Mythological Creatures

From the album "Tread Lightly:
https://nathaniel-ehrnman.bandcamp.com/album/tread-lightly

Tread Lightly

Out Back

Out Back (May 2024)

'ready made' recorded in my smarty and directly sent in the universe - small oops inkluded... 

Lüchow sunset

Greener Pastures

Tail Wind

Tail Wind (Aug. 2024)

Lack Thereof

Lack Thereof (Sept. 2024)

... einspielen für das kleine Konzert zum Wagen & Winnen 2024 mit Sarah Kugler (piano) bei Antje Lutz im Atelier ...

magic moment

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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By Castle Walls - © P Goodrich 2019

"When Summer sun shines on your face
By Castle Walls I feel your grace
When bees alight on golden thrones
By Castle Walls 'twixt sea and stone"
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The Gertrude Jekyll garden, near to Lindisfarne Castle is the focus of this track. Now owned by the National Trust, originally it was a walled garden that was first constructed by troops manning the castle, presumably as far back as the 1500s or 1600s, to grow food.

In 1902, the Country Life magazine founder and owner Edward Hudson took out a lease from the Crown on Lindisfarne Castle and commissioned his friend, the architect Edwin Lutyens, to transform the Castle into a holiday home in which Hudson could entertain during his summer visits.

In 1911, Hudson decided to restore the old walled garden to use as a place to enjoy. Lutyens brought in his regular collaborator, Gertrude Jekyll to undertake the design work

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

By Castle Walls instrumental feature strings, cello, alto flute, alto F low whistle, english horn, piano, harp, alto glockenspiel, bass guitar, harpsichord and a mixed choir backing. It also features my initial poem voice-over and 'bees ensemble' :-)

The buzzing bees sound FX is classed as Public Domain and is used to add colour to the track from www.freesound.org

creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/

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Background

In my head I had the idea of trying to capture the feeling of guests of Hudson, (or modern day visitors) walking around the garden on a late Summer afternoon, possibly stopping to listen to the bees, busy at work, collecting honey.

The poem came out of that thought which then inspired the musical direction of the piece.

I imagined the first part, idyllic, tranquil, moving to section where you just focus in on the bees and everyday life slips away for a while. This is followed by a grander 'promenade ending', where I imagined Hudson's guests strolling around in the late afternoon sun.

By Castle Walls - 2024 Remix and Remaster

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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On Lindisfarne, there is a ridge of land called 'The Heugh' made out of unyielding igneous rock. It is not particularly high but from this viewpoint you can see the Castle, the Abbey, St Cuthbert's Island, in fact most of the sights of the otherwise flat Lindisfarne. The old coastguard station is now an observation platform. I wanted to use this piece to describe the view as experienced by a modern tourist but also give a reflective nod to the old herring and general fishing industry of the past.

This is an interesting link all about it

www.islandshirearchives.org.uk/content/a…-heritage

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

Thanks to Fiona from Lionheart Radio for playing this track on her show

www.lionheartradio.com/

Project Playlist

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

Project Website

www.pilgrims-way.co.uk

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Instrumentation

The High on the Heugh instrumental feature strings, cello, alto flute, high whistle, harp, bouzouki, concertina, choir, bodhrán and water pumpkins.

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Background

I wanted to start this piece with an ascent section so it includes a climbing motif that leads the listener up to the top of the Heugh. There they can reflect on the view of St Cuthbert's Island etc.

The next section introduces the idea of starting to think about the vanished fishing industry so I used the concertina, an instrument often used by sailors, to start painting this picture. It also adds in the bouzouki supporting the harp and supported by various strings.

Then it's into a hornpipe section and and it's a much more lively section as the listeners imagination takes free reign and features a bouzouki solo. It builds to a climax before the final melancholic reprise. This final reprise reflects on a lost time as it guides the listener back to the present day.

High On The Heugh - 2024 Remix and Remaster

Texas, written by Henry Reed, born 1884, died 1968, his student was Alan Jabbour of the Hollow Rock String band
1928 Gibson A2 mandolin, 
1944 Martin 0-18 guitar
1976 Takamine classic  both drop D tuning.

Learned from the Last Straw String Band.

Texas, Henry Reed

Smite

Smite (Nov. 2024)

Blob Goblin
Oh Blob Goblin
Blob Goblin
Oh Blob Goblin

In early spring 
When spring peepers sing
The blob goblin rings
It's bells

To awaken a flood 
Of early spring mud
Since blob goblins love
To dance in the mud

Instruments:
Lyre Harp, Tin Whistle, Sitar

Blob Goblin

Instruments:
Lyre Harp, Tin Whistle, Synthesizer, Small Greek Baglama

Elephant King (reprise)

Aria Siciliana

Recorded in 2014

Dan Jones: Acoustic Guitar
Zach Schneider: Tin Whistle, Mandolin

Concerning Hobbits and Dragons

Instruments:
lyre harp, Doug Tipple flute

The Lyre Of The Shire

An original waltz.

Instruments:
shruti box, Killarney whistle, sleigh bells, Doug Tipple flute, bongos, glockenspiel, jaw harp, wooden spoons, guiro, tongue snaps

The Luminous Gnome

I really enjoy the "Flotsam and Jetsam" chapter in "The Lord of the Rings", where Pippin's pipe is smoked during a very peaceful and silly feeling moment of storytelling and reuniting, so I named this original tune for that moment.

Instruments:
tenor guitar, Parks high D whistle, Kentucky mandolin, ghungroo bells, tinghsa bells, a regular bell, sleigh bells, and clapping

The Hobbit Pipe Hornpipe

Original songs and tunes played on all sorts of acoustic instruments, by Dan Jones (https://soundcloud.com/untamed-package) and Zach Schneider (https://soundcloud.com/zach-schneider-1).

Original compositions played upon various acoustic instruments. 

At the moment, the majority of music I record is original folk tunes. Most of these tunes arise whilst out in natural ecosystems or shortly after visiting a natural ecosystem. The titles often reflect an aspect of the ecosystem I had noticed while the tune came about. Lately this is usually a species of bird.

Tin whistles and flutes appear the most often in my recordings; though mandolin, tenor guitar, lyre harp, jaw harp, dulcitar, and a handful of other instruments show up fairly often as well.

And here's some more music I've made along with my friend Dan Jones:
https://soundcloud.com/user-453898279

Concerning Hobbits and Dragons

Bwub Bwud Gwud

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