Barns & Owls

October 9, 2018June 3, 2020 ~ CozyMedley

Let’s hop back in time to when dance parties were held in barns.
(The “Canadian Barn Dance” shown here was filmed
in a beautiful Scottish castle, though …)

“Hoedown” is an American country dance.
The most famous one, “Hoe-Down” by
Aaron Copland (1900-1990), is a part of his ballet “Rodeo”, and was composed for an orchestra in 1942. Enjoy a brilliant arrangement for two violins by David Worswick:

An old barn, CozyMedley — Barns are being reborn today as living spaces, restaurants, music and dance venues, and wedding locations.

Thanks to years of hard work, this former barn was transformed into a most charming and comfortable home:

Cozy up with a book: “Wesley the Owl” by Stacey O’Brien
In this amazing memoir, we learn about the incredible life of biologist
Stacey O’Brien and Wesley – a rescued barn owl.
It takes a strong personality to adopt an injured owlet,
that needs to be fed a mice-only diet for the rest of his life!

In his piano cycle “Waldszenen” (Forest Scenes), composer Robert Schumann (1810-1856), dedicated one episode to a bird: “Vogel als Prophet”
(The Prophet Bird). Enjoy this delicate piece and its mysterious atmosphere:

For more chirping voices, fly into our post:
In Our Nest
For more fascinating music by Robert Schumann, take a walk Into the Woods

Open Your Window

September 17, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

“Open your window and take a deep sigh
Think about letting the rest of the world go fly a kite …”

Lyrics & Music: Harry Nilsson (1941-1994)

“Des Müllers Blumen” (The Miller’s Flowers) is a poem by
Wilhelm Müller (1794-1827), describing a young man’s wish to plant flowers beneath the window of the girl he admires, the miller’s daughter.
The poem along with nineteen other poems were composed by
Franz Schubert (1797–1828) as a song-cycle for voice and piano, titled
“Die schöne Müllerin” (The Miller’s Beautiful Daughter).
Hannes Wader’s folk-like arrangement depicts Schubert’s aspiration towards simple and pure music:

You can find the poem and its English translation at www.oxfordlieder.co.uk

“At my window
Watching the sun go
Hoping the stars know
It’s time to shine …”

Lyrics & Music: Townes Van Zandt (1944-1997)

Spring is here! Enjoy the music of open windows: In Our Nest

Hello September

September 1, 2018November 11, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

“Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh so mellow…”

Lyrics: Tom Jones (writer)
Music: Harvey Schmidt (September 12, 1929-2018)

“Try to remember” performed in a touching duet by
Nana Mouskouri and Harry Belafonte:

“Oh, the days dwindle down to a precious few
September, November
And these few precious days I’ll spend with you…”

Lyrics: Maxwell Anderson (1888-1959)
Music: Kurt Weill (1900-1950)

Since its debut in 1938 in Broadway, “September Song” became a classic, performed by many musicians. Enjoy Willie Nelson’s 1978 version:

It’s not all about melancholy in September.
Volume up! Let’s party with “Earth, Wind & Fire”:

Get ready for cold days. Snuggle with Chet Baker’s beautiful
playing of “September Song”:

September, October, November …
Celebrate fall with our post: Autumn Serenade

The Willow Tree

July 29, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley ~ 2 Comments

“It was down by the Sally* gardens
My love and I did meet
She crossed the Sally gardens
With little snow-white feet

She bid me to take life easy
As the leaves grow on the tree
But I was young and foolish
And her I did not agree …”

William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)

*willow

A thatched cottage, CozyMedley — Yeats was inspired by the Irish country life and folk songs. Willow sticks were used for basket making and for roof thatching.

Enjoy Loreena Mckennitt’s moving performance of
“Down the Sally Gardens”:

Basketry was an important craft in human culture throughout the world.
Here are a few examples of willow weaving inspired by old traditions,
made by members of the Great Basin Basketmakers Guild (Nevada, USA):

Time to take a seat and relax with “La rosa y el sauce”
(The Rose and the Willow) by Argentinian composer
Carlos Guastavino (1912-2000). Original music set to a poem by
Francisco Silva y Valdés (1887-1975), describing how the willow weeps
after its entwined rose is cut off.
Here is a beautiful arrangement for viola and piano:
(To watch – click on YouTube)

“Weeping willow tree
Weep in sympathy …“
Lyrics & Music: Ann Ronell (1905-1993)

“Willow Weep for Me” by Ronell in Ella Fitzgerald’s soothing voice:

If you’d like to see more crafty ideas, visit our posts: Art Notes and Hands-On.

Rhapsody in Blue

July 12, 2018June 10, 2020 ~ CozyMedley

“Blue skies smiling at me
Nothing but blue skies do I see …”
Lyrics & Music: Irving Berlin (1888-1989)

Don’t feel blue, enjoy Willie Nelson’s 1978 version of Berlin’s song,
originally written in 1926:

Blue Jay, CozyMedley — “Blue birds singing a song …” (I. Berlin)

Blue was a precious color in ancient times and today it is the most
commonly used color all over the world.

Italian composer Paolo Conte associates old world atmosphere
with a dark shade of blue, “En Bleu Marine”:

En Bleu Marine from conte_official on Vimeo.

