Autumn reminds me of idyllic landscapes, along with the romantic presence of the harp, an idyllic soundscape, falling in a perfect dreamscape. Let’s walk together side by side, this dream path of the falling autumnal leaves. A picture with music and descending arpeggios.

Harp is one of the oldest known musical instruments — its origin found in Ancient Egypt — along with the flute. An instrument with many symbolisms and interpretations:

In the Bible, in Genesis 4:21 says that Jubal, the first musician, and son of Lamech, was ‘the father of all who plays’ the harp and flute.

When we think of the harp in death, it’s like God would have prepared a place for us to die with the sound of angelic harps and transcendence to idyllic heaven, followed by white dressed angels. Harp, the symbol of idyllic heaven in the afterlife.

As we imagine some romantic human fingers pluck stationary strings, it will be easier to read their words… Romantic poets to pluck beauty from a seemingly impossible source. The Aeolian harp or the wind harp, it’s named after the Greek god of wind Aeolus as a medium to convey expressions of truth, always in their heart. I’ve selected some poetic excerpts from the Romantic era that triggered my imagination and a deep emotional desire to also add a few words that can rhyme and will help me tell this story:

…
and the world so hushed!
The stilly murmur of the distant Sea
Tells us of silence.

…
Such a soft floating witchery of sound
As twilight Elfins make, when they at eve
Voyage on gentle gales from Fairy-Land,
Where Melodies round honey-dropping flowers,
Footless and wild, like birds of Paradise,
Nor pause, nor perch, hovering on untamed wing!
O! the one Life within us and abroad,
Which meets all motion and becomes its soul,
A light in sound, a sound-like power in light,
Rhythm in all thought, and joyance everywhere — 
Methinks, it should have been impossible
Not to love all things in a world so filled;
Where the breeze warbles, and the mute still air
Is Music slumbering on her instrument.
…

And tranquil muse upon tranquility:
Full many a thought uncalled and undetained,
And many idle flitting phantasies,
Traverse my indolent and passive brain,
As wild and various as the random gales
That swell and flutter on this subject Lute!

And what if all of animated nature
Be but organic Harps diversely framed,
That tremble into thought, as o’er them sweeps
Plastic and vast, one intellectual breeze,
At once the Soul of each, and God of all?

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Eolian harp

and I’ll make an attempt to follow this vibrant scenery

Opened my window
to nature’s rustles
the wind and the harp
intermingled to their melodic journey
the leaves traveled
over the stepping stones
to a fresh tomorrow

and end it with some words of wisdom, true charms to the story

life’s end how near!

by William Wordsworth, The Stepping-Stones

Water, water, everywhere, And all the boards did shrink; Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.

by Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Rime of the Ancient Mariner

We can see open harps such as bow harps and arch harps, and frame or triangular harps that have a pillar at their long end to support the strings. The frame harp first appeared in Medieval Western Europe and the first harp to feature a hollowed soundbox that amplified the instrument’s sound dates back to Ireland in the 14th century. The Irish harp, also known as Celtic harp or folk harp is the official symbol of Ireland. Folk harps and pipes are also used extensively in Celtic music — the music of Ireland and Scotland — to introduce melodic variation.

“The Lady of Shalott” is based on the poem The Lady of Shalott by the English poet Alfred, Lord Tennyson. Loreena Mckennitt developed a passion for Celtic music and learned to play the Celtic harp.

The harp as a solo instrument in its early orchestral use in concerti by many classical composers that were using the harp in their orchestral music. Below is my selection of a classical piece transcribed for harp, and executed passionately by Amy Turk:

J.S. Bach — Toccata and Fugue in D Minor BWV 565, performed by Amy Turk, a wonderful experience

In contemporary music, it is not used so much and sometimes is considered a worn-out cliche. I really enjoy the delights of harp music with electronics. Innovative harpist Mary Lattimore attempts to push the emotional boundaries to her music with the delicate playing of the harp. Her beautiful song “Sometimes He’s in my dreams”

and finally, I can’t forget to mention Bjork in her amazing tender song “Blissing Me”

Björk also experimented with harp, in her album, “Biophilia,” a meditation on creativity and the laws of physics. Each of its ten tracks explores a different natural phenomenon.

Björk has written a song, “Solstice,” about planetary orbits and harp inspired by the movement of pendulums. She performed it as a duet with her new “Gravity Harp”. Weird as it may sound, it is a robotic musical instrument that the pendulums swing in a steady rhythm, to play the notes that are sent from a connected computer.

If you liked that piece, I would also suggest reading some intriguing information on Bjork’s Gravity Harp

• Engineering Bjork's Gravity Harp - Arts at MIT
• Gravity Harps - Patten Studio " Interactive art installations

An Idyllic Landscape with the Harp was originally published in An Idea (by Ingenious Piece) on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Listen carefully
to the delayed heart impulse
and appreciate
the silent dancer lightly
kissing the longest sorrows

Many thanks to Deborah Christensen and the House of Haiku for the inspiring prompt Dance.

Brolgas: Dancing Birds of the Outback

Contradicting wills
build our strength to pursuit joy
despite conditions

Originally inspired by the Greek legend of Sisyphus where he became (in)famous because he cheated death twice through his trickery causing the anger of Zeus who punished him of forever rolling a boulder up a hill, for it to roll down every time it neared the top. These futile or interminable activities are sometimes described as Sisyphean. Till now various interpretations exist, where Alber Camus in the Myth of Sisyphus saw Sisyphus as the absurdity of human life but imagined him, nevertheless, happy. What is implied is that we should hope for happiness but should not be taken for sure, because it is momentary (on top of the hill).

