O, how wonderful is the human voice! It is indeed the organ of the soul! The intellect of man sits enthroned visibly upon his forehead and in his eye; and the heart of man is written uponhis countenance. But the soul reveals itself in the voice only; as God revealed himself to the prophet of old in the still, small voice; and in a voice from the burning bush. The soul of man is audible, not visible. A sound alone betrays the flowing of the eternal fountain, invisible to man!
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/5436/5436-h/5436-h.htm, accessed 4 September 2021.
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Hyperion (1882)
The human voice
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Ode I
Title: Ode IComposer: Greg SmithInstrumentation: PianoPerformer: Greg Smith (January 2010) Your browser does not support the audio element. Sheet music
From the heart“What comes from the heart, goes to the heart.” — Samuel Coleridge Taylor, English poet, critic and philosopher. Coleridge, Samuel (1856) Seven Lectures on Shakespeare and Milton. London: Chapman and Hall, page xlv
I Will Sing Of Your Salvation – Psalm 70 (71)Title: I will sing of your salvation Text: Psalm 70 (71): 1-6, 15, 17 Composer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: SATB and piano Product medium: PDF score and part Sample:
Brahms’ harmonic exerciseIt was during the summer of 1858 that Brahms met Agathe von Seibold. He had gone to visit Ise Grimm at Göttingenm the university town where Joachim spent his holidays. Ise had recently married, and his home was a meeting place for the younger musicians. I have invited some people in this evening,” he told […]
The effect of Tchaikovsky’s music on his patronessNadyezhda Filaretovna von Meck was Tchaikovsky’s patroness. In March 1877 she wrote of the effect of Tchaikovsky’s music on her. The work being described is a Marche Funèbre on a theme from Oprichnik (this work is now lost). It is so superb that, as I had hoped, it elevates and transports me into a […]
I Shall Live in the House of the Lord – Psalm 22 (23)Title: I Shall Live in the House of the Lord Text: Psalm 22 (23) Composer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: SATB and piano Related settings: – The Lord is my shepherd (Psalm 22; Greg Smith) – SATB and piano (PDF score) Product medium: PDF score and part Sample:
Skye Boat SongTitle: Skye Boat Song Composer: Scottish folk melody (arr. Greg Smith) Instrumentation: Piano Product medium: PDF score
Who needs four strings anyway?In his work Le Streghe (The Witches), the virtuoso violinist Paganini would use scissors to reduce the number of strings on his violin throughout the piece, until he would be left playing the work on just the G string. Source: Haylock, Julian, “Nicolo Paganini”, Classic FM, December 2009, p. 41.
The Battle of the SommeTitle: The Battle of the Somme Composer: Greg Smith Performer: Greg Smith Instrumentation: Piano Product medium: MP3 download (25 tracks; 73:00) Related products: – Full score (PDF download). 80 pages. Background: In 1916 France was struggling to fend off German occupation. It had become apparent that to break the stalemate Britain may need to increase […]
Nino Rota on happiness and music“When I’m creating at the piano, I tend to feel happy; but – the eternal dilemma – how can we be happy amid the unhappiness of others? I’d do everything I could to give everyone a moment of happiness. That’s what’s at the heart of my music.” Nino Rota, Italian composer. Cited at: Wikipedia.