Schumann

Into the Woods

~ CozyMedley

The forest – a mysterious and haunting place of wilderness,
but also spiritual and inspiring. This is how Romantic composer,
Robert Schumann (1810-1856) describes the forest in his
piano cycle “Waldszenen” (Forest Scenes).
Let’s enter the forest along with Schumann’s opening part: 

Long before the “hug a tree” movement, George Frideric Handel
(1685-1759) composed a beautiful opening aria to his opera “Serse” (1738), “Ombra mai fù“, admiring and glorifying a beloved tree.
Enjoy an instrumental version of this aria:

   

Under the tree, CozyMedley

“Let me bring you songs from the wood:
To make you feel much better than you could know …”

“Songs From The Wood”
Lyrics & Music: Ian Anderson (“Jethro Tull”)

Into the Woods, CozyMedley

 

Ian Anderson is right!
Read why trees make us feel better at www.theconversation.com 

 

 

Enjoy a beautiful watercolor painting by artist Nis Canthus:

Art lovers, take note! We have a special post for you: Art Notes

Into the Green, CozyMedley

 

For more shades of green visit our post Evergreen,
or take a seat under The Willow Tree

Barns & Owls

~ CozyMedley

An old barn, CozyMedleyLet’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 …)

Barn with a bell, CozyMedley

 

“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!

An owlet, CozyMedley
                           An owlet

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:

An owlet

 

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

 

 

A barn in England, CozyMedleyA barn in Tuscany, Italy, CozyMedley