"Echoes" - Pink Floyd. An Epic, transcending piece of art

Very often do people get an urge to indulge themselves in things that provide you a surrealistic experience, though most fail to attain it.

Music is one of the ways.

But mind you, it works only for those having a dedication for achieving that moment, and the will power to go against all odds to reach that stage are the ones who reach that that zenith of musical intensity, where emotions immerse with music in a way that sugar does in water.

Today, I take you to a journey for those, seeking calm of mind, and having the virtue of patience.

"Echoes" - Pink Floyd

Post the departure of their influential and talented gem, Syd Barrett, there was an era when Pink Floyd sought newer influences, and visited various places worldwide for this reason. The video of  "Echoes" has its roots in the volcano-devastated town of Pompeii in Southern Italy, where human emotions froze for eternity when they lay dying under the unfortunate volcano eruption in 79 AD. This 20+ minute song was the treasure of their 1971 album, "Meddle".

The sounds variations include the crying of albatrosses to the deep, pain-filled echoes of valleys, and the long stretched instrumental solos.

Album cover of "Meddle" by Pink Floyd, 1971

 Virtuosity came out at its best, as  all four of them got to display their talent. While Waters' guitar solo takes us deep into the depth of his genius, Wright amazed us with his keyboard techniques, and was responsible for the musical arrangement. Gilmour used a voice pitch that best suited the soothing eerie of calm that was supposed to be generated by this song, along with his sound experimentations.  For me, Mason was the best, as he drummed as if his life was dependent on this song.

Though Pink Floyd's lyrical genius is already known to all, Echoes stands out, as it has depth and emotions in its lyrics, and takes us from one phase to another, from the sea to the high lands, from the present to the childhood memories, and what not. It may be lengthy to listen, and one should go for it only if he has undisturbed 25 minutes to indulge to.

I had an experience of a lifetime, when i meditated in the serene Kanheri caves, 2500 years old ,in Mumbai, India, listening to Echoes. I had shut my eyes and got lost in a sea of emotions that came to me while listening to this heavenly track. And I felt I left behind all my problems. This is the magic of musical meditation!

Do try hearing these "Echoes", its pure eargasm for the seekers!

Antonio Vivaldi - Four Seasons ( A music connoisseur's delight!)

Music has the tendency to fluctuate our emotions and passions, and provide us solace in times of need and boredom.

In this respect, music is said to provide us with the highest level of pleasure, a rarest form of divinity, that one cannot found in the materialistic pleasures of manly creations.

If you seek love, lust, passion, desire, hope, and what not, just turn into the right form of music!

Classical music is said to be the zenith of human creativity, with variations from “Pizzicato” (plucking the strings) to the use of “Basso continuo”, to differentiating between a “Sonata”(to play music) and a “Cantata”(to sing).

Here, I introduce you to one of the best musical works ever by a human being, the sounds of nature being incomparable.

An old classic, yet still refreshing and breathtaking.

 42 minutes of music that takes you into a journey of happiness and wonder.

“Four Seasons” ~by Antonio Vivaldi

Yes, it is a set of four violin concertos, one for each of the seasons, Spring, Summer, Autumn and Winter.  He is supposed to have composed it way back in 1723 for his patron, Count Morzin. It remains amongst the world's most recognized pieces of Baroque music, and also amongst the most popular.

In each of the four seasons, he divides it into three distinct movements. To understand the variations and the literal theme work presented in this epic piece of music, you have to go through the The Four Seasons Sonnets ,  wherein  we find the literary interpretations and the sheer brilliance of Vivaldi’s thinking. It’s all about human beings, and their relation with the seasons.

First comes the springtime with the sheer sense of optimism and life unparellelled, for there is hope of a good time ahead, and the celebration of nature.

Next comes the summertime, which turns out to be a phase of struggles and fear, but which can be overcome by human grit &  determination.

Then comes Autumn, which spreads its tentacles of celebration around everything, and takes everyone a bit farther from the reality of life. It also signifies the human intervention in nature, and can be lauded by the environmentalists as a brilliant depiction of human nature.

Struggle makes a return in Winter, as the cold weather descends upon us to test our resilience and the will to survive. Despite all the pains, we humans adapt and survive the harsh weather and strive to remain optimistic about the bright spring that will come up next.

This is the genius of Vivaldi. Just lay down, close your eyes and indulge into pure eargasm, and take a heavenly flight of your soul to the 18th century Italy.

Happy Eargasm!

IT ALL STARTED WITH A BIG BANG.

looks trippy, eh?

"POP!", came the universe into existence as some random chemical shit took place, and it happened.

What followed for the following X no. of years ultimately led to the Solar system, with a Blue-Green planet with an environment suitable for supporting life due to some more chemistry(aargh!).

And one particular genus, the homo, continually evolved, as proposed by Uncle Darwin, and became the masters of the planet, literally.

trolled by technology!

Still, we humans are not the same, and have different tastes, preferences, and artistic deviations. 

This blog is an attempt by me to dive into one of the artistic deviations.

Music.

Music consists of silence and sounds at the same time, and it is the composed variations that creates the new stuff. The variations can be rhythmic, pitched, or whatever. 

It is difficult to trace its origins, as along with the evolution of human mind, came the understanding and appreciation of sound. What may have been music for the first conscious human mind, the clapping of hands, is still there. 

Different cultures and civilizations came and went, but Music stayed on, forever, and will be there till humanity exists! 

So let me take you into a world of music, where your ears might find an ecstatic pinnacle, and attempt to present you with moments of Joy, of Optimism and of mental satisfactions.

For me, Music is a source of Nirvana, a gateway to get out of this weird, self-obsessed world and connect with my emotions as well as my expressions.

And lyrics are the pathway that make us ponder upon, and chalk out the things to do.

Eargasm is the best thing that can happen to you, and is an art, which only the determined and the free willed can master.

            

                      "Indulge, Involve, Evolve."

I look forward to be a guide, a mentor, and most of all, a friend in this journey together.

Hasta La Vista, keep enjoying music!