Christmas is coming early this year for me, as I was the recipient of some generous gifts by fellow bloggers yesterday. I’ve only been blogging here since September, so I am deeply touched and grateful for these gestures. Today also marks my twentieth post and the 2000th view of my blog.
First, the postman delivered a Read more!
Winter, an artist’s sketch in charcoal, so clearly etched against a cloud filled sky. . .
In celebration of the moment when the earth turns on its axis back to the light of the sun. This year, in the northern hemisphere, the winter solstice occurs on December 22. Time and Date offers a clear explanation of the solstice as well as explores the customs and traditions around it. To see a beautiful collection of “brown and gray and sometimes white” nature photography, explore Robin’s post on frosted Queen Ann’s Lace in Life in the Bogs.
“Winter” was one of those songs written in a moment, in a winter where snow alternated with grey skies and brown earth. This recording is a “first take” for both the piano and vocal. The visuals are all from my garden. Enjoy!
All music making is collaborative in nature. A special thanks to Barbara Nissman for contributing her master’s touch on the piano to this song and Mike Tomaro for his haunting soprano sax improvisations. And as always, to my gifted husband Bill Purse, who generously shares his skills as audio engineer and producer in my artistic endeavors.
Winter, ©2009 Lynn Emberg Purse All RIghts Reserved
Winter, snow falling down
Winter, the world is gray and brown, gray and brown and sometimes white
for a night and a day, then all is gray
Autumn in leaves of gold
Springtime, a thousand shades of green unfold to summer
with its joyous Joseph’s Coat of colors, endless colors, endless colors . . .
Winter, an artist’s sketch in charcoal
so clearly etched against a cloud filled sky
Subtle and dark, lovely and stark in gentle tones of gray
and brown and sometimes white
for a night and a day, then all turns gray
Winter today
Soft clouds, soft snow, soft browns, whites and grays
Winter today
Text and media of “A Song for the Winter Solstice” ©2011 Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved. Please do not reblog.
We have long considered creating an online musical Christmas card instead of sending paper cards and Christmas letters; this is the year that it happens. “Father Christmas” was composed from a dream that my husband had of his father. Bill handed me the text and music for the chorus, I completed the text and music for the verses and bridge and scored it for keyboards and percussion. Our friend Judy joined us to record it for the “Christmas at Duquesne, Vol. 2” CD. Now we would like to share the video version with our friends and families as our Christmas greeting this year. May the blessings of love and peace be with you throughout the coming year. Enjoy!
Father Christmas Lyrics
©2008 Lynn & Bill Purse, All rights reserved
Father Christmas, Father Time
Mother Earth in ancient rhyme
Help the angels sing your name
I’ll see you Father, once again
Christmas seen through childish eyes
Glitter gold and treasures prized,
and yet around each childish heart
the warmth of love and family start
A world of sorrow, a world of pain,
a world in which there seems no gain.
But nonetheless, remember this,
a world was won by a child of grace
Looking back on memories, I see the joy of family
A father’s love, a mother’s joy for all their children, girl and boy
Fathers, mothers, listen now
Sisters, brothers, make this vow
to love each other on this earth
and share the bonds of love and mirth
Lynn Emberg Purse, vocals and keyboards; Bill Purse, vocals and percussion, sound engineer and producer; Judith Bowman, keyboards. A special thanks to my niece and great niece Jessica and Olivia and to my mother and my husband for allowing me to film them, and to Michael for providing the red rose.
Soundtrack on the “Christmas at Duquesne, Vol. 2” CD available at the Duquesne University’s Mary Pappert School of Music, 412-396-6080. All proceeds go towards scholarships for Duquesne University music students.
Another Christmas music post that you may enjoy – Keeping Christmas
Text and media of “Father Christmas: A Musical Christmas Card” ©2011 Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved
Never did pine trees seem so dear. How sweet was their breath and their song, and how grandly they winnowed the sky! naturalist John Muir, from “Steep Trail”
It seems fitting at this time of year, when we bring pine and holly into our homes to celebrate the holidays, to give some thought to trees. I have been in love with trees my entire life, spending hours in the woods as a child, walking among them, climbing them, reading beneath them. Not surprisingly, I was married in a grove of plum trees on my parents’ farm; the night before the wedding, the trees on the farm came to me in a dream and promised me that they would be there as witnesses. Then they sang the most beautiful song, with voices deeper than the deepest Russian men’s choir. That song, untranslatable into earthly song, has always stayed with me.
