Christopher Stewart's Blog (83)

("Climbing Plant" by Popperipopp)

“Creeper” is directly inspired by the following aphorism from The Dhammapada :…

("Dai Bosatsu Zendo Kongo-Ji Meditation Hall" by Michael Dougan)

"The Door Of The Law" is a suite in six parts inspired by "A Parable About A Parable" from RAWilson's "…

"Reinfused" is basically a rehash of the material presented in "Lifeforce," but with an emphasis on shifting time, forward movement, and dynamism, to suggest the removal of obstacles from the path of a process which is then finally allowed to follow its course toward completion.

The piece is an instrumental. Here is the…

("Guardian Angel," sculpture by Josep Llimona, photography by P. B. Obregón)

Do you remember when

Things would…

("Aurora Borealis" by Frederic Edwin Church)

I am a child

Of the Sky and the Stars

Loving and sweet as Venus

And fierce as Mars



I'm lucky as Jupiter…

("Masculine Wave" by Katsushika Hokusai)

"Ocean" is the concluding part of "The Dam" and symbolizes the dream, the goal, the calling.

The ocean is calling.…

(Tobyo from the Bakemono-Dukushi - Unknown Artist)

"Uncoiling I" was originally written in September 2002, elaborating on drafts dating back to September 2000, and a first version was published in 2004.

The title of this miniature fugue for quartet comes from Kundalini energy, one…

"Introspection II" is the fifth section, and second with vocals, of "The Chrome Lake." And as is the case for its almost-but-not-identical twin "Introspection I," the subject matter is pretty much self-explanatory.

Verse

I see you feel restrained, mechanized, dehumanized

I see you feel estranged, incomplete, dissatisfied

Anything for a refuge, an island for your…

(Erie Steam Road Roller scanned by Andy Dingley from the "New Catechism of the Steam Engine.")

“Steamroller” is probably the most busy piece of poligrafic music that I’ve…

("Between the waves" by Ivan Aivazovsky)

The seventh chapter of "The Dam" is entitled "Flow" and presents our protagonist/narrator having passed the test, overcome the obstacle, levelled the dam, and moving…

(Pocket Stereoscope by Joaquim Alves Gaspar )

“Stereoscopy” is the definitive title of a song which I used to refer to as “Point Of View.” I changed my mind about the title while writing and singing the melodies, thinking that the word doesn’t get the chance to be employed very…

(Daniel-Johnson's Manic 5 dam in Quebec, Canada - photo by Pierre cb)

Part 4 of The Dam is entitled simply “Dam.” In the storyline, this is when the obstacle is recognized and the necessity of dealing with it is…

(Detail from "American quilt" )

When I complete a composition there are often unused ideas left. Some of those I find actually pretty good but if I can’t see how to fit them into the piece then there’s not much choice but to discard them. For a while.



I rarely…

(Detail from a Postcard, Unknown Artist)

“Leaving The Ashram” is the third chapter of "Entering The Stream," a trilogy describing an episode of intense introspection that will most likely open our second album.



An instrumental suite in four movements (Meditative Walk, Running The Last Stretch, The Tabla Master’s Enigma, and The Ordinary II), it…

(Polygraph from U.S. Patent 4,333,084)

The first part of "Polygraph" is entitled “Exposition” and aims to evoke a somewhat peaceful and relaxed dialogue, before the relationship slowly degrades to the point of sourness as personal values and beliefs are questioned and subjected to criticism.…

(Dante and Beatrice gaze upon the highest Heaven by Gustave Doré)

"Waking In Heaven" is a relatively short composition that starts with a minimalist…

("Deliberation" by Ronn Boef)

"Polygraph" is a portrait of human relations turning from sweet to sour, hinting at the necessity and difficulty of constant genuineness. The suite lasts about 10 minutes and is composed of the following four sections : Exposition, Confrontation,…

(“Quarryman” by Gustave Courbet)

"Stonecutter" is intended as an anthem to perseverance and is based on the following quote by Jacob August Riis…

(Ashram by Nicholas Roerich)

An instrumental in 4 movements (The Ordinary, Running Out Of Breath, Dweller On The Threshold, Jambudvipa), the composition aims to evoke the progress of an individual getting fed up with their day to day life to the point of taking an extended time off for…

(The Wheel of Becoming - Symbolic Representation of Saṃsāra in Tibetan Buddhism)