Prelude No. 1 (Toccata) from the cycle of the 5 Preludes for Piano (2021).

Pawel Strzelecki Prelude No. 1 (Toccata) [5 Preludes for Piano (2021)].

Layers

Run Away

2023 Reworks......
With thanks to www.freesfx.co.uk

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Coping Strategies

This Time It’ll Be PERFECT

This Time It WILL Be P E R F E C T

But It Never IS Going To Be Perfect

2024 Remix and Remaster version to bring it up to the standard of the later album tracks for full album release in 2025.
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"A furore Normannorum libera nos, Domine - From the fury of the Northmen deliver us, O Lord"

This track is now part of "The Pilgrims Way Project" exploring the history and natural world of Lindisfarne

Project Playlist

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/the-pilgrims-way-project

Project Website

www.pilgrims-way.co.uk

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Instrumentation
The Vikings! instrumental features rolled timpani, strings, electric guitar and a choir ending. Various sound FX from that are classed as Public Domain are used to add colour to the track from www.freesound.org

creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

"Flock of Seagulls" by juskiddink (5th June 2010) licensed under creative commons attribution licence via www.freesound.org

creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

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Background
Simeon of Durham recorded the grim events of the Viking attack on Lindisfarne in 793 AD

"And they came to the church of Lindisfarne, laid everything waste with grievous plundering, trampled the holy places with polluted feet, dug up the altars and seized all the treasures of the holy church. They killed some of the brothers; some they took away with them in fetters; many they drove out, naked and loaded with insults; and some they drowned in the sea" .
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'The Vikings' was in direct contrast to the dreamy first piece of the album. I came across a Latin Phrase spoken by priests as a prayer of protection from the scourge of Viking raids. It helped me get into the mindset required for this piece. I chanced upon some 'Foley' material of some actual Viking re-enactors from freesound and used this to create a very short, brooding piece that explodes into an electric guitar solo before just being suddenly left with a voiceover of me chanting the Latin phrase against the backdrop of the sound of the sea.

Often Viking raids were short and bloody and I wanted to try and capture how an attack like this could change everything for the vulnerable monks. Faith was their shield but could it really protect them from these savages from the sea ?

The Vikings - 2024 Remix and Remaster

Joyeux Anniversaire. Erik Satie was born on this date May 17 in 1866.

In 1887 when he was 21, and before his famous Gymnopodies and Gnossiennes had been completed, Erik Satie composed this third Sarabande as one of three he wrote for piano. At the time he was an impoverished conservatory dropout making his living as a piano player in bohemian taverns and cabarets like Le Chat Noir. The Sarabandes were not published until 1911 with the support of Ravel who also introduced and performed the second Sarabande in concert in 1911. Here i've arranged the third Sarabande for 2 guitars doubled. Hope you enjoy the mystery and captivating harmony that attracted me to it.

Erik Satie Third Sarabande

This track is all about recognizing and seizing opportunities in life. It should inspire you to be courageous and try new things. The message is clear: every opportunity can be the start of something great. Listen in, get motivated and never miss an opportunity again!

DAW Cubase
Halion Sonic 7
Groove Agent SE
Retrologue 2
Padshop 2
Colors LoFi Tapes
Kalimba
Verve
Taped Vibes
Vibrant
CRE8 Wave Engine
Apollo
Substruction
Navia Harp

130 bpm

Picture by Alexandra Koch on Pixabay

opportunity

2024 Remix and Remaster version to bring it up to the standard of the later album tracks for full album release in 2025.

This track also need a bit of a rewrite too as some elements of the original just didn't work. A change of VST instrumentation including the use of Dicky Degan's Uilleann Pipes and some work on understanding pipe ornaments has brought it up to a standard I am now happy with.  
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An Irish-tinged tune about the Lindisfarne Gospels to reflect the Irish foundations of the community despite the later Romanisation of the Celtic church.

The track title comes from me thinking about it being a beacon of civilisation, a rallying point, during the Early Middle Ages whilst a far chunk of the UK was under Viking rule and Christianity had again been pushed to the margins of the UK.

Thanks to Karen O'Mahony (MonnoDB) for her (harp playing) advice - check out her stuff here:- @monnodb

This track is now part of "The Pilgrims Way Project" exploring the history and natural world of Lindisfarne

Project Playlist

soundcloud.com/mrbouzouki/sets/the-pilgrims-way-project

Project Website

www.pilgrims-way.co.uk

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Instrumentation
A Light in the Darkness instrumental features strings, high C whistle, harp, violin, Uilleann pipes, bodhrán (Irish frame drum) and a choir backing.

The sound of 'Eadfrith' doing his writing is a sound FX that is classed as Public Domain and used to add colour to the track, It can be found on www.freesound.org

creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

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Background
The Lindisfarne Gospels is an illuminated manuscript gospel book probably produced around the years 715-720 in the monastery at Lindisfarne, off the coast of Northumberland, which is now in the British Library in London. The manuscript is one of the finest works in the unique style of Hiberno-Saxon or Insular art, combining Mediterranean, Anglo-Saxon and Celtic elements.

The Lindisfarne Gospels are presumed to be the work of a monk named Eadfrith, who became Bishop of Lindisfarne in 698 and died in 721 AD.

Thinking Irish music lead to the inclusion of harp, bodhrán, uilleann pipes and a bit of whistle, all over a bed of strings and choir. The Foley sound of somebody writing with a quill pen set the scene and once I had the basic melody I was away. I took advice from a harpist on how they play chords and read up on Uilleann pipe drones and playing ornamentation too.

A Light In The Darkness - 2024 Rewrite Remix and Remaster

The Place Where I Met The Sunrise

Closer fragments.

FREE DOWNLOAD:
https://smoothapparition.bandcamp.com/track/remembered

Remembered [Free DL]

A concert Compline
youtu.be/HBJBdDaZZJw
Bruise UK / The Kimberleys - get to a gig
Blackheart Orchestra - got to see the show
Be ready, be there, make it happen!
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL4bre6HR4UygUXd6iUFl9OOtMIgeZ6S09

EndLoop 23

davidBrinley