Rochambeau

The Infinite Mind

My poor neglected guitar gained some attention last week after one of it's strings broke, out of the blue.

And you know what it means when a string breaks on your guitar, don't you? It was time to restring my baby so off I went, to buy the most expensive set of strings possible. It makes a difference (my dads voice insists, who still lives in my head).

That night, my husband was listening to a program on PBS. and Peter, Paul and Mary were singing the song called A' Soalin and something about that song clicked and started stirring in my brain. I picked up my guitar and realized that I knew the song as a girl and was able to remembered a complex composition. At first the song was a bit off, but the more I practiced, all of a sudden the song came flooding back to me thought finger memory and the next thing you know, more songs that I had learned from that period of time, even one my father taught me came pouring out.

 

Isn't it wondrous all of this information we have stored up in our amazing brains and interesting how just one thing can kick off a whole series of other information. Wondrous. What do you think? Have you had anything like this happen to you recently? Isn't it fascinating?

 

Happy Week to you!

xox

Constance

 

p.s. My computer will be getting serviced for the next few days, so I'll be back hopefully very soon!

 

 

 

Giffords Circus

Let's run away and join  Giffords Circus in Cirencester, England!

 

  

Giffords Circus ~ Perfection!

Their story: 

Toti and Nell Gifford started Giffords Circus in 2000.  Their vision was of a miniature village green circus, packed, rowdy, glamorous - birds and horses and motorbikes bursting from a fluttering white tent - a show for rural families, farmers and film stars.  Since 2000 the Giffords Circus company of painted wagons has toured the rural Southwest, moving every week, and entertained over 250,000 people.  Giffords Circus has become synonymous for the inspiring musicality that each show is filled with. You can listen to snippets of music from their previous shows by going to their website and linking to The Music Box.

If you want more, watch the fabulous slide show of Giffords Circus at The Guardian. 

(Images above found here)

Thoughts About Music

The soundtrack to our lives~

 

Musicians and composers have the power to change life.......

for the better! 

(above:  Louis Armstrong)

The Guitar is the symbol of hope~

  Music lessons are a gift from your parents~

If you play the bagpipes

or the banjo..........

 

people will never forget you!

(Bagpiper image from book Hugh Cheape's book Bagpipes, Banjo player, my father Joe Muller)  

Music wakes up the soul and has the power to move a person to tears, especially gospel!

(above: Mahalia Jackson)

 

It can double our our joys,

(above: Life Magazine)

 

and divide our sorrows ~

(Above: New Orleans Jazz Funeral)

  

   Music is a creative expression~

(above Picasso)

 

The drum is the heartbeat of a song~

(Above: Handscroll detail of a Chinese percussionist playing a drum for a dancing woman, Wikipedia)

  Meet Terpsichore, the muse of choral song and dance~

(Above:  Painting by Jean~Marc Nattier)

 

Did you know the lyre is a symbol of harmony?

(above: detail from an ancient Greek vessel)

 Saraswati is the goddess of knowledge, music and the arts.  She plays the sitar with her many arms~

Unexpected music adds joy to life!

(above: Buskers in Prague)

  ~ One Heart ~

Music has the power to connect people and promote tolerance. 

(above:  Bob Marley)

 

Hearing (or making) good music is heaven on earth! It makes people want to dance and be happy~

(above:  Image from friend Marita)

 

Music is Love!

(Above image: Tabu Perfume advertisement fro the 1960's)

  

Pray for us Saint Cecilia, patron Saint of music, that we might have the ears to hear!

 (Above: Oil painting Saint Cecilia and the Ange by Carlo Saraceni)

xox

Constance

When Irish Eyes are Smiling

Irish and non~Irish alike will join in singing "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" today.  It is one of the most popular Irish songs ever written.  The lyrics to the song were written my great Uncle George Graff Jr.

The song writer was born on Manhattan Island, New York on August 5, 1886.  Here he is as a child with his sisters, Cecil, Eva (my Grandmother) and Katherine.  In those days New York was still farmland.  It's hard to believe.

The song was written in 1912, to be sung by a famous singer, Chauncey Olcott, in his show called "Isle of Dreams".  Mr. Olcott, came up with the idea of "eyes" being used as a theme for the song.  George Graff dashed off the lyrics in less than three hours, this being the fastest song he ever wrote.   The ironic thing is, George Graff was of Dutch and German descent, not an Irishman.

  He was a charter member of ASCAP  (American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers), which protects it's members copyrights and collects royalties. 

He was able to live comfortably for the rest of his life from the royalties of this one song, When Irish Eyes are Smiling.

~~~~~~~*~~~~~~~

When Irish eyes are smiling
Sure tis like a morning spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter,
You can hear the angels sing. When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

There's a tear in your eye,
and I'm wondering why,
For it never should be there at all.
With such power in your smile,
sure a stone you'd beguile,
So there's never a teardrop should fall.
When your sweet lilting laughter's like some fairy song,
And your eyes twinkle bright as can be,
You should laugh all the while and all other times smile,
And now smile a smile for me.

Chorus:
When Irish eyes are smiling Sure it's like a morning spring.
In the lilt of Irish laughter,
You can hear the angels sing.
When Irish hearts are happy,
All the world seems bright and gay.
And when Irish eyes are smiling,
Sure, they steal your heart away.

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!