Posted by Fleet Captain Alexander Cochrane (Commanding Officer) in Lounge- A Musical Performance (Open to All)

Posted by Civilian Sair Songz (Counselor) in Lounge- A Musical Performance (Open to All)

Posted by Commander Shedda Mal’athar (Executive Officer) in Lounge- A Musical Performance (Open to All)
Posted by… suppressed (12) by the Post Ghost! 👻

(snip)

“Everyone will get a chance to hear you play, Mr. Songz. And a true gift it is to the crew. Thank you.” Cochrane said. He looked at Kel and said “I was just getting ready to take my seat, Mrs. Songz. Would you grant me the honor of escorting you to your chair?” and he offered her his arm. It was blatantly obvious that he had not been intending any such thing… but ever the gentleman.

Cochrane, CO

“Oh!” Kel said, gazing at Cochrane. “Very well then,” she said. Sal kissed her cheek and dropped his arm, allowing the captain to help his wife sit. Kel took his arm and as they moved, she leaned heavily on the cane, doing her best to move with the grace and dignity her body did not seem to want to grant her.

Cochrane walked slowly and deliberately to the row of chairs reserved for the family of their musical guest. He helped Kel be seated in such a way that it didn’t seem like help; and then he said “Now then, as to refreshments Madame… you have access to anything. So what shall I get for you this evening?”

Settled as comfortably as she could, Kell gazed up at Alex and actually offered a small smile. “I can smell the ekal Sair made. A cup of that would be lovely, but as I have been reminded of lately, it a a big galaxy adn there are many things I’ve not experienced. If there is something you think I should absolutely try at last once, I’ll try that. Thank you, Captain.”

“My pleasure. Madame. And actually… I think I may just the thing you may like. One moment.” and Cochrane turned and headed to the bar.

Shedda shared a grin with Sair. The captain was an enigma and a contradiction, until you got to know him. Then everything he did never surprised you. You may not expect it, but not surprised. “We are all looking forward to ot, Mr Songz. Koro,” she winked at the child, “has told me all about the amazing music you play.”

Mal’athar, XO

Sal grinned and placed a hand on his grandson’s head. “Ahh, well, Koro has been one of my favourite students, much like my daughter was,” he said, casting a fond glance at Sair.

“And we’re going to-” Koro began, excitedly bouncing on his toes.

“Shhh!” Sair said with a conspiratorial gleam in her eyes before touching her index finger to her lips. “It’s a secret, remember?”

Koro gave a solemn nod and placed a finger to his own lips. “Right, it’s a secret,” he whispered, causing his mother and grandfather to laugh.

~The Songz family

Cochrane, CO

Shedda chuckled softly as well and pretended like she didn’t hear a thing. “I am looking forward to hearing your suran play. I think I’ll grab a seat before the good ones are taken.” She turned to Fayth, “Care to join me, Cmdr?” she asked as she grabbed her drink off the bar and headed toward the gathered seating.

Mal’athar, XO

“Of course,” Eilah replied politely, grabbing his own drink and following Shedda to the seating. “Over there is going to be best, I think.”

~ Fayth, COS

Sair pointed Koro over to the seats set aside for them in the front and told him to sit with his grandmother. Turning to Sal, Sair took his hand and squeezed it. “Why don’t you get started warming up and I’ll give everyone the five minute warning.”

Sal nodded and leaned in to kiss her cheek.

Moving to the podium at the front, Sair pressed a key on a PADD set up there and a low chime sounded, the way she had heard was common in Federation performances to let people know it was time to find their seats.

OOC: I’ll start the concert on my next post.

~Sair Songz

A moment later, Cochrane returned holding two small glasses with a dark amber liquid inside. It had a delightfully aromatic aroma of sweet and herb. “Maghrebi mint tea. On Earth, the human homework, there are seven continents, the largest of which is Africa. There is a region in the north of that continent called Morrocco. This tea is from there, and it is absolutely one of my favorite things in the galaxy. It is made from gunpowder green tea, spearmint leaves, and sugar. I hope you like it as much as I do.” and held his glass towards her and tapped it to hers gently.

Cochrane, CO

Kel bowed her head to him as he tapped her glass. “Thank you, Captain, that is very kind of you.” She took a sip of the hot tea, careful to make sure her hands were steady. She watched Sair and Sal interact and a genuine and soft smile came to her face, softening the often hard look warn into her skin. “I’m grateful you helped us make this happen. She’s finding small joys again lately, and I know that his presence is a part of that. He always understood her best.” As Sal moved off to gather his instrument, Sair seemed at ease for the first time probably since she arrived on the Manhattan.

The XO nodded and moved toward the seats. “Do you enjoy music, Cmdr?” she asked as she took a seat. The small bell sounding the 5 minute warning sounded and people moved quickly to find seats before it started.

Mal’athar, XO

A few minutes later, Sair cleared her throat. “If everyone has found their seats, I think we’ll get started. For those of you who haven’t met me, I’m Sair Songz, ship’s counsellor, and tonight we have a very special performance by one of Kobliad’s most revered musicians. For sixty years, since his audition with the Kobliad Academy of Fine Arts, Sal Songz has been astonishing audiences with his bold and sometimes avant-garde approach to prizar music. The prizar is an ancient instrument from our world and it in my research is comparable to a cross between a Russian gusli and a Chinese zither. It is played using plectra, which are tools for plucking fit over the fingertips, or bare fingertips to generate sound. Played on the lap or resting against the body, most prizar musicians have a specific way they play that allows them to find artistic amalgamation with their instrument.”