The most famous clarinet solo appears in the beloved “Rhapsody in Blue”
by George Gershwin (1898-1937). Watch Leonard Bernstein conduct the
New York Philharmonic and play the piano solo:

“Rhapsody in Blue” Grand Piano: The limited edition Steinway & Sons grand piano that was built in 1998 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin. via: nmc.ca/collections

Enjoy another rhapsody: Bohemian Rhapsody
For more shades of blue, visit our post: La mer

Marvelous Venice

June 25, 2018June 10, 2020 ~ CozyMedley

“When I seek another word for music,
I never find any other word than Venice.”
Friedrich Nietzsche (1844-1900)

Let Venetian-born composers take you back in time to the Baroque era
(1600-1750). Venice flourished as a musical center and its rich musical heritage plays a major role in the history of Western music.

Giovanni Gabrieli (ca. 1553-1612) highlighted the possibilities of dynamic contrasts and was the first one to indicate them (piano and forte):

The famed Antonio Vivaldi (1678-1741) was a music master in schools for orphaned girls. Much of his huge amount of compositions was written for school concerts and attracted audiences from all over Europe:

Tomaso Albinoni (1671-1751) is known today mostly for the popular piece,
“Adagio for organ and strings”, but its attribution to Albinoni is in doubt.
Here is another Adagio composed by Albinoni, without any doubt:

With millions of visitors, it might be challenging to experience a relaxed visit in Venice. Read how to avoid the crowds at TheVeniceInsider.com

If you’re in a romantic mood, enjoy the sweetest courting song In Our Nest
Music by 3 more great composers awaits you in our post: The Three B’s
For more Italian music, hop into our posts: Laundry Day and Jingle Bells Arrivederci!

The Three B’s

June 7, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley ~ 4 Comments

3 (B) tips for a happy day:

Eat a healthy breakfast,

Unplug and read a book,

Plan an early bedtime

Uplift your spirit with music by the three greatest composers of all time:
Bach (1685-1750), Beethoven (1770-1827), and Brahms (1833-1897)

Go with the flow with a short flute solo titled “Badinerie” from
Johann Sebastian Bach’s Orchestral Suite No. 2:

Ludwig van Beethoven mastered composing long, powerful works,
but saved some notes for collections of short pieces, called “Bagatelles”.
Beguile with Beethoven’s Bagatelle:

Following Beethoven’s footsteps, Johannes Brahms composed long, dramatic works as well. But he also composed various collections of short pieces,
a musical style that became a key feature of 19th century Romantic music.
Embrace Brahms’ Ballade, and you are ready to face the battles of the day!

No doubt we need to add a fourth B: The Beatles!
Let It Be:

The power of three – more music by 3 great composers awaits you in Marvelous Venice

In Our Nest

May 20, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

The sweetest courting song ever written is the Papageno and Papagena
duet from Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s fascinating opera
“The Magic Flute” (1791). Enjoy this charming production by West Edge Opera in an English adaptation:

“I’ll light the fire
You place the flowers in the vase
That you bought today…”

“Our House”
Lyrics & Music: Graham Nash (“Crosby, Stills and Nash”):

An original Blackbird song …

Blackbird chicks, CozyMedley — Blackbird Chicks

More chirping voices in our post: Barns & Owls
More charming love songs in our post: I Will Always Love You
For more uplifting music by Mozart, step inside our post: Make an Entrance

A Night in the Desert

May 3, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

It feels good to leave the hustle and bustle behind
and go night camping in the desert:

“In the desert you can remember your name
‘Cause there ain’t no one for to give you no pain …”

“A Horse with No Name”
Lyrics & Music: Dewey Bunnell (“America”):

Cooking a meal in a Dutch oven, CozyMedley — Cooking a meal in a Dutch oven, slow cooking style. Staying warm by the bonfire and listening to the sound of silence

Best activity in the desert: Stargazing! The Milky Way Photo: Ofra Ben-Zvi

Embrace the desert’s slow pace through ancient cultures:
“Canyon People” by Native American flutist and composer,
R. Carlos Nakai:

“Karavan” by Armenian composer Khachatur Avetisyan (1926–1996),
performed by The State Ensemble of the Folk Musical Instruments of Armenia with conductor Norayr Davtyan
Armen Grigoryan – duduk*
*An ancient armenian woodwind instrument

For more sky gazing, visit our posts: Clair de lune
and Clouds

Laundry Day

April 16, 2018March 13, 2021 ~ CozyMedley

It’s laundry day!

Enjoy an English folk song from the 19th century:
‘Twas on a Monday morning
That I beheld my darling,
She looked so neat and charming
In every high degree.
She looked so neat and nimble-o,
A-washing of her linen-o.
Dashing away with the smoothing iron,
Dashing away with the smoothing iron,
Dashing away with the smoothing iron,
She stole my heart away…
Repeat and change to these words:
Tuesday → A-hanging
Repeat again, and again, it’s tedious work …
Wednesday → A-starching
Thursday → A-ironing
Friday → A-folding
Saturday → A-airing
Sunday → A-wearing

This traditional song goes non-traditional in a charming
performance by “Edward the Second”:

Old washing boards, CozyMedley — So glad we have washing machines these days…

Here are some energetic rhythms for your laundry chores by
the virtuous musicians of “The Washboard Serenaders”:

“The Washboard Resonators” have an uplifting rhythm for you!
Lyrics: Ira Gershwin
Music: George Gershwin

The joy of doing laundry, Italian style:
“Il ballo delle lavandaie” (Dance of the Washerwomen):

Help the environment! 
Get 5 reasons to line-dry your laundry
at www.theartofsimple.net

Roll up your sleeves, there’s a lot of work to be done: Hands-On
For more Italian music, visit Marvelous Venice and Jingle Bells
Arrivederci!