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Here's to a better world in 2017. Let it bring Love, Hope, Mercy and Peace. 'Ring out false pride in place and blood, The civic slander and the spite. Ring in the love of truth and right, Ring in the common love of good'. (Tennyson)  I'm not going to try and keep up the pace of December, posting every single day (apart from anything else I need to do some work to try and earn some money sometimes !) but I'm aiming for at least 3 times a week. When I'm up to about 20 pieces I'll post them for download on paulfield.bandcamp.com (Volume 1 - December 2016 already there).
Thanks for following. Paul Field
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Again, not an improvised piece but seemed right for today. Beautiful words by Tennyson (1850).
Taking a few days break now - back soon. Happy Christmas. 
From the CD 'Being Myself'
 This is the poem my Father used to read to me as a child every Christmas Eve. 'Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse; The stockings were hung by the chimney with care, In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there; The children were nestled all snug in their beds, While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads; And mamma in her 'kerchief, and I in my cap, Had just settled down for a long winter's nap, When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter, I sprang from the bed to see what was the matter. Away to the window I flew like a flash, Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash. The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow Gave the lustre of mid-day to objects below, When, what to my wondering eyes should appear, But a miniature sleigh, and eight tiny reindeer, With a little old driver, so lively and quick, I knew in a moment it must be St. Nick. More rapid than eagles his coursers they came, And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name; "Now, DASHER! now, DANCER! now, PRANCER and VIXEN! On, COMET! on CUPID! on, DONDER and BLITZEN! To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall! Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!" As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky, So up to the house-top the coursers they flew, With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too. And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof The prancing and pawing of each little hoof. As I drew in my hand, and was turning around, Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound. He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot, And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot; A bundle of toys he had flung on his back, And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack. His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry! His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry! His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow, And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow; The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth, And the smoke it encircled his head like a wreath; He had a broad face and a little round belly, That shook, when he laughed like a bowlful of jelly. He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf, And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself; A wink of his eye and a twist of his head, Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread; He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work, And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk, And laying his finger aside of his nose, And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose; He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle, And away they all flew like the down of a thistle. But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight, HAPPY CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD-NIGHT! 'If the Prince of Peace has come to us why won't the white dove fly?' Not an improvised piece today. A re-visited version of something I wrote a while ago, An old Carol with a new verse and wanted to post (Photos obviousley not from Ruth but from news reports from Aleppo) 'In the bleak midwinter the hungry and the poor, still wait for their Messiah to end prejudice and war. For still we fight each other, still our children die. If the Prince of peace has come to us, why won't the white dove fly?' To all those of you following this Blog, thanks again. I’m really enjoying doing it and reading your reactions and comments. Several people have suggested they’d like to have these pieces in a more permanent form. I’m not sure about commercially manufacturing CD’s as I’m not convinced I’d sell enough to cover the costs. I could make ‘one off’ homemade CD’s but would be limited by space to about 15 tracks per CD. The simplest (and best way for me) would be to publish them as ‘subscriber only’ tracks on www.paulfield.bandcamp.com. This basically means that for £5 a month (that’s the minimum, you can always pay more if you like !!) you will have all the tracks I post automatically delivered to your phone/laptop/pad + all the other new music I upload (+10 albums free from my back catalogue). For more info on that go to https://paulfield.bandcamp.com/subscribe or email me. Anyway, just wanted to start a discussion on this to think about the best way forward. Look forward to suggestions and comments. Meanwhile here’s todays piece.  Another (very) old song as a starting point today. Grey and misty over Dartmoor this morning.  I'll admit, this was pre recorded yesterday as I knew I'd be away today. However, I knew what I wanted to say. This is improvised around an old song of mine - anyone know which one ?  |
