Composer: iammeaccho
In 1990, at the suggestion of a classmate, I attempted to create a song based on Leslie Cheung's music album "Sunset in Paris," telling the story of someone who had never been to Paris longing for his ex-girlfriend. The result, "Chasing Paris," wasn't very effective, as it only utilized the Tango automatic accompaniment of a Yamaha portable electronic keyboard.
In 1993, drawing from the inspiration of those past three years, I wrote this song depicting a couple reluctantly parting ways amidst the lively atmosphere of Paris. The song was later reworked into MIDI format in 2020 and subsequently released on YouTube.
During this new arrangement process, the musical style and tones reflected back on "Chasing Paris," resulting in a fully realized song. Both songs, in terms of their imagery and melody, complement each other unexpectedly, offering a delightful surprise.
Today we bid farewell, Shall We Part
(Male) Darling, please rest early, love has become too weary
(Male) Listening to lullabies, today we bid farewell
(Male) Remembering sweet words, smiling through numerous partings
(Male) Holding hands through storms, today we bid farewell
(Female) Falling in love with your anger, once admired so deeply
(Male) Falling in love with your gentleness, once sweet every day
(Duet) Listen to my story, ending with love gone astray
(Female) Inability to mend flaws, unable to stop tears
(Female) Love silent and wordless, today we bid farewell
(Male) "Do you know what a rose is?"
(Female) "It's a flower."
(Male) "A rose symbolizes love, this rose"
(Male) "I leave it to you as a memento…"
(Female) Falling in love with your anger, once admired so deeply
(Male) Falling in love with your gentleness, once sweet every day
(Duet) Love's pain lingering, tasted through numerous partings
(Duet) Love shouldn't be like this, today we bid farewell
(Duet) Listening to lullabies, today we bid farewell

Due to being a duet, the arrangement is divided into two sections:

The first half, sung by the male, features lively accordion triplets, accompanied by the main 4/4 beat, creating the story of parting in Paris. The latter half, sung by the female, consists of traditional 4/4 string accompaniment, portraying the helplessness of love returning to reality. The entire song depicts a resigned acceptance of the separation, without great sorrow or pain.

Listeners may perceive the song as lively because they haven't seen the lyrics and because it's not played on the original instruments.

Why choose "Today We Bid Farewell, Shall We Part" to be arranged in Muro music box format? Firstly, it's to support this Chinese initiative of creating electronic input music boxes. My original choice would have been "Chasing Paris," which has a more exotic vibe, along with another piano piece. "Today We Bid Farewell, Shall We Part" incorporates triplets and 3/4 time signatures merged into a 4/4 beat, which wasn't the most compatible tool with Muro's arranging program. The final product is a version transpose an octave higher and altered to fit a ❬111 stop❭ pattern in 3/4 time. Once again, thank you for the organizers' advice and encouragement.

This song boasts a wide vocal range that the N40 can fully handle. Please take a moment to appreciate it. Can you hear the original accordion-style and string accompaniment within the monophonic sound of the music box? Can you find Paris within "Today We Bid Farewell, Shall We Part"? The audio of the Mandarin version lyrics will be released on YouTube later.

【More about the Arranger】
iammeaccho
Muro Box Library Account: iammeaccho4717abc
A music enthusiast for 40 years, preferring MIDI file storage, with over 170 lyrics-filled and instrumental compositions released on YouTube.

YT:youtube.com/@iammeaccho
—
(中文原文)
作曲者：iammeaccho
在1990年時，在同學的建議下，試著以張國榮的音樂特輯《日落巴黎》為藍本，寫了一首歌曲，講述了一個從未去過巴黎的人思念前女友的故事。 作品《巴黎追尋》效果並不怎樣，因為只使用了Yamaha便攜電子琴的探戈自動和弦伴奏。 在1993年，取用了這3年前創作意景，寫了這歌，是一對戀人，在巴黎的歡快氣氛中，無奈和平分手。歌曲在2020年重新編成MIDI格式，其後在Youtube發表。
這新編過程，編曲風格及調子，反饋回《巴黎追尋》編成合格的歌曲。兩曲在意景，旋律上都能互相呼應，是意外驚喜。
這是為是次活動改編的國語歌詞，原曲是粵語：
今天告別離去 Shall We Part
(男)親 你快點安睡 愛已變得太累
(男)聽罷安眠歌曲 今天告別離去
(男)銘記甜言蜜語 笑看幾番散聚
(男)風雨裡不放手 今天告別離去
(女)愛上你的憤怒 當初如此傾慕
(男)愛上你的溫婉 曾經每天甜蜜
(合)聽聽我的故事 終結是情變
(女)不能彌補缺陷 沒法停止眼淚
(女)愛情沉默無語 今天告別離去
(男)「知否玫瑰是甚麼?」
(女)「是花吧」
(男)「玫瑰代表愛情 這朵玫瑰」
(男)「留給你作紀念…… 」
(女)愛上你的憤怒 當初如此傾慕
(男)愛上你的溫婉 曾經每天甜蜜
(合)愛早痛不過去 嘗過幾番散聚
(合)相愛不該如此 今天告別離去
(合)聽罷安眠歌曲 今天告別離去

由於是男女合唱曲，編曲便分為2個情調：-
前半男唱部份，以手風琴輕快三連音段子，襯託主調4/4 小節，營造在巴黎分手的故事; 後段女部，是傳統4/4弦樂襯底，亦作為愛情返回現實時的無奈。全曲是一個無奈接受的分手，沒大悲大痛。
聽官覺得曲子輕快，是因為沒看到歌詞，及不是原來樂器。
為何挑選《今天告別離去》編成Muro Box 音樂盒格式？首因當然是支持這華人創造電子輸入音樂盒活動。我本來的首選，是旋律更具異國風情的《巴黎追尋》，及另一首鋼琴曲目。 《今天告別離去》，包含3連音及3/4節拍融合在4/4小節，Muro Box App的編曲程式不是最能兼容的工具，現在成品，是調升八度，及改變3/4成❬111停❭的版本。 再次感謝主辦方的意見及鼓勵。

本曲音域廣闊，N40能充分駕馭。請大家靜心欣賞，能否在音樂盒的一元聲音裡，聽到穿梳其中，原本是手風琴式，及弦樂襯底風格;能否在《今天告別離去》裡，找到巴黎？
國語版歌詞的音像，稍後會在Youtube 發佈。

【More about the Arranger】
iammeaccho
Muro Box曲庫帳號：iammeaccho4717abc
40年興趣音樂創作人，偏好MIDI 存檔方式，填詞，曲詞，純音樂作品170多首，於YouTube 發佈。

YT:youtube.com/@iammeaccho