Lands Music CD Album Video Trailer

Here is a video trailer featuring tracks from 'Lands' CD album.

 

 

The CD is available worldwide from www.marysdowryproductions.org

Writing the Instrumental Music Album 'LANDS' and what it's all about.....

From about 1995 to 2001 I had spent a lot of time writing piano solos.  As a pianist I found that I would want to play a certain type of music but was unable to find that music in music shops.  I focused on writing music that I could play on the piano that would not be 'classical' or 'jazz' but would be reflective, moving, background, tuneful and interesting.  My inspiration for writing was in the titles that my sister would give me.  Each title sparked my imagination and I would try to reflect this through music. 

 

 

 

My earliest pieces were titles such as 'Fawn in the Valley', 'Vineyard in Flower', 'Wine of the Pomegranates' so I began to get into the habit of imagining beautiful landscapes, flowers, animals, vast scenes, panoramas, lakes, rivers, fields - the beauty of earth.  Sometimes I would print out a picture of a natural scene and stick it on the piano for inspiration too. 

 

 

With about 60 pieces under my belt I set about taking several pieces and expanding them into instrumental CD tracks.  I used first a keyboard and then a Clavinova digital piano in order to add other instruments.

 

I spent a couple of years working with those original piano solo ideas and created a beautiful style of reflective, atmospheric, calming and tranquil pieces which formed the albums 'Worlds' Dreams' and 'Journeys'.

 

 

After this I wanted to do something different and I embarked upon 'Lands'.  At the time the 'Lord of the Rings' films were coming out and what I liked about them was the scenery.  I had imagined for years this type of ancient, mysterious world, panoramic views of canyons, green hills, forests, and presented this through music. 

 

 

Now I could actually see the type of images I had been writing about and I felt even more inspired.  With 'Lands' I was able to embrace this further and write with more drums, recorders and a more ancient English style.  'Lands' to this day remains my favourite album. 

 

There is so much in it and it's just what I like to hear.  Lord of the Rings added that fantasy element, a slight mystical and magical dimension which added more depth to my music.  Some of the track titles for 'Lands' are:

 

Empire of the Kings

Valley of the 12 Tombs

 

 

 

and now writing and imagining these vast lands and empires, I also could imagine those ancient statues which reflected the past; with the idea of elves and mystery I could add an almost magical fantasy dimension to the idea of the pieces and it just generally enhanced the atmosphere. 

 

'Empire of the Kings' track encompasses not only imaginative vistas but a whole history of Kingdoms and people, instruments and a way of life, plus a spiritual and otherworldly atmosphere.  This was all important groundwork to eventually writing soundtracks for the Mary's Dowry Productions films.  Imagination is key.

 

 

 

Lands has 13 tracks, all of which were written with instruments on the Clavinova.  The album takes a more 'ancient English' or 'Lord of the Rings Medieval' tone, with a depth of mystery with a great deal of stories and history being told through the pieces.  The track listing is as follows:

 

1. The Valley of the Twelve Tombs (3:48)
2. City of the Jagged Mountains (4:44)
3. The Hollow of Mists (4:15)
4. The Winding Grassland of Rivers (3:56)
5. The Kingdom of Sands (3:37)
6. Country of Frost (3:00)
7. City of Reeds (5:47)
8.  The Forgotten Realm of Rhyme (3:52)
9. The Land of the Trees (3:34)
10.  The Empire of the Kings (5:58)
11.  Collapsing City of Clouds (3:42)
12. Kingdom of the Grey Lakes (5:02)
13. Cobweb Deserts (3:41)

 

I had been in touch with a really nice man who ran a 'Reflective Music' website and was promoting my albums.  He suggested making my tracks a bit longer and this was great advice.  Now that I was not taking piano solos which I had already written, and re-arranging them, but writing whole new pieces instrumentally, I could keep this in mind.  Notice how the track length times are longer on this album. 

 

The album LANDS is an assemblage of imaginative pieces. Each tune takes you into a land of visual imagery. As you listen, let yourself be taken through winding grasslands, past rivers, across deserts, on top of mountains. Visit new realms where kings once feasted and battles were fought, but all that remains is the moving memory of the history that once was. Travel to Egypt in the Egyptian themed 'The Kingdom of Sands' where the native Oud gently accompanies playful yet haunting flutes. Hold back the tears as you explore the deserted streets of the 'Forgotten Realm of Rhyme' as the sweet and mystical melody of the piano tells its own story. This album will gently relax and inspire you to meditate while escaping into new lands. The perfect mingling of instruments, from Spanish Guitar, flute, bassoon, clarinet, piano, drum and panflute contrast perfectly touching on the medieval and the mysterious. Tender Gothic choir and charming nature sounds are certain to arouse the spirit within

 

In 2007 I enhanced this album even more and upgraded some of the instruments to VST sounds.  'LANDS' is available to buy worldwide on CD at www.marysdowryproductions.org.  To listen to samples visit my You Tube Channel!



