This is a MIDI and voice composition that partly arose, as its title would suggest, from doing my Aural Skills or Music Theory homework. The vocal track, treated with strange pitch correction, begins with me in a practice room on the fourth floor of Durgin Hall on UMass Lowell's South Campus, singing a capella "Quella Fiamma Che M'Accende" by Benedetto Marcello, which I was preparing for a jury performance in May of 2010. This a capella rendition is followed by another, of "Linden Lea" by William Barnes, then "Beautiful Dreamer" by Stephen Foster (1826-1864) and an oddly minor-sounding (due to the peculiar pitch correction) rendition of "Homeward Bound" by Marta Keen. This newly minor sound to the melody lends a darker quality to the words being sung, one that is all the more apparent due to it being the song that I sing almost completely a capella.
The instruments used are saxophone, piano and classical acoustic guitar. The open melodic phrase first presented in the saxophone voice repeats in the various instrumental voices throughout the piece. After 9:23, the MIDI instruments stop playing.
lyrics
Reuben Walton: Il mio bel foco,
o lontano o vicino ch’esser poss’io,
senza cangiar mai tempre per voi,
care pupille, arderà sempre.
Quella fiamma che m’accende,
piace tanto all’alma mia,
che giammai s’estinguerà.
E se il fato a voi mi rende,
vaghi rai del mio bel sole,
altra luce ella non vuole
nè voler giammai potrà.
Within the woodlands, flow’ry gladed,
By the oak trees’ mossy moot,
The shining grass blades, timber-shaded,
Now do quiver underfoot;
And birds do whistle overhead,
And water’s bubbling in its bed,
And there, for me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.
When leaves, that lately were a-springing
Now do fade within the copse,
And painted birds do hush their singing
Up upon the timber tops;
And brown-leaved fruit’s a-turning red,
In cloudless sunshine overhead,
With fruit for me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.
Let other folk make money faster
In the air of dark-roomed towns,
I don’t dread a peevish master;
Though no man may heed my frowns,
I be free to go abroad,
Or take again my homeward road
and there for me, the apple tree
Do lean down low in Linden Lea.
Beautiful dreamer, wake unto me, Starlight and dewdrops are waiting for thee; Sounds of the rude world, heard in the day, Lull'd by the moonlight have all pass'd away! Beautiful dreamer, queen of my song, List while I woo thee with soft melody; Gone are the cares of life's busy throng, Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me! Beautiful dreamer, awake unto me!
In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing and the sky is clear and red,
When the summer's ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime,
When adventure's lost its meaning, I'll be homeward bound in time.
Wait, I skipped some--I completely skipped a chorus.
Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.
If you find it's me you're missing, if you're hoping I'll return,
To your thought I'll soon be list'ning; in the road I'll stop and turn.
Then the wind will set me racing as my journey nears its end,
And the path I'll be retracing when I'm homeward bound again.
Bind me not to the pasture. Chain me not to the plow.
Set me free to find my calling and I'll return to you somehow.
In the quiet misty morning when the moon has gone to bed,
When the sparrows stop their singing, I'll be homeward bound again.
credits
from Bits and Pieces,
released August 19, 2012
Vocals by Reuben Walton
Lyrics written by Reuben Walton, Benedetto Marcello, William Barnes, Stephen Foster (1826-1864) and Marta Keen
MIDI Saxophone by Reuben Walton
MIDI Piano by Reuben Walton
MIDI Classical Guitar by Reuben Walton
Metronome by Reuben Walton
Produced by Reuben Walton
Recorded by Reuben Walton
Edited by Reuben Walton
Mixed by Reuben Walton
Reuben Walton is a singer/songwriter and music producer based in Falmouth, MA. He is a graduate of Musicians Institute in
Hollywood's Independent Artist program and their Electronic Music Production program, as well as UMass Lowell’s Music Business undergraduate program.
In 2019 he put out a self-titled EP working with producer AVLI Music and is now regularly releasing new music....more
Super dreamy and spacey, just the way I like it. Beautiful music, recommended for fans of Best Coast, Animal Collective, Grizzly Bear, and other bands. Check 'em out! "D'Arrest" is my favorite! Reuben Walton
Consummate pop songwriting both smart and smooth, with the ability to resonate universally without compromising uniqueness. Bandcamp New & Notable Sep 20, 2017
Australian multi-instrumentalist Nick Griffith tempers luxuriant yacht-pop arrangements with lo-fi touches across the sunny "7am." Bandcamp New & Notable Apr 1, 2020
