First of 3 art songs I'm writing with poems my good friend Jeanine Casler wrote for me. I'm playing guitar, bass and piano, Becky Brown is playing harp and Paige Naylor is the soprano.

Our house on the hill by Jeanine Casler

Come with me, you said
And I’ll build a world apart 
Where you’ll never have to grieve
For you’ll never want to leave

Honeycomb from stingless bees
Pillows soft as sparrow’s wings 
Golden goblets wait to catch
The ruby wine from hidden springs

Pathways lined with diamond dust                        
Will lead us to a silver brook                                    
And there we’ll learn from dragonflies           
More secrets than one knows from books           
 
And envy will not be allowed                                    
From little minds we’ll bar the door                        
And safe inside you’ll barely hear                       
The West Wind’s angry roar                               
 
Come with me, you said                                    
To our house upon the hill—                             
Without a breath, without a sigh,                      
I answered you—“I will.”

Cancíon I

Calena was my first prom date and summer school math partner. She was such a beautiful and kind person that I always felt so relaxed around. I created this piece for her. It made me happy to think of the times we shared growing up and of driving Holmes by her house a thousand times a day so he could "accidentally" meet her and ask her out. When she passed away in November of 2011, I posted our prom picture on FB and her Dad commented on it: "Calena's cancer was rare and aggressive. She went to the hospital the day of the Mineral Earthquake (Aug 23) here in VA. There is no known therapy (chemo or radiation) proven for NUT Midline Carcinoma and only about 50 cases have been documented. She was so brave to the end and passed without pain; just like she was running a marathon or playing soccer. I love her so much and will miss her always". - Calena's Dad

Calena

Becky Brown: harp 
Mark Snyder: producer, engineer, composer

Facets of Love: I. Prelude

Becky Brown: harp 
Jeanine Casler: lyrics 
Paige Naylor: soprano 
Mark Snyder: producer, engineer, composer, piano, guitar, bass, synthesizer.

Facets of Love: II. Our House on the Hill

Becky Brown: harp 
Jeanine Casler: lyrics 
Paige Naylor: soprano 
Mark Snyder: producer, engineer, composer, piano, guitar, bass, synthesizer.
John White: guitar

Facets of Love: III. The Invalid's Sonnet

Facets of Love: IV. Nostalgia

I want ___ please, for processed harp and fixed media

You have to pull them out of their bodiless dream. You have to make them talk to you; they have to practice speech, but they're nonverbal, so you have to make a mouth for them out of paper, or a laptop, or their hands. Any tongue you can find, any teeth you can afford, you try, you try, you try, because when they age out of high school, you can't help them anymore. If you can't instill the habit by age 22, there's a possibility that no one will ever ask or push them to use language again.

This piece is dedicated to the staff and students at Heather Empfield Day School and Transition Center, a school for children with severe and profound autism.

I want ___ please

for processed harp, accordion and electronics.

I want ___ please

bardbarienne

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