The struggle itself toward the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

And I’m just wondering what actually happens when we’re not alone (and we’re not) in these life struggles? Is this the answer that alleviates our fears and despair?

Many thanks to Deborah Christensen and the House of Haiku for the inspiring prompt Strength.

What Makes You Strong?

Dry field clear ready
grip bow with borrowed arrows
calmly hit bull’s eye

Many thanks to Brett Christensen for the July prompt ‘Dry’.

Dusty Dry

Material goods
consume our identities
to disappearance

In response to Brett Christensen writing prompt “consume”.

thru the hills and plains
life an arduous journey
in circular flow

In response to Brett Christensen prompt “flow”.

My first words are messy notes
my mind is all over the place
swimming around in my head
Rather, following the guiding light of my soul
making connections through my feelings
open a window of an abstract idea
towards a new perspective
never ever thought
only driven by curiosity
in that glimpse of truth
connected by the magic of learning
when the sky is a dreamy collage

As the allegretto musical pieces are awakening the tempest, the piano illuminates the night.

As Beethoven said, “Music is like a dream. One that I cannot hear” . Music is a crucial element of everyday life and a lot of people incorporate it in their daily activities. They use music to serve various functions from emotion regulation to self‐expression to socialize, to relax. This piano sonata is a magic journey in a storm of emotions, fiercely ascending in the dexterity of the fingers to an emotional outburst, descending suddenly to nothingness. The end of the third movement — the allegretto leaves the audience with sweet haunting sounds, yet thirsty for one more repetition in this dance.

The unusual piano sonata of Beethoven

The “Tempest” is unquestionably one of the greatest classical sonatas. Despite the fact of not being the most famous sonata of Beethoven’s works, it was unusual for the style of Beethoven till that period. It had an important place within Beethoven’s career. He is considered the towering figure in the history of the sonata, with his 32 piano sonatas he wrote between 1795 and 1822. Although they are not originally intended to be a meaningful whole, they are one of the most important music collections in music history and Hans von Bülow called them “The New Testament” of the piano literature, for they transformed music forever.

Why is this piano sonata called Tempest? Does it have anything to do with Shakespeare’s Tempest? Most probably, no. The name is given after a personal conversation of Beethoven’s secretary on how he interpreted it where he received the reply ‘’Read Shakespeare’s Tempest”. No further explanation was ever given. Tempest is one of the last Shakespeare’s mature plays, remarkable for its extraordinary breadth of imagination, steeped in magic and illusion that the spectacle is so abundant in the form of the tempest, the chaotic changes, even from the very beginning! It is one of Shakespeare’s most universal plays and is very much concerned with human behavior and emotion.

Why unusual? In his most personal musical statement — the Tempest sonata — Beethoven, chose the key of D minor. It is the only example of it in his sonatas with only one exception in No 3 sonata the sublime Largo e mesto from the Op 10. It meant something special for him when used, like for example in his 9th symphony. Although the D minor key is considered to be saddest compared to other minor keys, its key characteristics are that it: “expresses a subdued feeling of melancholy, grief, anxiety, and solemnity”, melancholy womanliness, the spleen and humors brood.

The first movement changes tempo markings and key scale several times, starting from largo to allegro for worry and haste and then to adagio playing with the listener’s excitement from rising, falling, becoming insistent to a sorrowful descending. The second movement, Adagio, is one of Beethoven’s most slow movements, it speaks with tenderness. And finally the third and final movement enters hauntingly, with a hypnotic theme that is much harder to play than it looks. It’s character is pathetic rather than energetic, disrupted by occasional frenzied outbursts’. The tragic feeling continues right to the end, with the music disappearing into the void, abruptly and dramatically lost.

A synopsis of the most important style components (harmony, rhythm, structure, texture, dynamics) which together contribute to the uniqueness of this sonata. The intensive transformation process into a multi-stage drama which eventually will be continued in the finale of this sonata.

Let me live here ever!

So rare a wondered father and a wise

Makes this place paradise.

…
Cheer up.

Our music-and-dance spectacle is over.

excerpt from Shakespeare’s Tempest, Act 4 Scene 1

Piano Sonata No. 17 in D Minor, Op. 31 No. 2 "Tempest": III. Allegretto

In breathtaking treks

speûde bradéōs as long as

there’s a holding hand.

If you hear a voice within you saying, ”You are not a painter,” then by all means paint… and that voice will be silenced.

Vincent van Gogh

But, if you can hear that guardian inner voice then you can ignore or even disobey it and make a promise.

Yesterday I had a dream
today I can feel it in my words
and tomorrow I will make it a painting.

When painting Starry Night Over the Rhône, the artist has given emphasis to color. Van Gogh explains the extent of his tonal attention: “The sky is aquamarine, the water is royal blue, the ground is mauve.” He continues, “The town is blue and purple. The gas is yellow and the reflections are russet gold descending down to green-bronze.”

Though full of vibrant energy, the scene is calm; the only people present in the composition are “two colorful figurines of lovers in the foreground,” and, despite its sparkling stars, the sky elicits a sense of tranquility.