Matteo Giovanni Ciampa!

He was born at Newton-Wellesley Hospital on Friday, July 30 at 11:01 p.m. 9 lbs. 10 oz.! Baby, mother, and – for that matter – father are fine.

I'll never, no never, no never forsake

Friends,

My Victorian-style "Postlude on Foundation" is now live.

Click below to hear a live recording from the Methuen Memorial Music Hall:

http://www.leonardociampa.com/MMMH/Foundation.wav

Click below to purchase the sheet music:

http://www.musicamultimedia.net/cic/lang/it/composers/leonardo-ciampa/2010/07/leonardo-ciampa-postlude-on-foundation/

O Shenandoah, I long to hear you

"Shenandoah" celebrates its first birthday tomorrow! Hard to believe it was a year ago that I composed and premiered this arrangement in lovely Salem, Virginia. I could hardly have imagined that six months later, it would be performed, in masterful fashion, at the MORMON TABERNACLE! (Click below for auditory proof of this assertion.)

http://www.musicamultimedia.net/cic/lang/en/composers/leonardo-ciampa/2009/09/leonardo-ciampa-shenandoah/

Barbara Allen!

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.

From the website of Consortium Internationale Compositorum (CIC):

Ciampa follows his popular arrangement of “Shenandoah” with another folk song arrangement, this time of “Barbara Allen“. The tune was one of the most popular songs in 18th-century England.

“Barbara Allen” is also in several moderan American hymnals, with the sacred text, “Accept, O Lord, the gifts we bring“. Ciampa’s lush arrangement was a hit at its 6 June 2010 premiere at the Methuen Memorial Music Hall. Its warmth and wide dynamic range are sure to make it a favorite chestnut among organists in concert and church.

Dopo il popolare arrangiamento di “Shenandoah” ecco un altro arrangiamento di Leonardo Ciampa, questa volta di “Barbara Allen“. Si tratta di una delle più popolari canzoni dell’Inghilterra del XVIII secolo.

“Barbara Allen” si trova anche in alcuni innali americani, con il testo sacro “Accept, O Lord, the gifts we bring“. Il ricco arrangiamento di Ciampa è stato presentato il 6 giugno 2010 al Methuen Memorial Music Hall.

Buy the score

Audio clip recorded live, 6 June 2010 (private recording by Paul Raila) – HYMN FESTIVAL, Methuen Memorial Music Hall – Leonardo Ciampa, organist

My Remarkable Son

I have long been convinced that if Nino, age six, were someday to be a musician, he would seek to perform complete collections of pieces – the opera omnia of this composer or that.

He already owned the complete Wiggles videos; but, after all, way back then he was only five! The 14-volume collection of the Muppets’ greatest episodes is certainly more stimulating to this mature and curious mind!

Note, however, that seeing them all typed on a sheet of paper (courtesy of his step-mother) was not enough for him. Nor was he satisfied to mark the favorites of himself, his brother, father, mother, and step-mother. But it was important for him to note that Juliet Prowse was the very first episode (marked with a "1") and Roger Moore was the very last, which Nino knew was the 125th episode (though he didn't know how to write such a number, his attempt being "1025"!).

Your [Be]longings

Friends,

I'm sure you agree that there is an oversaturation of "inspirational words" on the Internet. Our Junk Mail folders are filled with them. This, however, is real and was sent to me last Saturday by my dear friend and colleague, Doris Marion:

On the Orange Line yesterday, some letters had been scratched off one of the signs. So it said, PLEASE DO YOUR PART AND BE SURE TO TAKE YOUR "LONGINGS" WITH YOU UPON YOUR DEPARTURE.

I've been trying to keep this in mind.