In memoriam, the bombing of Guernica, Spain, April 26, 1937. A lamentation in music.

And in 2024, for the injured, displaced, and departed around the world as invading forces of tyranny rain down death and destruction upon innocent people.

I literally cried as I updated my old composition about the bombing of Guernica. 

Originally composed in GarageBand, I finished the first version of this song on April 26, 2013, not consciously aware that the date was the anniversary of the atrocity committed by fascists against civilians during the Spanish Civil War. I had had ambitions to create an animated short about its history and Picasso’s famous painting when I could afford the technology. So my first step was to use available resources and create the music, which I did 11 years ago. I have yet to produce the animation. Maybe someday. The cover art gives you an idea as to how I envisioned the graphics for the animated short.

This Guernica composition is my first attempt at composing neoclassical music. As a girl I would sing and hum made-up symphonies as I conducted an imaginary orchestra. I’ve got hundreds of improvised concertos, sonatas, fugues, and arias deep in my memory banks that sometimes creep into my contemporaneous music.

This week, as the anniversary of Guernica approached, I imported my old music file into my current DAW and refreshed it, adding French horn, the first instrument I played as a young student. I also added audio of propeller planes recorded live in March and April 2024. And I pushed the previous violin and cello parts to the limit, so if you hear a screeching violin or a groaning cello, it’s intentional; war gives millions of reasons to scream and wail. The composition’s 8-chord structure is repeated as if to state the obvious — we, humans, have yet to contain our violence individually and collectively. We witness and experience the horror of mass murder and war around the globe. Every. Damn. Day.

I realize my song probably isn’t going to be a favorite for listeners, not my usual chill music. But I’m also a firm believer in the idea that sunlight is the best disinfectant. With this music about Guernica and the history of 1937, I am reminded how far we’ve come, and yet, how little we’ve changed. But change we must, and I believe humanity will change for the better. The question is when.

Guernica

Written for songwriting contest, w/theme the Santa Fe River in n. Florida. Translations..."Timucuan": native people in n FL at time of Spanish Conquest.  "Cracker Cowboys": colloquial name for cattlemen who herded wild cattle north during the Civil War.  "O'leno town": ghost town on the Santa Fe, a swinging bridge built in the 1930's is still there.  

Roll On, River   c. 2023 by Mike Manetz

V. 1
The river was Timucuan,
Before the comin' of the white-man's gun.
'Neath the giant cypress trees,
They fished the river wild and free.
Spanish priests came one day,
Taught the natives how to pray,
Named the river Santa Fe,
River watched them fade away.

Chorus
Roll on, river,
On and on forever,
She'll be rollin' on when we're all passed and gone.
Through centuries of hopes and dreams,
Conquistadors, fools and thieves,
Roll on, river,
Roll on,
River, roll on...

V2
Cracker cowboys took control,
After driving out the Seminole.
Their cattle on the muddy banks,
Would feed the hungry rebel ranks.
Black man runnin' to be free, 
Down the Santa Fe on to the sea.
Midnight paddle down to where,
A Yankee gunboat's waitin' there.

Chorus

V 3  
Lovers at O'Leno town,
On a swingin' bridge they're lookin' down,
River rushes there below,
Like a thousand years ago.
Their kids will play computer games,
They'll forget the history and the names,
But the river holds the memories,
Of all she touches, all she sees...

Chorus




Their kids will play computer games,
They'll forget the history and the names,
Of all of those who came before,
Guess it doesn't matter anymore...

Centuries of hopes and dreams,
Conquistadors, fools and thieves,
All they left is all but washed away,
Their kids will play computer games,
And forget the history and the names,
of all of those who came before,
They don't care much for that anymore...

Roll On, River

Music & Lyrics: Jan Schonander

Not stripped, but certainly not very well dressed, and with a few tweaks.

FOR YESTERDAY

Yesterday felt so easy
Yesterday felt so good
Yesterday felt so easy
Yesterday felt so good

Walked to the gate
Not a worry in the sky
Turned to my baby and I waved her goodbye
Saw her through the window
Sweet tear in her eye
Oh I long for yesterday
I long for yesterday
Yesterday
I long for yesterday

I picked up the phone
Dialed a memorized number
Told her I love her didn’t talk about the weather
Sat at my desk
Wrote the first of many letters
Oh I long for yesterday
I long for yesterday
Yesterday
I long for yesterday

It was so easy
It was so good

I went to the bar
Started talking to my neighbor
Nobody thought I was a sicko stranger
Didn’t think twice
I gave my name and number
Oh I long for yesterday
I long for yesterday
Yesterday
I long for yesterday

It was so easy
It was so good
It was so easy
It was so good

For Yesterday Scantily Clad

L'Arbre des Âmes pourrait être l'endroit le plus sacré pour certaines peuplades, et leur permettrait de communiquer avec leurs ancêtres, ou faire l'objet de certains rituels .... 
Son accès est souvent interdit au étrangers ....
À quoi ressemble-t-il? 
Je vous laisse l'imaginer en écoutant ce nouveau concept.

***************************************************************************************************

The Tree of Souls may be the most sacred place for certain peoples, allowing them to communicate with their ancestors, or be the object of certain rituals .... 
Access is often forbidden to outsiders ....
What does it look like? 
I'll let you imagine as you listen to this new concept.

The Tree Of Souls ....

Ambient Journey

A Moment in Time

A Moment In Time

Abendlied

Kitchen Disco   -   Conscience of Kings

Available on bandcamp:
https://30gradx.bandcamp.com/track/human

Human

A single tear holds an entire world, a memory of a time and place that feels more real than the present. A journey into the past, the bittersweet moments of reflection, but it's also a guiding warmth that lets you see the world with a new set of eyes.

Tears Of The Past

Songs From The Wounded Heart
Release Date: 01-01-2015
© 2015 Keith Richie

Songs From The Wounded Heart is a deeply personal anthology—an emotional tapestry woven from sorrow, memory, and quiet resilience.

Spanning more than a decade of composition, this collection features both new works and reimagined, re-mastered selections from my earlier catalog. Now presented in high-resolution 24-bit audio, each piece has been carefully preserved and enhanced to reflect its original emotional weight with greater clarity and depth.

From the mournful ambience of Harrowing Emptiness to the delicate piano-led reflection of Jake's Theme, and the poignant stillness of Weeping Angels and Candles, each track serves as a sonic elegy—an outlet for grief, healing, and remembrance.

This album is not merely music. It is a refuge for the wounded. A balm for those navigating loss. And a quiet reminder that there is beauty even in brokenness.

🎧 Listen on your favorite platform:
🔗 owtt.lnk.to/sftwhBC

Yellow Roses

Bonus tracks from the psychological horror game The Protagonist. Dark ambient soundscapes, haunting atmospheres, and echoes from the underground.

Going Insane

Welcome on my profile.

As a young boy, I learned to play the piano with my grandmother, who was a concert pianist. Thanks to her patience, I was brought closer to music. It was a hard but worthwhile way.

After I ended my school training and started my vocational training, the music got into the background. However, the music has accompanied me throughout my life. With increasing age, the music again got a greater status in my life.

First with the old piano of my grandmother, who had long since died and then with a keyboard, I started making music again.

I don't have a studied musical background and make music as a hobby without really had learned about orchestration. I find myself slowly into the topic and I am happy to have found some listeners.

Inspired by many lovely people, who also make music, I develop myself even at older age and look forward to further listeners.

Therefore, have fun hearing my modest works and thank you for the nice comments.

Tim

A Moment In Time

Timothy McGuire