Yesterday we went for lunch on the platform of our local station. They have turned the main building into a restaurant and serve very passable meals. Unfortunately although the sun was shining there was a strong wind and keeping the tablecloth etc in place poved interesting. It brought to mind the effect the wind can […]
Clouds
What do you see when you cast a glance skyward? The answer may depend on whether you lean creative (e.g., poets, artists) need to make accurate predictions (e.g., meteorologists and astronomers) rely on the skies for your livelihood (e.g., pilots and farmers) and/or how preoccupied you are by your internal thoughts (e.g., lovers, daydreamers, and […]
Mist and Fog
It was slightly misty this morning as it so often is at this time of year, so I thought that our selection of music for today should be about mist and it’d bigger denser brother fog. “To Autumn” is a poem by English poet John Keats (1795 – 1821). The work was composed in September […]
The Weather
As we move into Autumn our thoughts turn immediately to the changes in the weather from the sunny days of summer to the season of mists and mellow fruitfulness. The nights begin to draw in and the rain become more frequent. So today I have decided to investigate what the songwriters make of the weather. […]
Missa Solemnis
The Missa solemnis in D Major, Opus 123, is a Solemn Mass composed by Ludwig van Beethoven from 1819 to 1823. It was first performed in April 1824 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, under the auspices of Beethoven’s patron Prince Nikolai Galitzin; an incomplete performance was given in Vienna in May 1824, when the Kyrie, Credo, […]
Transport Miscellany
Finally, we round off our journey of transportation delight with a collection of honourable mentions for those means of motion for which there are only the occasional reference such as balloons, the Underground etc. “Up, Up and Away” is a 1967 song written by Jimmy Webb and recorded by US soul-pop act the 5th Dimension, […]
Riding
So far all the modes of transport have been human or mechanical, but it would be remiss of me to exclude one of the oldest means that people have empolyed to move from place to another that of animal locomotion. Some animals are used due to sheer physical strength in tasks such as ploughing or […]
Space Travel
Today we undertake our second visit to space and those who travel amongst the stars. We begin with the closing theme tune to one of the seminal TV programmes of my childhood – Fireball XL5. Don Spencer released his first single, “Fireball”, on the HMV label – it was the closing theme song for the […]
Space Flight
Space Flight is the use of space technology to achieve the flight of spacecraft into and through outer space. Spaceflight is used in space exploration, and also in commercial activities like space tourism and satellite telecommunications. Additional non-commercial uses of spaceflight include space observatories, reconnaissance satellites and other Earth observation satellites. A spaceflight typically begins […]
Aeroplanes and Flying
A second trawl amongst the ragbag of songs about aeroplanes and we begin with a surprising entry from 1934. “On the Good Ship Lollipop” was the signature song of child actress Shirley Temple sang it in the film of 1934, Bright Eyes. The song was composed by Richard A. Whiting and the lyrics were supplied […]