;
- 「Serenade 6 in D Major, K239 'Serenata Notturna' mov 1 Marcia -Maestoso-」 by Mozart
Mozart's music is so sweet, you can somewhat feel it even from his requiem. The melodies are simple, but well organized. Endless peace, that was the only phrase I could use to describe. However, superb pieces of him are not only these ones, you know...

- 「6 Symphonies」;
- 「The Seasons」;
- 「Violin Concert in d minor movement 1」 etc. by Tchaikovsky
Ahh, after looping my small collection of Tchaikovsky times by times, I suddenly realised, the god of music in my heart isn't Bach, that should be Tchaikovsky! Although I need to claim, the power from his music is completely different from that from Bach's... so, actually, they're not comparable at all... ^^;

J-POP、そのほか編/J-pop and others：
- 「暁の車/akatsuki no kuruma」 by FictionJunction YUUKA
The origin of how I became a Yuki Kajiura/FJY fan. Though Yuki seemed stopped working with Yuuka, I still believe only Yuki + YUUKA is the best.

- 「THANATOS」 by 鷺巣詩郎/Sagisu Shiro
A masterpiece.

- 「Ailes Grises」 by 大谷幸/Ootani Kou
A quite touching piece. I remember only for this track, I got the whole OST of "Haibane Renmei" and thus loved Kou Ootani.

- 「I'm always close to you」;
- 「セレナーデ/serenade」 by 岡崎律子/Okazaki Ritsuko
Sweet, sad, and warm.

- 「天気雨/tenki ame」 by Choro Club feat. Senoo
This track is so peaceful; ah, life is so beautiful...

- 「謳う丘 ～EXEC_HARVESTASYA-.～/utau oka」 by 志方あきこ/Shikata Akiko
An epic poem. The most touching part to me is the final ending.

- 「大きな古時計/ookina furudokei」 by みとせのりこ/Mitose Noriko
Touched, just being touched...

- 「dandelion」 by 七瀬光/Nanase Hikaru
The vocal version of it (which is called "L'aura ～精霊の唄～") is nice too, but I more love the pure instrumental version. Since I really love Nanase's excellent arrangement of strings.

- 「頼・来・也/rai.rai.ya」;
- 「忘れ咲き/wasuresaki」;
- 「未完成な音色/mikanseina neiro」;
- 「Pray」;
- 「Rainy Soul」 by GARNET CROW
You might think most of current pop songs are so regular and tend to be forgotten soon. But it's a difference case for GC's works. I'd never stopped loving their songs. These songs I listed here are those of my favorites. Sometimes, the ambience of their songs are so close to real life that made me a bit fear to listen (like the second one)...

- 「楔/kusabi」;
- 「夕立/yuudachi」 by 奥華子/Oku Hanako
Oku Hanako's forte is to use the most normal elements to create the purest songs. I can really feel that every note she sings is from her real heart.

- 「moon」;
- 「karma」 by Lia
Well, no need to mention how good Key+Lia is (I hope)...

そして、私の一番大好きなKOKIA編/now, it's the turn of my favorite KOKIA：
I don't want to list all my favorite KOKIA songs here (actually, I could make another long post for it). Just talk simply, KOKIA is really special to me. She told me how warm a song can be, and how life is beautiful to sing. At first, I just liked the melody of her songs, as well as her voice, but since I watched her concert in Paris in 2007, my life has been entirely pulled into her world. Like 「調和/cyouwa」, I had never paid too much of attention to this song in aspect of "touching" songs. But after that concert, my mind changed. I remember, I looped this song after watching the concert, and got a brand new feeling of strong impression from it. It's the very ode to the harmony between human and the nature! Another example, 「I believe ～海の底から～/umi no soko kara」. Watching KOKIA sang it, from the kinda calm prelude to the real climax, ahhh, this song, I could never forget it anymore! Then, 「祈りにも似た美しい世界/inorinimo nita utsukushii sekai」. I can tell you that I really cried while watching the concert. How come? This song is full of happiness and praise to the god of music... Maybe that's the extreme bliss, and KOKIA, you were the first one showed me it.

From her other albums, of course there are lots of nice songs I could talk here. From "The VOICE", songs like 「小さなうた/chiisana uta」, and 「何もかもが星になって/nanimokamo ga hoshi ni natte」; from "Trip Trip", which including 「人間ってそんなものね/ningentte sonna mono ne」 and 「天使/tenshi」; from "balance", like 「おばあちゃん/oba-chan」, 「世界の終わりに/sekai no owarini」, 「INFINITY」, and 「vintage love」. Then, 「ぬくもり ～aigakikoeru～/nukumori」, 「孤独な生きもの/kodokuna ikimono」, 「single mother」, 「本当の音/hontou no oto」... ohh, stop, I can't, I really can't list all of them here... KOKIA has an easy to recognize style. She can do every type of melody, from happy to sad, fast to slow, mature or childish... and inside her songs, it's her true love to music. She ever said "there is no better song than the one you sing to someone special." She's really an angel, sings to the world, and spreads the love to everyone. To know such a splendid singer, it is one of the most important thing in my life.

At last, before I turn this part longer, I have to mention the song 「Road to Glory」 she performed in her 2010 OTO NO TABIBITO concert. I already loved this song soon after its release, but I'd never experienced that glorious scene in that concert... At that moment, as she sang it, I was seriously touched, again and again. That's an experience I couldn't explain in words. I assure that no one else can describe it well either. That's the very power of music. No need of words, and respect it with your heart.