Name: Pandemic Suite – 12. Veil of Sorrow by HELMUTunes in Emotional Strings
Duration: 1 min 37 s
Description: A veil of melancholic reflection and memory drapes itself over every sense. Gentle string music, in the spirit of Nordic Romanticism, descends like mist upon the snow-covered landscape.

Romantic, caressing Music for String Orchestra.

Enter a world where every bow caresses the heart and every note lingers like a whispered memory. These strings ache, seduce, and embrace. 
Let the lush melodies wrap around you like silk, drawing you into a reverie of romance, yearning, and timeless passion. 
This is music for stolen glances, midnight dreams, and hearts that remember how to feel.

Emotional Strings

Experimenting again here with different divisions of strings. Why is getting the balance right so difficult? Part of the answer is that conductors (not composers) are the experts. They ensure, for example, that large numbers of divisions of second violins, avoid blasting smaller numbers of viola divisions into acoustic oblivion.

Small, medium or large orchestras plainly have very different numbers of divisions of the different string instruments. It is very complicated to get the balance right, to say the least. Conductors know how to handle all sorts of different orchestras (small, medium and large)...and therefore all sorts of different divisions, of all sorts of instruments.

The best way for composers to learn (from conductors) is to attend rehearsals of pieces made by famous composers. Making notes of everything the conductor says to the orchestra during rehearsals.

Gustav Mahler was a conductor who happened to compose in his spare time. Being a good conductor, in my opinion, is orders of magnitude more difficult than being a good composer. Controversially, I suggest good conductors should not be required (by the performance notes of a score), to adhere strictly to performance notes. Good conductors should be positively encouraged to interpret scores ad libitum.

Efforts were made in the above study to think about string divisions, in relation to other string divisions and piano. A technical study. Which became the first movement of my first piano concerto.

Piano Concerto No.1 (1st movement) Op.22

From the stillness, a tentative whisper grows slowly into a powerful declaration for peace.
This is a segment from my "Symphony of War and Peace".

Echo of Peace

Orchestral Fantasy.
Peace does not shout loudly. It is composed of many notes and small pieces of love.
Extract from my "Symphony of War and Peace".

Whisper of Peace

A love story about the beauty of nature,
a love declaration to the sea.

Prerelease of an episode from the Pandemic Symphony.

Seaside Serenade

Elegie for String Orchestra, Adagio in C-major.
The composition starts like a simple romance in C major, but gradually unfolds, measure by measure, into modulations that at times push the boundaries of tonality.
This music expression gives voice to the pain of the last encounter, the deeply felt affection, the memories, and the sense of loss.
The pitch and tone shifts repeatedly, mirroring the ever-changing inflection of one's voice in moments of intense emotion.
At the musical journey's emotional end, the piece resolves in the same key as it began: with a simple C major chord, softly fading into nothingness, carried gently by the contrabasses.

The Last Embrace

Drachenzähmen ( Deutsch free download  mp3 )

A veil of melancholic reflection and memory drapes itself over every sense. Gentle string music, in the spirit of Nordic Romanticism, descends like mist upon the snow-covered landscape.

Pandemic Suite – 12. Veil of Sorrow

I had the very good fortune to connect with Andy H aka “Noobly” a few months ago over music that we mutually admired and we agreed to find a future opportunity to collaborate. This is the result. Noobly’s beautifully rich track, propelled by his soaring guitar work, felt like a kind of call to prayer to my ear. I tried to echo this somewhat in singing the bridge. Lyrically, just for kicks I used the Socratic Method to construct the verses (persuasion through Q&A) so that this song’s meaning becomes self-evident and hopefully more of a personal experience for each listener. Thanks for checking it out!

Prideful Pride

Do you remember the day when pride took you for its own
When a thief stole something precious in you

Do you remember the day when pride took you for its own
When a thief stole something precious in you
Did it happen when all of your friends cut you out
Was your heart set on winning something, but you lost instead
And when you were maimed did the anger in you surge
Can you mark the moment when you became someone else
Is your truth under layers of scar and combat
Are you the new thief, looting joy from everywhere

Prideful pride keeps piling on, on, on
Building your walls, can’t go wrong, wrong, wrong
Finding it hard to get along, along, along
Your pride is killing you, long before you’re gone, gone, gone

And in the end you’ll be left with nothing
A bright light that’s gone too dim
I have been in a prison of my own before, just like you
Until I let the facade fall
And was set free, free

