Title: The Miracle of Music: Ave Maria
Author: Emi-Chan
E-mail: EmiChan14@aol.com
Rating: G
Keywords: "Ave Maria" (song), singing (you get the idea)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I'm just using them for this story. I promise I'll give them back..... eventually.
Summary: Declan meets a girl with a beautiful voice.
3:30 Monday afternoon, Northern Oregon University, Music Building, Practice room #13
Chloe opened her choir folder and plunked out her first note on the piano, F. She hummed the note and got herself into a singing position.
She loved this piece.
Ave Maria,
She started to sing.
Gratia plena;
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
This was her favorite part.
Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria, Maria
Ora pronobis, nobis pecatoribus
Nunc et in ho--
She winced. The high note always caught her off guard. Try again.
Ora pronobis, nobis pecatoribus
Nunc et in hora,
Hora mortis nostrae, Amen.
Chloe sighed. This was her absolute favorite piece in the whole world. She was glad her choir was singing it. She played the F again and restarted the song.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Declan was walking through the halls of the music building. He always came here when he was stressed out. The music always calmed him. Sometimes he'd walk by a violinist practicing a very complicated piece (it never ceased to amaze him that they could move their bows that fast), or maybe a vocal ensemble perfecting a song. No matter what it was, it was always beautiful.
As he walked by one of the practice rooms, number 13, he heard something familiar. He stopped and listened.
Ave Maria,
Gratia Plena;
Dominus tecum,
It was Ave Maria! It had been so long since he had heard that song.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
This took him back. It made him think of being a little boy sitting in mass. He remembered the soloist singing this song.
Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria, Maria,
This was his favorite part.
Ora pronobis, nobis pecatoribus,
Nunc et in hora,
Hora mortis nostrae, Amen.
Declan smiled. He loved this song.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Chloe finished singing the last note of Ave Maria and looked down at her watch. She still had a half hour until choir started. Might as well get there early. Maybe some of her friends would be there. She opened the door to find an unusually dressed man standing outside the practice room door.
They both jerked to attention with surprise.
"Oh, hi," Chloe said, staring inquisitively at this strange man, "Who are you?"
Declan smiled, "I'm Declan Dunn," he said, "I'm an Anthropology professor over at the Science and History building."
"Oh." Chloe replied. She wasn't quite sure where that was.
"So what's your name?" Declan asked.
"Chloe Andersen."
"You look a little young to be in college." Declan brought up abruptly.
"Oh, I'm not in college," Chloe answered, "I'm 15 years old. I'm a sophomore over at Portland Central. I'm just here for choir."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"You have a beautiful voice," Declan said, "I love Ave Maria, are you singing it in choir?"
"Yes, actually," Chloe said, starting to get into this conversation, "We'll be performing it in two weeks."
"I'll have to get a ticket to that. What choir did you say you were in?"
"I didn't say," Chloe replied, "I'm in the Youth Chorus of St. Cecelia."
"St. Cecelia, she's the patron saint of music," Declan said, throwing in one of the many random facts he knew.
"Yeah," Chloe said, "how did you know that?"
"Just one of the things I learned when I was studying to be an Anthropologist."
"Oh." Chloe smiled.
Declan glanced down at his watch, "I gotta go," he said, "I guess I'll see you later."
"Yeah."
Declan walked toward the door and Chloe went the other way to the elevator to go to choir.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
1:30 Tuesday Afternoon, Peggy's office
"Hey, Peg," Declan greeted as he walked into Peggy's office, "how would you like to go to a concert in two weeks?"
Peggy looked up at Declan from her computer, "What concert is it?"
"The Youth Chorus of St. Cecelia," Declan said as he whipped out two tickets from his pocket, "Music of the Spirit."
"The Youth Chorus of St. Cecelia?" Peggy questioned, "Since when were you into choral music?"
Declan told her the story about how he met Chloe Andersen.
"So are you going to come with me?" Declan asked with that all-too-familiar look on his face that no one could resist.
Peggy sighed, "All right," she said.
Declan smiled, "Great!" he said, "I'd better go, or I'll be late for class."
He left the room and Peggy went back to working on her computer.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
2:15 Tuesday Afternoon, Declan's Anthropology class
"For as long as history goes back, there has always been music." Declan said to his class. About half of them were paying attention, "Every single culture has it; our lives wouldn't be the same without it."
He pressed the 'play' button on the stereo he had brought that day and orchestral music came out. "Does anyone know what this is?" he asked.
A girl named Sarah raised her hand and Declan nodded toward her.
"It's Beethoven's Ninth Symphony," she said.
"That's right." Declan said, "It was written during the classical period, a time when people were discovering new things about music, like the fact that everything does not have to be in unison. Does anyone know anything about Beethoven?"
Sarah raised her hand.
"Anyone else?" Declan looked around the classroom, scanning for people who were asleep, "Jared?"
Jared woke up. "Wha?" he said drowsily.
A few students giggled.
"Would you like to answer the question?"
"Umm..." Jared said, very confused, "Christopher Columbus?" This response generated a few laughs.
"Nice try," Declan said sarcastically, "next time, stay awake." He looked toward Sarah who was still patiently raising her hand. "Sarah?"
"He was deaf." Sarah stated.
Declan nodded. That was just the answer he was looking for. "Beethoven was deaf when he wrote his ninth and last symphony," Declan said, "and yet he knew that all of those notes he wrote down on paper would turn out to sound like this." He motioned toward the stereo, "Now that is the miracle of music."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Ave Maria: Translation
Hail Mary,
Full of grace;
The Lord be with you.
Blessed are you,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.
