"Mother and Child" is an instrumental New Age Christmas song that was inspired by Mother Mary holding Baby Jesus for the first time. 

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"Good Friday Prayer Chant (3-Year Anniversary Edition)" is a Middle Eastern arrangement that commemorates the three year anniversary of the writing and performance of the original song that is in a traditional church music arrangement in Latin. It is a solemn and sorrowful song with lyrics that are a Good Friday prayer.

Good Friday Prayer Chant (3-Year Anniversary Edition) Preview

Hear full version on Rdio: http://www.rdio.com/artist/Darius_Ghanat/album/Katy%27s_Little_Nighttime_Diddy/

“Katy’s Little Nighttime Diddy” is a sleepy jazz instrumental that was inspired by insects of the night that harmonize and make their own special music.  The title of this song was inspired by a little katydid which was fondly named after Katy Perry.  This song was originally created as an entry in the SoundCloud Smithsonian Remix Contest, which required musicians to incorporate sounds from nature into an original song. 

Samples were taken from the following Smithsonian Institute Encyclopedia of Life Recordings, Courtesy of Thomas J. Walker:

1. Sounds from Singing Insects of North America: Japanese Burrowing Cricket (Velarifictorus micado)

2. Sound from Singing Insects of North America: Chisos katydid (Paracyrtophyllus excelsus)


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My full story (and lyrics) on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iRgJOTIvLiQ

Katy Perry, I wrote this song for you called "Wild and Free (Come with Me)" to help inspire others with Tourette Syndrome (TS) to never give up on their dreams! I am hoping and praying that you will somehow discover my song so you can sing it to raise awareness for TS.

The writing of this song started not too long after I became severely disabled and was unable to do much. During that time, I was really getting into your music which helped me through the difficult days and made me excited about getting back to writing my own music someday. Although I still have numerous disabilities and am homebound, my health is improving and I was able to write and record this song for you, so it holds a very personal significance to me. Among my numerous disabilities, I was diagnosed with TS. I know that you have a special place in your heart for helping to raise awareness for those with unfamiliar illnesses. I have seen first-hand the positive effect you have had on those with other disabilities, including Autism, and I want to be able to give that same joy to those with TS! :) I just know that if you hear the music and read the lyrics, you will absolutely love this song and want to sing it as one of your own! Please help me show the world what people with TS are capable of!

KATY PERRY R U READY 4 TS AWARENESS? - READ DESCRIPTION

Hear full version on Rdio: http://www.rdio.com/artist/Darius_Ghanat/album/A_Little_Dog_With_a_Big_Dream/track/A_Little_Dog_With_a_Big_Dream/

“A Little Dog with a Big Dream” is a whimsical little song about a real-life dog named Harley who dreams of a world that is one day free of puppy mills! Harley is a lovable and determined one-eyed puppy mill survivor whose goal, along with his human friends, is to rescue as many puppy mill dogs as he possibly can! Harley is sharing his story with others to help raise awareness about the mistreatment of dogs at puppy mills. Harley has set up a campaign to help raise money to fund the rescue missions of puppy mill dogs through the National Mill Dog Rescue (NMDR). A percentage of the proceeds from this song will be donated directly to the NMDR in honor of Harley. 

A Little Dog With a Big Dream Preview (Hear Full Version on Rdio!)

“Only Time” is an upbeat electronic version of the beautiful Enya song bound to bring listeners to the dance floor! This new instrumental cover of the song with its many computerized sounds has transformed the song to take on a new meaning for the artist. It is now a song about breaking free from all the binding and toxic things in life; reaching a place of peace and comfort with a new found self-confidence. The hip hop-inspired beat and danceability of this song hope to empower people everywhere! This song is fondly dedicated to three of the artist’s aunts (Sandi, Sherry, and Azar), who are Enya fans.

“Only Time” is originally by Enya, Nicky Ryan, and Roma Ryan © 2000, 2001 EMI Blackwood Music, Inc. 

Only Time (Enya Cover) Preview

"The Eternal Sorrow" is a concerto of misery about suffering that never ends.  This song is meant to tell the story of the artist's ongoing struggles with his health.  Several years ago he was prescribed well-known medications to help him manage his illness.  Despite working with a top doctor in the field, his therapy went terribly wrong.  He quickly began to experience horrific side effects that continue to this day, years after being completely off medication.  The medications permanently damaged his mind and body, and going into the treatment, he was not properly informed of the risks involved.  He lives with so many new illnesses that he never had whatsoever before medication.  Through the song, it is the artist's goal to raise awareness about the serious risks associated with many prescription medications, and to also advocate for others in similar situations.

The artist originally wrote the song as a soundtrack for a sad movie and dreams of this someday coming to fruition.

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“What Child Is This?” is a solemn yet uplifting instrumental version of the classic Christmas carol. This is the artist’s favorite Christmas song, and so he was inspired to create his very own version. Although not typical of his style, for this song he chose a simple arrangement that centers on a harp to enhance the beauty of this song. A unique part of the song occurs in the chorus when the soaring highs of the synthesizer contrast with the thundering lows of the harp to create images of the glory of heaven. The arrangement style of this song is reminiscent of those made by the artist when he performed in church as a teenager.