Trees figure large in the human imagination, in myth and archetype, in holy writ. The notion of the sacred tree is present in most cultures. The idea of towering giants whose roots are as deep as their heads are high is profound and symbolic, even as they feed us, shelter us, transport us and hold us in their arms. After reading Julie Moir Messervy’s “The Inward Garden” which uses an archetypal approach to garden design, I created my lower garden around the idea of a cosmic tree at its center. It is a small weeping cherry surrounded by a tall hardwood forest, a still point in the center of the swirl of trees and flowers and birds.
Surrounded by these same trees as I was sitting on my deck (and perhaps remembering my wedding eve dream,) I was inspired to write Trees of Righteousness, a three movement choral work commissioned to celebrate the 125th anniversary of our university.
Here’s a brief clip from the first movement: (Text: They shall be called trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord)
Many musical instruments, including guitars, cellos, pianos, and wooden flutes, are constructed from the wood of trees, perhaps extending the voice of the tree in another way. It is conjectured that Antonio Stradivari used the wood of very slow growing trees (see the Maunder Minimum hypothesis) that ultimately became his celebrated violins.
And finally, here is a link to an unusual video of a man, Diego Stucco, who chose to make music with a living tree. Enjoy.
All images (except wedding photo), audio and text of “Trees That Sing” ©2011 Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved
. . .and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well . . . May that be truly said of us, and all of us! “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens
Many years ago, I went on an overseas musical tour to entertain the troops during the holidays. I didn’t think it would bother me to be away for the holidays but Christmas Eve found me in tears. In a lovely tropical land, but with nothing to give as gifts except stale candy and magazines from the tiny PX, and performing Christmas music for an audience that was in holiday denial, I was sorry I had agreed to the trip. A fortuitous invitation to a midnight mass changed everything for me. On a warm tropical night, in a soaring cathedral built of Philippine mahogany but with no walls, people gathered by candlelight to celebrate Christmas. Sweet voices rose in singing “Silent Night” to the accompaniment of acoustic guitars, the original instrument used for that lovely carol. I felt all preconceptions and expectations about the holiday slip away from me – the night was magical, a quiet miracle. When I returned home, I remembered Scrooge’s change of heart and vowed to “keep Christmas” any time I had the chance but also to remember that it was bigger than custom and ritual.
Jump forward 25 years. When asked to write and record a pop style song for a Christmas CD, I remembered that remarkable Christmas Eve. The lyrics were written in ten minutes during a chamber music concert on the back of the program. Influenced by the music that was being performed at the time, I included two violins and a cello in the score and “Christmas In My Heart” was recorded for the “Christmas at Duquesne, Vol. 2 CD”.
This song is dedicated to everyone who finds themselves away from home during the holidays, with a gentle reminder that you carry the real meaning inside of you. Trust that magic will happen.
Christmas in My Heart
©2008 Lynn Emberg Purse, All rights reserved
If there was no tree this year, no rows of twinkling lights,
no ornaments, no bells to ring, no frosty snowmen bright.
I’d miss the cheerful bustle with which the season starts,
but no matter where I find myself, I’ll keep Christmas in my heart.
If there was nobody singing carols, no cups of Christmas cheer,
no bows, no boxes, no ribbons to tie, no special gifts to share.
I’d miss the sounds, the sights, the smells with which the season starts,
but no matter where I find myself, I’ll keep Christmas in my heart.
I may be so far away, missing everyone I love,
Standing on unfamiliar ground where nothing looks like home.
Yet in a quiet moment, in a starry silent night
the shortest day is over and the dawn is growing bright.
I sing an alleluia and a candle lights the dark.
No matter where I find myself, no matter where I find myself,
no matter where we find ourselves,
we’ll keep Christmas in our hearts, in our hearts.
Lynn Emberg Purse, Vocals and keyboards; Bill Purse, bass, sound engineer and producer; Rachel Stegeman and Charles Stegeman, violins; Chris Bromley, cello; Billy Kuhn, drums. CD available for purchase from the Duquesne University Mary Pappert School of Music, 412-396-6080. All proceeds go to support scholarships for music students.
A special thanks to those who provided photos, especially Andrew Fichter and Michael Ortiz. Many photos were also provided by Photos8.org and Photos Public Domain – please support those public domain/creative commons websites that provide beautiful photos at no cost and support artistic creativity.
Another Christmas post you may like: Father Christmas
Text and media of “Keeping Christmas” ©2011 Lynn Emberg Purse, All Rights Reserved
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