Roland Karl Bryce Composer
20 plus years later, the CD and the digital versions are selling on iTunes, Amazon, CD Baby.com and now here, too. Online reviews are unanimous: the Album is a success.
The cover artwork was provided by Sian Rance (currently from dr-ink-com) and the singers and instrumentalists helped me produce 'the best kids' CD on the market'.
The album features 30 Songs/Nursery Rhymes with real instruments and 'proper singing'. The 'USP' unique selling point being the instrumental timbres and clear vocal delivery of the singers. (Marketing was never my strong suit.) Slow turn-around, but it still sells.
This excerpt, Baa, Baa Black Sheep features Di Exelby and Nick Forrest, vocals.
AMADEUS NURSERY
Amadeus Nursery began as a few short nursery rhyme arrangements created on an ATARI 1040 with 0.5meg of RAM and a Roland Sound Canvas, SC155. In 1996, my beautiful 2 year old daughter - oh, a proud dad - listened intently as I sang her nursery rhymes. Thoroughly fed up with the commercial nursery rhyme tapes that were available, I announced confidently that I could produce a 'much better set of Nursery Rhymes' with real instruments and far superior arrangements. The challenge was on: Then in 1997 an educational study gained publicity for the notion that: 'Listening to Mozart makes your baby smarter"
I was not surprised. I had already doggedly woven small segments of 'real' Mozart into every nursery rhyme that I could get my hands on. I had taken time to imagine what the young Mozarts, including his sister 'Nannerl' had experienced in their infancy. (Some darned outstanding violin playing by Leopold for a start along with top notch classical performances at the Salzburg Court. Leopold, being an outstanding violinist and composer in his own right, etc.
This Album, Amadeus Nursery, rhymes, arranged, performed and recorded during 1995-1999 was the result.
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River of Golden Dreams
"Cantique de Noël" is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the poem "Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians) Penned by a wine merchant and poet, Placide Cappeau (1808–1877), in this arrangement the Flute creates a 'song without words': chanson sans mots. Harp and bells paint the Christmas sound colours. (c.f. 'Poetry section on this site, for my thoughts about 'word-pollution' in the musical art-form)
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Beautiful Christmas Melodies
"Cantique de Noël" is a well-known Christmas carol composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847 to the poem "Minuit, chrétiens" (Midnight, Christians) Penned by a wine merchant and poet, Placide Cappeau (1808–1877), in this arrangement the Flute creates a 'song without words': chanson sans mots. Harp and bells paint the Christmas sound colours. (c.f. 'Poetry section on this site, for my thoughts about 'word-pollution' in the musical art-form)
Beautiful Christmas Carol Melodies for Flute and Harp, was performed and recorded during 2013 in Dubai, U.A.E. where recordings of Christmas Carols are played from mid November onwards in hotels and shopping Malls. Lavish Christmas styled decorations light up the Malls and the City during this period. Open for business as ever in Dubai.
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SEPTENARY
Composed in 2012 and released under the 'nom de plume': Karl Meinhardt, (my middle name and mother's maiden name) Septenary is a full length concept album for solo flute and ‘World Music Ensemble’.
Santur, Asian percussion, Tibetan bells to name a few.
‘Septenary’ in this context means literally, a group of seven movements in this musical context, but also the manipulation of the fundamental plus six harmonics within the lead melodic line: C/C/G/C/E/G/B-flat.
Chakras are ‘subtle body’* energy 'wheels' that rotate around specific points along our spinal column and deep within us. No further explanation is intended here. The music explores the idea of a 'key note', drone note for each chakra. Septenary is a pleasant enough piece to listen to. To wash and cleanse the sonic pallet. It will not offend.