Browse Titles - 16 results
The Beauty of the Earth
All music and lyrics by Lydia McCauley, except where noted.
The Beauty of t...
All music and lyrics by Lydia McCauley, except where noted.
The Beauty of the Earth - Celebrates the Divine Earth, and Love.
I Want to be Free - The universal yearning for freedom.
The River of Life - Creating gold from all of life's circumstances/joy and pain.
The Lark in the Morn - A celebration of Life! Music by L.M., lyrics British Isles.
In the Silence - "Eternity is in-between, in the silence."
Aeternitas - In Latin and English. A spiritual quest.
The White Heat - Written after Emily Dickenson's poem, "Dare to see the soul at the White Heat." The joining of two through fiery trial.
When You See - Taken from a Jewish Midrash, or an illustrated truth.
Burning of the Piper's Hut - Trad. Scottish.
Kyrie Eleison - An ancient chant - Lord Have Mercy. After the anonymously written 19th Century Russian Classic, "The Way of a Pilgrim." Lydia wrote this Kyrie on September 11, 2001.
ForeignLander
Lydia McCauley documented folk music at the Appalachian Music Archive in Berea, Kentucky in the early 1980's and stu...
Lydia McCauley documented folk music at the Appalachian Music Archive in Berea, Kentucky in the early 1980's and studied with some of the best folk musicians in the Appalachian region. Known today as a songwriter, McCauley returns to her roots in her...
ForeignLander : they came across the ocean from the British Isles. They sang the songs of their homeland in a new country. They lived, loved and died here. This is the music of the ForeignLander.Lydia McCauley documented folk music at the Appalachian Music Archive in Berea, Kentucky in the early 1980's and studied with some of the best folk musicians in the Appalachian region. Known today as a songwriter, McCauley returns to her roots in her fifth album, ForeignLander; a collection of innovatively arranged pieces from 17-20th Century British Isles and Appalachia, beautifully performed by McCauley and her Ensemble, along with special guests. While careful to preserve Appalachian traditions, Lydia creates a fresh sound that pleases both traditional and progressive music audiences. Includes an original instrumental - "Swallow's Return" composed by McCauley.
"Laced with medieval, Celtic, and Appalachian tones, her songs are best
described as intoxicating, making a lissome journey through the past via the
textured sounds of the ensemble's recorders, flutes, viola, pennywhistle, and
mandolin. Beyond musical technique, McCauley's lyrics betray a poet's
sensibility, good enough to earn Madeleine L'Engle's glowing praise: "I wouldn't
have missed this for anything. The words were must as good as the music."
-Luci
Shaw, Image Journal
"Music for independent minds that are looking for something refreshingly different."
-Chuck Robinson, President, American Bookseller's Association
"Lyrical magic that will uplift the spirits...exceptional instrumental tracks that
will haunt your mind and transport you back in time..."
-Nicky Rossiter, South
East Radio, Ireland
"A well known artist in the Celtic and New Age worlds, this album takes a slight
detour as Lydia McCauley takes traditional Appalachian melodies and works her
magic on them. The simplicity of the songs makes them a perfect fit for Lydia's
style. Adding classical, jazz, Celtic and world music elements to these tracks
gives them new life and new passion, which Lydia hopes will help them travel a
little further and be passed down once again."
-Goldenrod Music
A Life
Knopf writes: "my music is of many worlds, in the sense of its being a distillation of...
"A Life" is a collection of original music for guitar, conveying a personal musical history. You will find the musical styles and genres that Knopf has performed and composed with through his years of music making. He is a self-confessed and self-conscious multi-stylist. Some pieces are composed and written - others are improvised or spontaneously composed.Knopf writes: "my music is of many worlds, in the sense of its being a distillation of experience. It is music of this world and also of the spiritual realm. Music, at times, comes from somewhere else. My hope is to speak through stylistic adaptations in an original way, to tap into the sense that transcends craft and thus communicate through the human spiritual reality."
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The Moon of Wintertime
Full of mirth and merriment, this album can be enjoyed during the Christmas season and quite possibly throughout the year. "The Mo...
Full of mirth and merriment, this album can be enjoyed during the Christmas season and quite possibly throughout the year. "The Moon of Wintertime" bears a freshness of spirit for the winter season. It's a wonderful addition to winter holiday collections, expanding...
In "The Moon of Wintertime," Lydia McCauley offers a fresh interpretation of some very old Christmas pieces, writes an original song, and makes her debut on the Appalachian Dulcimer.Full of mirth and merriment, this album can be enjoyed during the Christmas season and quite possibly throughout the year. "The Moon of Wintertime" bears a freshness of spirit for the winter season. It's a wonderful addition to winter holiday collections, expanding the usual Christmas faire into pieces from medieval Italy, France, Scotland and England. "Bring Us In Good Ale" includes vocals by The Blessed Lady's Pub Chorus and ends with peals of laughter.
The cover art and text portray its spiritual and traditional origins and in many ways add to the overall experience. The tunes and songs here are derived from many sources and times and yet they combine old and new compositions. The title track has music from France, lyrics dating from around 1643 with an English translation in 1926 and an adaptation in 2002 by McCauley.
From this mixture she has produced lyrical magic that will uplift the spirits. On "Gifts of the Magi," she takes full control, writing and arranging. The result is a 21st century song that would not have raised eyebrows in medieval courts. "Good King Wenceslas" and the former track make this an ideal Christmas album if one is looking for traditional with a twist, but this is an all-year-round album so don't restrict your enjoyment to two weeks a year.
On hearing McCauley sing this song so sadly seen only as a carol, you must recognise it as a classic of good composition. The music may date from 1582 but this is 2003 sound."Childgrove" and "Ideo Gloria" are two exceptional instrumental tracks that will haunt your mind and transport you back in time to a glorious age of madrigal and courtly love. McCauley takes an Appalachian song, "Down in Yon Forest," and gives it an interpretation that is probably closer to the original tune that traveled to the U.S. There is a very special bonus on this track. McCauley sings her version of the song, which is followed immediately by an arrangement by Brian Cunningham. This shows how an old song can be interpreted to give two or more distinct songs. Listen only to this track and marvel.
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