"Winterscape" Musical Greeting

I love to explore where a new musical sound will take me. Sometimes it is as if its instrument plays me instead of me playing it. Or in this case, it suggests a landscape familiar enough to be known without being seen. When I wished I could make my own music boxes and piano rolls it never occurred to me that one day my wish would come true in such a virtual fashion. Here’s my latest homemade sponcom (spontaneous composition) Christmas card for all ye friends & family. Safe travels and Happiest Holidays one and all! Artiphon Instrument One https://artiphon.com Cubasis 2 https://www.steinberg.net Digital D1 https://audiokitpro.com/digitald1/ Sounds from Noise by ROLI https://roli.com/products/software/noise & iSymphonic https://crudebyte.com/isymphonic-orch... Video editing by LumaFusion https://luma-touch.com/lumafusion-for... Snow by VidLab http://museworks.co/vidlab/ With thanks for footage from: https://youtu.be/9Rm4sZasa8E & https://youtu.be/BXFC8hiaRcI Music/Still Photography copyright ©CinemaoftheMind (fair use allowed with attribution)

Elegy for a House Cat

Dedicated to all those pets

who no longer share our lives

but still sing to our hearts in tune.

What calls these strange creatures,

so unlike us, so liking us, into our lives?

What calls them away,

and takes with them the soft pad of paws,

the contentment of dreamy stares

and warm cuddles,

the prowl of the hunter, the dart of a toy?

If only we could sing this duet once more,

but only the fading voice of wanting remains;

sometimes complaint, sometimes purr.

Still the lasting echo of a memory.

Or is it something more left behind?

A lasting song of the spirit

sung in the key of cat.

The sound of a loving slink ...and furry farewell.

©2010 SAWiltse

Blindsight/Deaf-Hearing Spontaneous Composer

On July 1st, 2009, having just watched the excellent PBS Nova "Musical Minds with Dr Oliver Sacks" ( http://ow.ly/h2eD ) I felt compelled to sum myself up and ask a question on its forum:

Dr Sacks, I was born consciously blind on my right side as well as unable to understand language in my right ear. I taught myself to play the piano as a child and became adapt at spontaneous Bach-like composition before receiving any formal training. I've long believed that I would be much more impaired if it had not been for my mother's passion for reading aloud and being allowed to play -at a very young age- with her classical record collection. Now, saying "what" a lot at parties or "excuse me" to my own reflection in a full-length mirror, a lack of depth perception and an inability to think/learn in any particular linear fashion (greatly improved by the advent of computer-aided thought) are now my only bothersome disadvantages. Are there many others in my situation, or could I be of use to some study? Steff

What with all the questions submitted I'm not surprised I didn't get an answer. There may not be one. But thought I'd give it a blog and try Facebook on the off chance that this may ring a bell, so to speak, for someone else.