Songs For All Seasons

Today's Song of the Day is a special one for me. One of the life events I wanted to write about was pregnancy - but you may (or may not) be surprised to learn that there is very little public domain poetry about pregnancy. Thinking about it, the reason is obvious - pregnancy in those days was a thing to be kept secret, not celebrated as we do today. Pregnancy was concealed as it was evidence having *gasp* done the deed!! So I asked my youngest, who has shown an inclination for poetry, to write me a poem about Pregnancy and here is the result. I did add the chorus-type part from the point of view of the mother (those are the indented bits), but the parts from the baby's point of view are the work of my talented now-17-year-old! (And in case you are curious, Julie Reilly is the name I use for my word-writing, as opposed to my music-writing. Reilly is my married name and Cavanagh is my maiden name but they are both me!) ...

Today's Song of the Day is on the theme of Birth/Babies so I dedicate it today to all new parents who have recently welcomed a new addition to their lives. It's a setting of the poem "Lullaby" by Horace Smith, a contemporary and friend of the perhaps more famous poet Percy Shelley.  Smith had a day job as a stockbroker and after making his fortune in business, went on to produce around twenty historical novels. This song is being Beta Tested by my friends at Burgess Hill Choral Society . Lullaby By Horace Smith Sleep, little baby, sleep, love, sleep! Evening is coming, and night is nigh; Under the lattice the little birds cheep, All will be sleeping by and by. Sleep, little baby, sleep. Sleep, little baby, sleep, love, sleep! Darkness is creeping along the sky; Stars at the casement glimmer and peep, Slowly the moon comes sailing by. Sleep, little baby, sleep. Sleep, li...

Today's Song of the Day is a special one for me. We're taking a break from Grief Awareness Week as today is my youngest's 17th birthday and this song is to celebrate that fact. One of the life events I wanted to write about was pregnancy - but you may (or may not) be surprised to learn that there is very little public domain poetry about pregnancy. Thinking about it, the reason is obvious - pregnancy in those days was a thing to be kept secret, not celebrated as we do today. Pregnancy was concealed as it was evidence having *gasp* done the deed!! So I asked my youngest, who has shown an inclination for poetry, to write me a poem about Pregnancy and here is the result. I did add the chorus-type part from the point of view of the mother (those are the indented bits), but the parts from the baby's point of view are the work of my talented now-17-year-old! (And in case you are curious, Julie Reilly is the name I use for my word-writing, as opposed to my music-writing. Reill...

Today's Song of the Day is another floating event - one that isn't linked to a specific time of year. It is under the theme of Birth/Babies so I dedicate it today to all new parents who have recently welcomed a new addition to their lives. It's a setting of the poem "Lullaby" by Horace Smith, a contemporary and friend of the perhaps more famous poet Percy Shelley.  Smith had a day job as a stockbroker and after making his fortune in business, went on to produce around twenty historical novels. Get the music for this song for free -  find out how here. Lullaby By Horace Smith Sleep, little baby, sleep, love, sleep! Evening is coming, and night is nigh; Under the lattice the little birds cheep, All will be sleeping by and by. Sleep, little baby, sleep. Sleep, little baby, sleep, love, sleep! Darkness is creeping along the sky; Stars at the casement glimmer and peep, Slo...

Whilst compiling a list of appropriate Songs of the Day I discovered that today marks the beginning of National Baby Loss Awareness Week  (9th - 15th October). I have been lucky enough not to have experienced the tragic loss of a baby, but I have friends who have not been so fortunate. Music can be a powerful tool for people who are grieving, helping them to process their emotions, move forward, and feel comforted. Music can help to:  Release bottled-up feelings: Sad music can help to push emotions to the surface, especially if you've been trying to hide them.  Trigger dopamine responses: Engaging with music can create feelings of pleasure.  Connect on a deep emotional level: Music can bring out feelings you didn't even know you had.  Regulate negative emotions: Sad music can help to regulate or purge negative emotions.  Retrieve memories: Sad music can help to retrieve memories of important past events.  So I would like to share my setting of Nor...