Video Trailer for Reflective Music CD Album 'JOURNEYS'

To listen to samples from the music CD album 'Journeys' watch the new video trailer below:

 

In this video I used pictures of pathways to illustrate 'journeys', some of them through forests, others through the snow.  I also used beautiful scenery footage from our production of 'Saint Bede: England's Doctor of the Church' and conveniently I found a nice image of the saint walking down a nice path which fitted nicely with the theme of this album which is very peaceful, reflective and calming.  The album 'Journeys' is available on CD worldwide at www.marysdowryproductions.org

How it All Began......Unexpectedly becoming a Music Composer.

I thought I would take the time to write about how my music composition came about.  I learned the piano from the age of about 5 as well as various other instruments. 

I wanted to learn many instruments, I always complained about never having enough arms to play them all at once.  At high school we had to compose a piece of music as part of our studies.  It was not something I had ever considered doing but my teacher told me right away this was something I had a natural flair for and that I should pursue.  I really felt drawn to it.  So I wrote more and more.

From then on I was to be found at the piano writing piano pieces and pieces for the ocarina and piano that my friends and I would play together.

 

 

I spent the next several years writing and ended up with a huge 2 volume bumper book of piano solos which I had bound.  I would play at birthday parties and events and people would ask for the CDs so I gradually made the piano solos available on CD.

 

 

I upgraded my piano to a Clavinova which opened doors to digital instruments.  I no longer needed all those arms to learn how to play the physical instruments, I could use the piano to play them digitally.  Thus, my piano solo albums became instrumental music albums and I have been writing them ever since.

 

INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC CDS

 

I took the piano solos I had written over several years and expanded upon them, adding layers of instruments and harmonies.   This gave me 'Worlds', 'Dreams' and 'Journeys' which were all taken from some of the piano solos. 

 

 

I set the remaining piano solos aside after these 3 albums and began writing new music directly as instrumental music, rather than beginning with piano solo and expanding, this was an amazing experience of writing the instrumental music album 'Lands' which to this day remains my favourite of all my albums. 

 

After 'Lands' I wrote 'Realms' directly over a period of 4 years.  This album has so much in it and is a bit different.  It was at the point of completing 'Realms' that I realized I had gone as far as I could after 10 years of writing and it was time to go to college.

 

MUSIC COMPOSITION FOR PROFESSIONAL MEDIA

 

The title of this degree course caught my attention right away.  I signed up and spent the next 3 years studying hard.  It was on this course that I was introduced to writing music to picture (film).  Until now I had written by taking a title my sister had written, e.g. 'The Valley of the 12 Tombs', imagining the visuals in my mind, and writing what I see interiorly.  I try to capture the mood of the title and dream up a whole story from the title and then try to tell this story through music.  This is what all my albums are - musical stories with real atmosphere and depth.

 

 

Writing music direct to film actually takes this idea further.  Learning this consequently gave birth to Mary's Dowry Productions 3 years later, but it also separated out in my mind my music albums (musical stories from my imagination) and my music film soundtracks (music written to an actual film story).  I now have two musical paths that I work on today.

 

SO WHAT'S AVAILABLE

 

 

The music albums that I have available today have been re-vamped and re-mastered.  The original 'Worlds', 'Dreams', 'Journeys', 'Lands' and 'Realms' use Clavinova sounds but have been re-mastered.  

 

 

 I use VSTs now - virtual instruments - which are incredible and just like live instruments.  I am continuing this series all the time under the heading 'Reflective Ancient English Fusion Music' and it really spans decades, the first pieces being written in the mid-nineties and the latest ones today.   'Kingdoms' was written from 2008-2010 and was part of my personal project for my degree.  It uses new sounds and expands my own style as I am constantly learning and experimenting. 

 

In 2010 I decided to begin a new range of CDs focusing specifically on meditative, contemplative, more peaceful music under the heading 'Holy Spirit Music Series'. 

