I spoke
elsewhere about how often God and the universe speak to us in the most
subtle ways, That's certainly true. But sometimes, the ways used aren't
quite so subtle.
The Rose and the Thorn is one of two Cathedral Whispers
CDs that came about because of the numerous and insistent listeners that
loved my music so much they almost demanded a CD featuring piano sound.
(The other CD being It's About Love). The dominant musical
style throughout the CD is somewhat meditative, though there is great
variety in tempo and energy. In keeping with the heart and soul of what Cathedral
Whispers (my alter ego) really is- the underlying idea for the songs
and their titles is our growth as human beings as formed and shaped by
relationships.
Relationships on any level require participation of at least two
different parties by definition. This in turn means that in order to
establish and maintain a relationship, we as individuals have to be
willing to open up, not just our inner selves to varying degrees, but
also our compartmentalized lives. That can be scary and involves risks
on many levels, especially the emotional levels. Ah- but the prize is
precious and the journey worth taking. For it is the many relationships
of our lives - parent to child, child to parent, co-workers to
co-workers, lover-to-lover, brother to sister, neighbor to neighbor,
uncle to nephew, grandmother to granddaughter, friend to friend that
help us to grow the most, and to a certain extent help define the
persons we are. To love unconditionally means to open up - to be ready
to receive a response. That response may be for love to come back. But
it may also be hurt or rejection, and that's the scary part. That's the
risk. The funny thing to me is - that to be complete and have depth as
human beings we have to experience both - that life itself requires the
existence and experience of both. One without the other leaves us
incomplete as human beings. How strange at first glance.
The rose etches this truth in granite, for the rose is the queen
of all flowers. Exquisite, elegant, regal and sturdy, with vibrant
colors and soft, velvet petals and the sweetest fragrances. It fill our
lives with beauty and delights the human senses. And yet, it has thorns
that prick us and make us bleed. Anyone who has grown roses, trimmed
them, cut them, cared for them can tell you - a rose prick hurts like
the dickens - and yet we wouldn't trade it for anything…for its part
of what the rose is, and must be. Love and relationships are like that
also - both must be.
The songs on The Rose and the Thorn are a collection
of original compositions - some brand new, composed specifically for
this CD, and others old melodies written down on scrap paper and
re-visited. None have ever been recorded before, with the exception of Angels
on the Wind, the original recording of which is on my Stained
Glass CD. The Rose and the Thorn CD version of Angels
on the Wind is a piano version never heard before, except for those
lucky enough to hear me perform live, which I love to do. All of the
songs and titles are intended to evoke memories, places and people that
are important and personal to YOU the listener. These are the things of
your lives- your relationships. These are your Distant Shores,
your Quiet Memories, your Eyes of A Child, your memories
of (In the) Fall Time, your days under the sun (Under the
Sunshine), your Nightfires, your Dreamscapes, your Celebration(s),
your roses and thorns (The Rose and the Thorn).
The cover art for this CD needs no explanation. You have the rose
and the music…relationships and God 's love expressed through music…classic…the
very stuff of life!
Final Thoughts: …. As always, each of the songs on The
Rose and the Thorn has its own story to tell, and some of them
are quite fascinating. Alas - they will have to wait for another day…another
visit…another time…oh well - perhaps I can spill a few of the beans.
Nightfire was a melody that came to me one night late, some 10 to
15 years ago… I was feeling tense and restless, got up and sat at the
piano to vent a little, and this was the melody given to my heart.
Before I quit playing that night, the complete song was burned in my
heart, and etched in my memory. I never wrote down a note or a chord. I
played it a few times at special events or performances, always from
memory. Even after recording it, there are no written notes, no written
chords. Nightfire is about the inner fire we all have, the
restlessness, that part of us that gets on edge…that part of us that
can't stop thinking sometimes, that can't stop feeling sometimes, that
need inborn we have to work important things out in our minds and hearts…
relationships…career…you know- serious things. The melody starts
slow and soft, as we lay down at night…where we first start the
soothing dreams of sleep…gradually, the burning fire invades our
thoughts and dreams, ever working our subconscious through the maze of
thoughts and problems, with increasing energy and urgency, until finally
we awake, in a night sweat, with…hurried breath…and sharp clarity of
mind…and workable solutions…with a path ahead…we call that our
inner voice.