She beamed. “My earliest memories are of my father playing songs he was composing.It wasn’t until I was older that I realized just how talented he truly is. He has won dozens of awards, and two years ago was given the Kunurin Medal of Honour, one of Kobliad’s highest honours for civilians. I am so pleased and honoured to introduce you to musician, composer, teacher, and my father, Sal Songz.” Sair stepped to the said and began to clap.

Shedda clapped crisply as Sal came to the front with his prizar.

Sal approached from the side carrying a trapezoidal instrument made of dark wood that was inlaid with precious metals and stone using the intarsia process, known to be difficult and often quite expensive as far as hand crafted items went. With 21 strings and a small movable bridge for each string, the versatile instrument could produce numerous tones and harmonies.

He moved to the low chair that had been set out and set the instrument down on the seat with extreme delicacy and reverence. He shot Sair a grin and then bowed to the crowd. “My daughter is very generous with her words, and she is biased, but it is my great pleasure to play for you today. I will warn you though, it is rare a concert I give where I do not ask something of my audience as well. So, with that in mind, I would like some input from you. You all here on this ship are each explorers in your own way. I would like one word each from three different people that come to mind when you think of your travels out here.”

~The Songz Family

Shedda called out, “Discovery.”

Mal’athar, XO

“Friendship.” Cochrane said.

Cochrane, CO

Sal beamed at them. “Thank you. Those are lovely. One more?”

“Unknown,” Sair called out from where she had joined Koro.

With a nod, Sal flexed his fingers and rested them gently on the strings. He made no movement yet, except to close his eyes. Sal stayed like this for several long moments before he drew in a deep breath, opened his eyes partially, and began to play.

The plectra plucked a set of strings forming a major chord. It was low and resonate, created a deep space from with which the piece began. Not unlike deep space. He repeated the chord before shifting into a progression where each flowed into the next. There was a ebb and flow to the progression as if the sounds were rolling waves, but without the crash. He shifted into a higher key, repeating the chord progressions but with a lighter touch until his fingers began to play out the note of each chord, sounding brighter, happier.

Suddenly, Sal went back to the resonant deep set of chords, plucking the strings together with a forceful emphasis. The sound echoed for a moment before he broke into a light and energetic flurry. Each hand playing a melody that he then wove together and they somehow became both the melody and the harmony to the other.

As Sair listened, she got emotional as his music often made her. He had this way of taking abstract concepts and translating them into something you could digest and feel. As if those three words were tangible things the music explained easily. The deepness of the unknown, the curious search of discovery, the bright joy of friendship. These things felt like things she could hold in her hands and observe with not so much objectiveness, but clarity. They were self-evident. Always there.

When Sal finished the four minute piece, Sair immediately broke into clapping, wiping a tear from her eyes. Koro had been transfixed and snuggled in closer to her. Kel sat with her own awe but also radiated a deep love and admiration for her husband as she clapped.

~The Songz Family

Shedda was moved and awed by the impressive display of impromptu composition. She was lost in the story and visions the music invoked from the first note to the echoes of the very last one. She sighed with deep appreciation and soulful satisfaction as she clapped along with the rest of the audience.

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO

OOC: Based on this scene:https://www.star-fleet.com/core/stf1/manhattan/posts/189993/

Sal gave a gracious bow of his head. “Thank you. This next piece was inspired by a stellar system this ship came across at a particularly critical point for my family. I am deeply honoured that not only am I here on this ship, but that this system ties the Songz family to this wonderful ship forever more. I was amazed to watch the footage my daughter sent me of three stars slowly being pulled into a black hole and I was inspired to compose something in honour of the occasion.” Stretching and flexing his arms, Sal settled his hands over the prizar, fingertips hovering above the strings with precise kinaesthetic memory as he closed his eyes.

One note, higher pitched, sounded crisp and clear before wavering, the tremolo created by Sal’s manipulation of the pad of his finger. Then another note a third higher, repeated this same effect, before a note two thirds lower than the first sounded with the same effect. Then he played them as a chord. Silence then followed the echo of the last tremolo.

Sal then began to pick with both hands a bright piece, the three core notes dancing around each other like those three stars. The notes were crisp at first until something seemed to shift and each very slowly became longer and longer, like they were being drawn towards something.

The piece abruptly shifted to a very low tone, resonant and all encompassing. The trio of brighter notes began to dance again until they merged with the lower notes, everything resolving in a low chord.

Having witnessed those three stars and the block hole, Sair, Kel and Koro all clapped vigourously.

~Sair Songz, CNS

Cochrane clapped and smiled. The music was a vivid reminder of that moment. A moment he considered, for himself, a defining moment of his career… and his life. He glanced at the Songz family and, just for a moment, saw the all-encompassing weight they all carried shift and become just that much lighter. He looked back at Sal and smiled, wholly impressed by the piece and the ability of the individual who created it.

Cochrane, CO

Shedda clapped enthusiastically. She had missed the time on the bridge, but she had been in astrophysics when it happened. It had been a truly magnificent moment.

Cmdr. Mal’athar, XO