 

 

Recently I have begun to make available the soundtracks from our Mary's Dowry Productions films under the heading 'Calm Your Spirit with Music'.  I spend a lot of time working on film scores, we have just produced our 70th DVD, so I do not get a lot of time to pursue the albums.  There are a lot of good tunes and very moving moods in the scores so I am gradually making them available as albums in themselves.  3 are available so far.

 

 

 

So that is the story of my music and the different branches of albums, how they came about and what they entail.  This blog takes each individual album and writes about it in more depth so if you want to know more, take a look.  I am also compiling video trailers for the albums which gives you a better chance of hearing examples.  These trailers will be up here and also on our You Tube channel too.  If you would like any more information about the music please write to me through our website www.marysdowryproductions.org 

Calm Your Spirit With Music This Christmas! - Christmas in a Nutshell Music CD

Are you fed up with going to the supermarkets at this time of year and hearing rowdy, distracting, distressing Christmas songs?  Why not try 'Christmas in a Nutshell'.  Following on from my other music albums, this album improvises moods and sounds using all my usual instruments and style but centring around themes from popular Christmas carols such as "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" and "Silent Night". 

 

 

The CD is instrumental and great for background, chilling out and calming down this Christmas.  Why not give it a go?  

 

Priced at £10.00 the CD is available from www.marysdowryproductions.co.uk and www.marysdowryproductions.org

 

 

Writing the Music Score for Saint Joan of Arc Film

The last few days has seen me writing the music score for our new production on Saint Joan of Arc.  At a length of nearly 45 minutes this was a challenge.  It was also a French saint, not something we have really done before.  I love writing English Medieval themed music but I set about facing the challenge head-on. 

SAINT JOAN OF ARC

As with each music film score that I start, I hate the initial stages.  My sister Emily gives me a small file containing the whole film, made very small so that I can insert it into Cubase, the program I use to write music in.  What I have before me is 45 minutes of silence with just the narrator telling the story, in this case the story of Saint Joan of Arc.

 

With the film inserted I usually think about what kind of instruments will suit the production but I steer myself away from being predictable so find something interesting.  Soundscapes are marvellous for adding depth so I found some nice atmospheres in a category which features the theme of dragons and merlin and decided that this was a unique opportunity to play with these sounds.  Using the 'Flying with the Dragons' sound and relying heavily on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, I hit record and began playing.  The only instruments I really decided upon specifically were Barbarian Frame Drums and Celtiberic War Horn so as to immediately have an ancient War feel.  By hitting record I played in a simple drum rhythm as my first layer. 

 



WAR HORN

 

At this point it is a matter of patiently building up the intro layer by layer.  Here is the intro so far with just the drums and horn played in and now as data that I can manipulate:

 

 

I added strings and 'Flying with the Dragon' to these initial layers and the effect was atmospheric.  The main task in starting out with a Mary's Dowry Productions film score is to set the theme and mood with the opening credits.  This gives me a chance to get a feel for the production.  After this is mostly underscore which is much easier.  I wrote about a minute of music using strings, harps, guitars, recorders, cello as well as 'Flying with the Dragons' and this took me to St. Joan's early life as the narrative began.

 

 

 Some of the visuals in St. Joan are very beautiful.  We spent the Summer acquiring an entire new database of scenery for the 2016 and beyond productions so I was able to really get into writing to this beautiful imagery. 

 

What is great about being a composer for spiritual films is that there is a strong element of the mystical and the spiritual so I never feel under too much pressure because I can step back and write what I feel. 

THE MASS

The best example of this is when I see a painting of the Mass and the saint is speaking about their devotion to the Eucharist for example, I can draw upon various voices such as Gregorian monks or choirs. 

With St. Joan of Arc she spoke about 'her voices' and I was able to make the mood very mystical with lots of pads; a convenient choice was a pad called 'before the battle' and it added a poignant depth of expectation.  Fresh out of writing the music for Mary Tudor, I had used a lot of Gregorian Monks for the narrative about the Church in England, the dismantling of Catholic culture and the Mass. 

As I did not want to repeat this I went for 'Mystica' which is a lovely sound base of female choirs.  This was useful both for beauty as well as mystery.  I used the voices in a slightly discordant way with the visions/voices but then at poignant moments of extreme heroic holiness the choirs added real beauty that was quite moving.

ST. JOAN'S BANNER

 

 At about 18 minutes into the film I was writing a segment with simple strings and I was very moved at how the army focussed on St. Joan's banner.  It is always a good idea when I am writing and I feel a lump in my throat; I did at this point as I felt that St. Joan was giving so much and everybody loved her and followed her but I knew that she would be betrayed.  I decided at this point to repeat the theme of 'love of St. Joan' at her death because I believe that on a subconscious level, the listener will be reminded that the person who is being unjustly executed was once so loved and it adds to the tragedy.  I did this at the end and it worked well, the same theme for when a person is admired and when they are being condemned.  I do that a lot for our English Martyrs.