Artwork Design by Darius Ghanat; Christmas Winter Scene Stamp © AlexanderZam - Fotolia.com  

What Child Is This? Preview

“The Eternal Sorrow” is a concerto of misery about suffering that never ends.  This song is meant to tell the story of the artist’s ongoing struggles with his health.  Years ago he was prescribed multiple psychiatric medications, including Abilify (aripiprazole) and Zoloft (sertraline), to help him manage his neurological disorder.  Despite working with Dr. Holly Shill, (a top doctor in neurology), his therapy went terribly wrong.  He quickly began to experience horrific side effects that continue to this day, years after being completely off medication.  The medications permanently damaged his mind and body, and going into the treatment, he was not properly informed of the risks involved.  He lives with so many new illnesses that he never had whatsoever before medication.  Through the song, it is the artist’s goal to raise awareness about the serious risks associated with many prescription medications, and to also advocate for others in similar situations.

Artwork Design by Darius Ghanat; Vintage Man illustration © lynea - Fotolia.com and Vintage Street Scene photo © Yves Damin - Fotolia.com

The Eternal Sorrow (In Honor of All Those Injured by Psychiatry)

“Tour de Ettes (Enchanted Forest Remix)” is the debut single from the series of songs in the Tour de Ettes™ project. Tour de Ettes™ is a charity project created to raise awareness for Tourette Syndrome through music. Tourette Syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes a form of involuntary, repetitive movements and sounds called “tics.” The song was originally written by Darius Ghanat as a teenager about his life’s journey growing up with Tourette Syndrome. Due to his health, the project had long been delayed, but the dream is finally coming to fruition. The idea for the title of the song came from the word "Tourettes" broken up to be a play on words with the “Tour de France.” The French theme of the project was inspired by the fact that Tourette Syndrome was named after a French doctor who discovered it. This New Age version of Tour de Ettes™ has a fairy tale theme, which alludes to the fact that Tourette Syndrome often improves with age. Children with Tourette Syndrome dream of a day when they may outgrow their illness as an adult, similar to a “fairy tale happy ending.” This moving instrumental version features Nancy Rumbel on oboe (who graciously donated her time and talent to this project). She is a Grammy award-winning artist who is well-known for her work with the duo Tingstad and Rumbel. Darius has been listening to her music since he was a child and decided to reach out to her to collaborate on the project. She agreed, and their friendship grew over months of sending e-mails and music files between South Carolina and Washington State. Proceeds from this song will be donated to the Brad Cohen Tourette Foundation to support the socialization, achievement, and education of those with Tourette Syndrome.

Artwork Design by Darius Ghanat; Retro Frame photo © Nikolai Sorokin – Fotolia.com and Castle Landscape / Cartoon Fantasy Castle illustration © Malchev – Fotolia.com 

Tour De Ettes (Enchanted Forest Remix) [feat. Nancy Rumbel] Preview

The Story of the Good Friday Prayer Chant

The Good Friday Prayer Chant was written by Darius Ghanat three years ago for his Christian Church to be performed on Good Friday 2010.  Especially due to the influence that Darius’ health had on him all throughout his teenage years growing up, he always was drawn towards music with a darker sound, conveying emotions that he felt resonated with his own pain and suffering.
As a teenager, Darius learned to play the piano through lessons offered at his church by its music director, who eventually blessed Darius with the opportunity to perform his piano arrangements during church services.  He always enjoyed the experience, yet due to the fact that this was a Christian Church, there were not very many events or holidays allowing for Darius to express himself through his sad songwriting.  One day, Darius realized that Good Friday would be the perfect holiday to write a new song for, finally allowing for him to perform a very sad song that would be appropriate for a church setting.

Good Friday 2010 also represents a turning point in the life and health of Darius Ghanat.  Along with all of the excitement of having one of his own songs performed in public for the first time ever, it also brings back sad memories, remembering this day as the last time that he has ever been able to perform live at his church, even to this day.  This time also represents Darius’ health taking a turn for the worse, as it has required him to become the homebound artist that he still is today.

Looking back at the start of this song brought back memories of another of Darius’ visions for the use of this song.  It was also originally written as part of one of his music projects to create a Good Friday/Holy Week-inspired album featuring songs combining traditional church music with influences such as World Music with various Electronic and New Age elements.  To this day, this album is still a work in progress, and Darius dreams of someday having this musical project come to full fruition.

Credits

Music © 2010 by Darius Ghanat
Lyrics Traditional; Adapted by Darius Ghanat

Good Friday Prayer Chant (Original Version) was performed by:
Lead Singer: Charles Cornner
Background Vocals: Jon Tillotson, Paul Lacy, and Brenda Christensen
Piano: David McDaniel
Handbells: Charles Cornner

Good Friday Prayer Chant (Original Raw Audio Footage - Live at Shepherd of the Desert)

Darius Ghanat is a young adult musician and singer-songwriter originally from Arizona, whose main musical influences include the Christian, New Age, Electronic, and World genres. Darius has been focusing on creating instrumental songs that are often meant to be relaxing and inspire others through beautiful music. To achieve this, he often uses religious themes in such a way that his music can be appreciated by all types of listeners. Darius currently struggles with many health conditions and has been a homebound artist for several years. He often features New Age- and Electronic-style synthesizers in many of his songs, and as part of this, he has been working with a computerized approach since his health often limits playing his instruments.

Darius Ghanat

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