Creating a handfull of quietness

Originally published June 6, 2008

Way back when I was getting ready to record my first CD, a handfull of quietness, I had nearly an hour of music planned and practiced, and a memorable title for the CD. There was no title song, however. I wasn’t really planning a title song, to tell the truth. “A handfull of quietness” was the album title, I wasn’t concerned about having a title song.

Phyllis disagreed. (Phyllis who tells me what to do, & I think I do it, too; & she doesn’t!) She felt the CD wasn’t ready until I had a piano piece called A Handfull of Quietness.

Ten days before I was going into the studio to record, a mere week before I was going to perform all the music preparatory to recording, I played through all the music and for the first time ever, at the end I felt that the CD was incomplete. Hmmm ... not really what I want to feel seven days before a performance and ten days before recording.

I sat. I listened. I started playing piano. I played A Handfull of Quietness. And that was it. Sweet, beautifully voiced, simple, and satisfying. It came through clear as a bell on the first playing, and I played it several more times to make sure I'd remember.

And just like that, the CD was complete.

(Yes, I would love if it were that easy every time. But I also love the ones I really work for. Every child is unique!)