All in all, the score is a blend of medieval drums, horns and strings with moments of reflective, moving atmosphere with an emotional cello sometimes taking the lead.  There are segments of simple harp and piano with voices and soundscapes like 'Flying with the Dragon' giving the film an unearthly feel. 

The film has exciting moments where I was able to use sound effects of battles.  Overall the mood is mystical, mysterious and spiritual.  I used the sound of real church bells when the narrative speaks of St. Joan praying the Angelus and the visuals depict peasants of that time stopping to pray.  The bells, the choirs, the mystery all make this film very Catholic and very spiritual. 

I did not know much about St. Joan.  My first encounter was editing the audio narration a couple of weeks ago but I really encounter the saints when writing the music score.  As I got to know St. Joan over the last couple of days I truly felt that her life was heroic, she was tried and tested but really trusted.  I really like her!  Watching a Mary's Dowry Productions film and listening to the music score should be an encounter with a saint, almost like a prayer.  I hope that you enjoy this film and meeting St. Joan as much as I have.  I will make the soundtrack available in the future too.





Writing the Instrumental Music Album "JOURNEYS"

The Idea Behind Journeys

 

With WORLDS and DREAMS under my belt and both transcribed for multiple instruments, I embarked upon JOURNEYS.

 

The Piano Solo Tracks:

 

1. Weeping By The Hearth (2:31)
2. Swift Horses (2:59)
3. A Mound of Treasure (2:12)
4. The Ice Vessel (3:06)
5. In the Shade of the Teasel (2:56)
6. Beowulf's Tomb (2:13)
7. Crumbling Wine Halls (2:52)
8. Silver Island (2:53)
9. Squinancywort Pie (2:40)
10. The Marsh Queen (2:53)
11. Summers' Snowflakes (2:32)
12. Azarole (3:03)

  

 

With these first albums, each instrument is listed inside the CD jacket.  The instruments I chose for these pieces were interesting and I started to embark upon 'soundscapes' for the first time, something that has become quite important and exciting to me more recently.

 

1. Weeping by the Hearth  - Spanish guitar, Classical Flute, Gothic Choir

2. Swift Horses - Nylon Guitar, Classical Flute, Dunes Effect

3. A Mound of Treasures - Grand Piano, Slow Strings, Stardust Effect, Gothic Choir

4. The Ice Vessel - Harp, Classical Flute, Gothic Choir, Tremolo Vibes

5. In the Shade of the Teasel - Classical Guitar solo

6. Beowulf's Tomb -Nylon Guitar, Pan flute, Drum & Tambourine, Harp, Gothic Choir

7. Crumbling Wine Halls - Spanish guitar, Slow Strings, Tambourine, Mandolin

8. Silver Island: - Grand Piano, Classical Flute, Drum and Tambourine

9. Squinancywort Pie - Folk Guitar, Modern Harp, Banjo

10.  The Marsh Queen - Smooth Nylon Guitar, Gothic Choir, Clarinet, French Horn

11. Summers Snowflakes - Grand Piano, Classical Flute

12.  Azarole  - Grand Piano, Ocarina, Drum, Cymbal, Harp, Synth Strings

 

The moods and style of each piece in JOURNEYS are quite emotive, really taking the listener to many different places in their imagination.  Also, whereas "Weeping by the Hearth" is reflective, "Swift Horses" is uplifting, you also have on here 'Beowulf's Tomb' and 'Azarole' which are more severe and dominant, so there are certainly a lot of moods on this album.  'Crumbling Wine Halls' gave me the opportunity to think Spanish and I really enjoyed taking the piano solo and using Mandolins and stuff to transform it into a Spanish feel.   I really like this album, it's nice, fresh, interesting, peaceful and really does take you on a journey with every piece.

This is the finished album today:

 

For my first 5 albums: Worlds, Dreams, Journeys, Lands and Realms I used a Clavinova system so the digital instruments are Clavinova sounds which have since been re-mastered and made up to date.  For 'Journeys' I took 12 piano solos that I had written over the years and expanded them as instrumental tracks on the Clavinova.  For sound examples from this album visit my You Tube Channel for a 'Journeys' trailer!

For more information and to purchase this album please visit www.marysdowryproductions.org