Author: Emi-Chan
E-mail: EmiChan14@aol.com
Rating: G
Keywords: "Ave Maria" (song), singing (you get the idea)
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. I'm just using them for this story. I promise I'll give them back..... eventually.
Summary: Declan meets a girl with a beautiful voice.
3:30 Monday afternoon, Northern Oregon University, Music Building, Practice room #13
Chloe opened her choir folder and plunked out her first note on the piano, F. She hummed the note and got herself into a singing position.
She loved this piece.
Ave Maria,
She started to sing.
Gratia plena;
Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
This was her favorite part.
Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria, Maria
Ora pronobis, nobis pecatoribus
Nunc et in ho--
She winced. The high note always caught her off guard. Try again.
Ora pronobis, nobis pecatoribus
Nunc et in hora,
Hora mortis nostrae, Amen.
Chloe sighed. This was her absolute favorite piece in the whole world. She was glad her choir was singing it. She played the F again and restarted the song.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Declan was walking through the halls of the music building. He always came here when he was stressed out. The music always calmed him. Sometimes he'd walk by a violinist practicing a very complicated piece (it never ceased to amaze him that they could move their bows that fast), or maybe a vocal ensemble perfecting a song. No matter what it was, it was always beautiful.
As he walked by one of the practice rooms, number 13, he heard something familiar. He stopped and listened.
Ave Maria,
Gratia Plena;
Dominus tecum,
It was Ave Maria! It had been so long since he had heard that song.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
Et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Jesus.
This took him back. It made him think of being a little boy sitting in mass. He remembered the soloist singing this song.
Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria, Maria,
This was his favorite part.
Ora pronobis, nobis pecatoribus,
Nunc et in hora,
Hora mortis nostrae, Amen.
Declan smiled. He loved this song.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Chloe finished singing the last note of Ave Maria and looked down at her watch. She still had a half hour until choir started. Might as well get there early. Maybe some of her friends would be there. She opened the door to find an unusually dressed man standing outside the practice room door.
They both jerked to attention with surprise.
"Oh, hi," Chloe said, staring inquisitively at this strange man, "Who are you?"
Declan smiled, "I'm Declan Dunn," he said, "I'm an Anthropology professor over at the Science and History building."
"Oh." Chloe replied. She wasn't quite sure where that was.
"So what's your name?" Declan asked.
"Chloe Andersen."
"You look a little young to be in college." Declan brought up abruptly.
"Oh, I'm not in college," Chloe answered, "I'm 15 years old. I'm a sophomore over at Portland Central. I'm just here for choir."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"You have a beautiful voice," Declan said, "I love Ave Maria, are you singing it in choir?"
"Yes, actually," Chloe said, starting to get into this conversation, "We'll be performing it in two weeks."
"I'll have to get a ticket to that. What choir did you say you were in?"
"I didn't say," Chloe replied, "I'm in the Youth Chorus of St. Cecelia."
"St. Cecelia, she's the patron saint of music," Declan said, throwing in one of the many random facts he knew.
"Yeah," Chloe said, "how did you know that?"
"Just one of the things I learned when I was studying to be an Anthropologist."
"Oh." Chloe smiled.
Declan glanced down at his watch, "I gotta go," he said, "I guess I'll see you later."
"Yeah."
Declan walked toward the door and Chloe went the other way to the elevator to go to choir.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
1:30 Tuesday Afternoon, Peggy's office
"Hey, Peg," Declan greeted as he walked into Peggy's office, "how would you like to go to a concert in two weeks?"
Peggy looked up at Declan from her computer, "What concert is it?"
"The Youth Chorus of St. Cecelia," Declan said as he whipped out two tickets from his pocket, "Music of the Spirit."
"The Youth Chorus of St. Cecelia?" Peggy questioned, "Since when were you into choral music?"
Declan told her the story about how he met Chloe Andersen.
"So are you going to come with me?" Declan asked with that all-too-familiar look on his face that no one could resist.
Peggy sighed, "All right," she said.
Declan smiled, "Great!" he said, "I'd better go, or I'll be late for class."
He left the room and Peggy went back to working on her computer.
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
2:15 Tuesday Afternoon, Declan's Anthropology class
"For as long as history goes back, there has always been music." Declan said to his class. About half of them were paying attention, "Every single culture has it; our lives wouldn't be the same without it."
He pressed the 'play' button on the stereo he had brought that day and orchestral music came out. "Does anyone know what this is?" he asked.
A girl named Sarah raised her hand and Declan nodded toward her.
"It's Beethoven's Ninth Symphony," she said.
"That's right." Declan said, "It was written during the classical period, a time when people were discovering new things about music, like the fact that everything does not have to be in unison. Does anyone know anything about Beethoven?"
Sarah raised her hand.
"Anyone else?" Declan looked around the classroom, scanning for people who were asleep, "Jared?"
Jared woke up. "Wha?" he said drowsily.
A few students giggled.
"Would you like to answer the question?"
"Umm..." Jared said, very confused, "Christopher Columbus?" This response generated a few laughs.
"Nice try," Declan said sarcastically, "next time, stay awake." He looked toward Sarah who was still patiently raising her hand. "Sarah?"
"He was deaf." Sarah stated.
Declan nodded. That was just the answer he was looking for. "Beethoven was deaf when he wrote his ninth and last symphony," Declan said, "and yet he knew that all of those notes he wrote down on paper would turn out to sound like this." He motioned toward the stereo, "Now that is the miracle of music."
*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*^*
Ave Maria: Translation
Hail Mary,
Full of grace;
The Lord be with you.
Blessed are you,
And blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary,
Pray for us sinners
Now and at the hour of our death. Amen.