Art Expressed in Music – Leonardo's Genius	
April 2024
Duration: 3:30
Listen to the Playlist: soundcloud.com/bruce-klepper-1/sets/art-expressed-in-music-i
Painting: Mona Lisa
Leonardo da Vinci (April 15, 1452 to May 2, 1519) was an Italian painter, draftsman, sculptor, architect, and engineer.  His “Last Supper” and “Mona Lisa” are among the most widely popular and influential paintings of the Renaissance.  His notebooks reveal a spirit of scientific inquiry and a mechanical inventiveness that were centuries ahead of their time. He is renowned in the fields of civil engineering, chemistry, geology,  hydrodynamics, mathematics, mechanical engineering, optics, physics and zoology.  As an engineer, Leonardo conceived ideas vastly ahead of his own time, conceptually inventing the parachute, the helicopter, an armored fighting vehicle, and the use of concentrated solar power. The unique fame that Leonardo enjoyed in his lifetime has remained undimmed to the present day rests largely on his unlimited desire for knowledge, which guided all his thinking and behavior.  As an artist, Leonardo considered his eyes to be his main avenue to knowledge; to Leonardo, sight was man’s highest sense because it alone conveyed the facts of experience immediately, correctly, and with certainty.  He used his superb intellect, unusual powers of observation, and mastery of the art of drawing to study nature itself, a line of inquiry that allowed his dual pursuits of art and science to flourish.  In Florence between 1500 and 1506, Leonardo began work on the “Mona Lisa”.  The “Mona Lisa” set the standard for all future portraits. The painting presents a woman revealed to likely have been Lisa del Giocondo, the wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocond.  The picture presents a half-body portrait of the subject, with a distant landscape visible as a backdrop; the expressive synthesis that Leonardo achieved between sitter and landscape has placed this work in the canon of the most-popular and most-analyzed paintings of all time. The sensuous curves of the woman’s hair and clothing, are echoed in the undulating valleys and rivers behind her. The sense of overall harmony achieved in the painting—especially apparent in the sitter’s faint smile—reflects Leonardo’s idea of the link connecting humanity and nature, making this painting an enduring record of Leonardo’s vision and genius.  In 1517, a drawing by Giovanni Ambrogio Figino depicted an elderly Leonardo with his right arm wrapped in clothing. The latter, in addition to the record of an October 1517 visit by Louis d'Aragon, confirms an account of Leonardo's right hand being paralytic when he was 65, which may indicate why he left works such as the “Mona Lisa” unfinished.  He continued to work at some capacity until eventually becoming ill and bedridden for several months.  Leonardo only produced about 20 paintings in his lifetime. It is estimated that Leonardo produced between 20,000 to 28,000 pages of notes and sketches spanning across 50 different notebooks about work related to whatever topics that interested him – painting, engineering, philosophy, warfare, engineering, physiology, landscape, proportion, perspective, geography, and geology.... Unfortunately, Leonardo's interests were so broad, and he was so often compelled by new subjects, that he usually left projects unfinished.  Leonardo died at Clos Lucé on 2 May 1519 at the age of 67, possibly of a stroke.   Leonardo was described as lamenting on his deathbed, full of repentance, that "he had offended against God and men by failing to practice his art as he should have done”. 
For virtual voices, piano, marimba, tubular bells, virtual instruments, sound effects and percussion.

Art Expressed In Music - Leonardo's Genius

UnBoxed June 2024
Original vocal performance, sounds and recording by the voluptuous Elizabeth @sin-crawler
Reimagined and embellished by Out of the Box
Cover image : Elizabeth

OUT OF THE BOX / ELIZABETH - Ohne Dich (Rammstein)

Young & Free

SUPERSWAY: A New Breeze in the Music Scene

Introducing SUPERSWAY, the five-member hip-hop/R&B girl group produced by A-laise, that’s set to revolutionize the music scene. Comprised of the uniquely talented Stacy, Rachel, Chloe, Nicole, and Stella, these dynamic performers blend their individual styles and talents to deliver captivating performances that leave audiences in awe.

Their debut album, "Girl's Empire," is an epic tale of self-expression, confidence, unity, action, and love. With powerful vocals and dynamic performances, they infuse positive and empowering messages into their pop-infused sound. This album is a testament to their passion and energy, promising to uplift and inspire listeners.

Timeless Echoes is a track from this album.

Experience the magical music of SUPERSWAY and let it captivate your soul.

Girl's Empire

Timeless Echoes

SUPERSWAY - Timeless Echoes

Beet It Back-Mostly Acoustic Version

Con Fusion

Viagem Para Lugar Nenhum

Kraftkreis

Traditional Welsh folk song ("Llwyn Onn") 
English lyrics by Thomas Oliphant (19th century)
Vocals and Instrumentals by Layna Claunch

The ash grove, how graceful, how plainly 'tis speaking
The harp through it playing has language for me
When over its branches the sunlight is breaking
A host of kind faces is gazing on me
The friends of my childhood again are before me
Each step wakes a memory as freely I roam
With soft whispers laden the leaves rustle o'er me
The ash grove, the ash grove again is my home
 
Down yonder green valley where streamlets meander
When twilight is fading I pensively rove
Or at the bright noontide in solitude wander
Amid the dark shades of the lonely ash grove
'Twas there while the blackbird was cheerfully singing
I first met that dear one, the joy of my heart
Around us for gladness the bluebells were ringing
But then little thought I how soon we should part
          
My lips smile no more, my heart loses its lightness   
No dream of the future my spirit can cheer
I only can brood on the past and its brightness
The dear ones I long for again gather here
From ev'ry dark nook they press forward to meet me
I lift up my eyes to the broad leafy dome
And others are there, looking downward to greet me
The ash grove, the ash grove again is my home

Ash Grove

Two of Seven

The outcome of a little experiment. I'll be a way from Soundcloud for a few weeks working on a writing project, so this is a clearing of the mind piece as much as anything.

and back again

By day I work in the world of biological sciences. By night though, I like to create. I'm a drummer/percussionist with a lot of years of gigs under my belt, but I also like to write songs, music and stories and poetry. I am master of none but I get a lot of satisfaction experimenting and making words and music.

A blast from the past: I laid the drums and percussion on this Prog-Rock album by Stealing the Fire. https://stealingthefire.bandcamp.com/album/king-of-shadows

'my' band Pelerin blue has released a back catalogue as a omnibus album (To Fly Again) and can be found on Spotify, iTunes, YouTube and many other places  https://open.spotify.com/artist/5j8TUM8qcCTHEiMyMVEPSe?si=eyH_FfubQq2xJYm__NTaKg

I'm also on many music streaming site including spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/7wBG3pAilbQU4WWsgDDt67?si=jIT88CigQ0uK7jwIiLWubw

For my own creations I'm not tied to any particular genre, nor in my listening and nor am I particularly good at recognising particular genres.

I'm open to feedback, comment, critique and generally saying hi.

and back again

Maurus McNeil