Coups de cœur étrangers 7

This is a new version of the composition, with minor changes. The old one is blocked by mistake

Les lumières Dans Le Parc

In Hephaestus' ancient forge,
where the demiurge now emerges,
we step on forgotten ground,
where we're healed of our wounds.

A strange brew in our veins,
through archaic, mystic chains,
used by the ancient shamans,
to break the mind's domains.

Slender origami leaves dance,
the wind plays a sweet romance.
Feeble chants from the tree of life
Awaken my soul to bright new life.

In Kamaloka, desires are felt,
shedding the existential veil.
Through voids separating stars,
I glimpse the pyramids of Mars.

A strange brew in our veins,
through ancient, mystic chains,
to break the mind's domains,
and drift through cosmic plains.

Slender origami leaves dance,
the wind plays a sweet romance.
Feeble chants from the tree of life
Awaken my soul to bright new life.

Slender Origami

Written: 2024
Duration: 8'
for SATB choir (with occasional divisis, SSAATTBB) and handpan (D Kurd 10: D) A, B-flat, C, D, E, F, G, A, C)
Commissioned by Ember Choral Arts, Dr. Deborah Simpkin King, Founding Artistic Director, as Ember's first Composer in Residence
Premiere: Ember, Dr. Deborah Simpkin King, Founding Artistic Director, May 17, 2024, Actors’ Chapel, NYC; May 19, 2024, Unitarian Universalist Congregation at Montclair, Montclair, NJ
Publisher: Bill Holab Music
For more information: https://robertpaterson.com/kama

PROGRAM NOTE
In contemporary literature, ‘kama’ is often used to connote erotic desire and emotional longing, but in ancient Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, this concept is more expansive and broadly refers to any desire, wish, passion, or pleasure, the enjoyment of art and beauty, and even more broadly, love and connection. Kama focuses on this ancient concept and these feelings, which are so essential to being human, while reflecting on how machines, no matter how complex, will ever truly feel and love the way we do and will never truly be able to feel what it is to be human. Kama is a musical call to action in a world where we are in danger of machines replacing us or pulling us further apart, but in which we will ultimately prevail.

Kama was commissioned by Ember Choral Arts, Dr. Deborah Simpkin King, Founding Artistic Director, as Ember's first Composer in Residence.

Kama for Choir and Handpan (World Premiere)

https://on.soundcloud.com/GKryNlBrfnd7d5lrHA by VickStiX @vicky-adair ✨

"This song is a heartfelt and introspective ballad that explores the complexities of a deep, spiritual connection between two people who couldn't quite bridge the gap between their understanding of love. Inspired by ShAnkAri's story, the lyrics delve into the pain and longing that can come from loving someone who doesn't see or believe in the same way. It's a poignant reflection on the power of love to reshape our souls, even when it's not reciprocated in the way we hope.

I'd like to thank @DJShAnkAri for sharing her story and inspiring this song, and for her input into this piece." VickStiX @vicky-adair 

You Never Believed Me

[Verse 1]
I whispered in stardust, I prayed through the skies
You felt like a lifetime behind unseen eyes
I reached with my soul, no distance too far
But you never saw me—you just traced the stars

[Pre-Chorus]
I said I loved you, not loud but true
In silence, in symbols, in all I knew

[Chorus]
But you never believed me
Not once, not really
You thought I was dreaming
Or reading too deeply
Like my heart was a story
I made up to feel whole
But loving you rewrote my soul
And you never believed me

[Verse 2]
I studied your shadows, I learned every sign
In a language of longing, outside of time
You held the map, but looked away
Afraid of a path you didn’t create

[Pre-Chorus]
I sent you light in a world gone dim
You thought it was just the wind

[Chorus]
But you never believed me
Not once, not really
You thought I was dreaming
Or reading too deeply
Like my heart was a story
I made up to feel whole
But loving you rewrote my soul
And you never believed me

[Verse 3]
Is love a gesture, or is it a vow? 
Is it holding on, or letting go now? 
You wanted proof in a different form 
And I was the rain—you needed the storm

[Chorus]
We both said “I love you” 
But not in the same voice 
You meant protection 
I meant choice 
You meant fire 
I meant grace 
We loved in totally different space 
And that’s how even soulmates break— 
When meanings don’t translate

[Bridge]
Maybe you thought love must be proven
With bodies and years, not a soul that’s been chosen
But just because we never met
Doesn’t mean I could forget
You were the pulse beneath my breath

[Chorus]
Still you never believed me
Not once, not really
You thought I was dreaming
Or reading too deeply
Like my heart was a story
I made up to feel whole
But loving you rewrote my soul

[Chorus]
You never believed me
Not once, not truly
You stayed behind reason
While I loved you purely
Like a prayer with no ending
Like a vow with no sound
But you never turned around
You never believed me

[Outro]
And maybe you never will
But I loved you still

[Post-Outro] 
We all carry our own definition 
And none of us ask permission 
To love the way we understand 
Even if no one takes our hand...

@vicky-adair ✨
@shankari-touch ✨

VickStiX - You never believed me (ShAnkAri touch)

“Holdin’ On” is a slow, emotional outlaw ballad for the ones who never fully let go. Gritty male vocals stretch across drawn-out verses soaked in longing, soul, and quiet pain. Twangy guitars and a steady rhythm carry the weight of memories that still burn.

For anyone still haunted by the one that slipped through your hands...

Holdin’ On

"Dooley's Farm (M. Tuttle) [08.11.25]
J Dulva and Counting Coup
(c) 2025 Cenote Music

Poolside Residency 2024

Dooley's Farm [08.11.25]

BD
https://open.spotify.com/album/69tjEw6KpTxAul0B1exn20

Les lumières Dans Le Parc

Bogdan Dyakov