Are things more difficult now that you are going it alone
And do you leave enough room for both your sadness and your anger
Does that wall keep scary things in, and the invaders out
Are you winning this imaginary war you think you’re fighting

Prideful pride keeps piling on, on, on
Building your walls, ’can’t go wrong, wrong, wrong
Finding it hard to get along, along, along
Your pride is killing you, long before you’re gone, gone, gone


Music/production - Noobly @ https://soundcloud.com/noobly-1
Lyrics/vocals - Todd J McLean
Artwork - Fukushima Greed, 2011 (mixed media) by Todd J McLean

Prideful Pride

I got a baby's bassinet and a clarinet
Don't know that it still plays
This exercise bike was my ex-wife's
My liquidation sale

You could probably use this fine pair of shoes
Barely been out on the trail
An assortment of Tupperware
A kick drum and snare
My liquidation sale

The stuff of my life thoughtfully priced
Displayed on my front lawn
Soon enough all of this stuff
Gonna be gone, gone, gone

That trinket in your hand's very special my friend
But I'm gonna make you a deal
Was from my sweet daughter Jane before we become estranged
My liquidation sale

Name your price, let me know, it all has to go
Down to the loose screws, bolts, nuts, and nails
My lease has expired now I'm nothing but tired
My liquidation sale

The stuff of my life thoughtfully priced
Displayed on my front lawn
Soon enough all of this stuff 
Gonna be gone, gone, gone

These things that you see once were special to me
This ring from a love since passed away
Ashes to ashes, dust to dust
Everything goes like it must
My liquidation sale

My Liquidation Sale

My SoundCloud friend from the UK Martin Dean recently took me up on a suggestion that we create something beautiful together. Something spoke deeply to me while listening to his Cloud, and after about a month of consideration he settled on this improvisational piano piece of mine, and worked to orchestrate it along the 'less is more' principle.                              And OMG... something wondrous was born as you can readily hear.  Bless your Ears and your Soul, Martin!  and Thank You for engaging.

You can hear more of Martin's work @martindean

May you enJOY!  And btw... I'd recommend putting this one on Repeat.

© Gary Courtland-Miles 2016
 ℗ Gary Courtland-Miles 2016
© Martin Dean & Gary Courtland-Miles 2025 
 ℗ Gary Courtland-Miles & Martin Dean 2025

Photo of our Sun on 04/07/2025 : by NASA Solar Dynamics Observatory

Quantum Vibrations *  w. Celli by Martin Dean

The colors of Autumn are plain beautiful

Washburn R305 parlor guitar and 1928 Gibson A2 Mandolin. 

Jaunt through colors of Autumn

"I do not at all understand the mystery of grace - only that it meets us where we are but does not leave us where it found us." - Anne Lamott

A Saturday morning composition inspired by the theme of grace.  Recorded on my very old Yamaha CVP and may need a few adjustments. 😊 Wishing everyone listening a wonderful day!

Days of Grace

In collaboration with Francess Harris. She played the piano composition and I did the composition of the orchestral arrangement. Thank you for listening and enjoy. Any comment is appreciated always.

Collaboration Timothy McGuire / Francess Harris

The Enchanted Hour

The Enchanted Hour (feat. Fr. Harris)

Dear One, immerse yourself in this beautiful viola sound, recorded live at Studio40 in Manhattan, NYC, during As It Is in Heaven (Opus 4). My heartfelt gratitude to Wanda and Christina for this stunning recording session. Dedicated to my wonderful wife on our 25th Wedding Anniversary, October 28th, 2025.

As It Is in Heaven (Opus 4, Viola Solo)

Another month, and another cunning plan in preparation for next year.  So far, I have experimented with hexachords, heptachords and octachords, can you guess what the focus will be in November?  In homage to the unpredictability of human creativity I have decided to explore the pentachord!  Today’s #MusicalMinute has that eastern feel that is often associated with the major pentatonic.  What do you think?

01 Nov 25 New Dawn

Violinist, pianist, chamber and orchestral musician, devoted to composing neo-classical music. 

I want to weave a gentle, emotional orchestral language, that speaks about live and touches the heart. I try to capture these ephemeral, timeless, and moving moments, transcribing them with devotion to sound and recording them in the sound studio.

The music creations are a testament to the value of retreat,
where silence gives birth to the most profound expressions, contrapuncting the noise of our world.

Thanks for your kind listening and commenting !
Helmut / HELMUTunes

Pandemic Suite – 12. Veil of Sorrow

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