She comes from the sea The Great wave With pure sight On a Ray of Light The Great wave
Life and Love
As is often the case with a song, Life and Love began with the simple
melody of the chorus, a melancholic expression acknowledging the passing
of a friend at that time. The rest emerged from there, revealing a
contrasting journey of Life's ever-present movements with the heart's
longing to Love and be Loved; a many-layered texture of passionate
union, letting go and calling forth the beloved in human form and
beyond. After Marshall wrote the music, Melanie surprised him with
her evocative spoken-word passion which became the basis for the rest
of the lyrics. “Having received this beautiful guitar melody
that galloped through the mountains and meadows of my mind and heart
as I listened, I sat by candlelight, and what emerged in lyrical story
was the clear perception of that which we long most for, albeit in
different forms in our minds, there on a distant hillcrest, beckoning
me forward, touching the humanity and this life once again. This conversation
of beckoning flows throughout the song in spoken word and verse, gently
converging with the echoing chorus.”
Malshree
This is a beautiful melody from Nepal, an invocation to Durga that
is traditionally sung and played at festival time. Marshall learned
this when he met Manose and Homnath in 1998, from their album Tarang.
The brillance of their playing on this track brings a deeply traditional
musical presence to our contemporary version with guitar and hammered
dulcimer. Manose's alap (opening improvisation) itself is beyond words.
Wazadi (The Dance of the Queen)
Sometimes just lyrics and melody initially come through Melanie that
convey a particular sentiment and movement, in this case the story
of the queen, Wazadi, dancing for her king in the court. Theirs is
a passionate and sensual devotion, nothing provincial or stoic. Wazadi
dances her seduction in the court, then sings her intimate longing
into the deepening night. With lyric and melody in hand, Marshall
composed the guitar accompaniment to illuminate the candlelit dance
of the royal courtyard.
Drinara d'Andayo
Inspired by Eastern European folk music, Melanie wrote the music for
Drinara d’Andayo well before the lyrics. “I really liked
the melody and had been playing it for over a year while awaiting
the lyrical muse. These lyrics tell the story of a Teacher who emerges,
eternally, from the sea to teach us about who we are. As in much folk
music, they convey simple ideas in simple ways:
She comes to us
She blesses us
Teacher from the Sea
She touches us with her wisdom
On a Ray of Light
She comes dancing
Brings her to us
She sees what’s True
She knows where we’ve come from
And Why We’re Here
She comes dancing
Brings her to us
The multiple vocals are inspired by the European folk style of singing,
with the image of the village coming together to create music that
conveys the myths and stories of their culture. The Bulgarians often
sung of mythological legends and human experiences, wonder tales of
nature spirits, warrior women and beguiling characters who were powerful
and heroic. “I like the combination of the humanity and the
archetypal metaphor that myths present, a creative and sometimes exotic
way of relating to our psyche, maybe bypassing our mental constructs
that might otherwise keep the message out. These mythological stories
touch me at a level of feeling, stirring my emotion rather than my
thought.”
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