Music in nature

Music in nature

Anyone who truly listens to the sounds of waves as they rush to the shore, the rustling of leaves as tree branches bow and scrape in salutation to the visiting breeze like waltzing courtiers, or the chorus of birdsong at dawn as they celebrate the birth of another day, would instantly recognise that nature had composed the earth’s first ever symphony, and that its magical music is masterfully played at every minute of every day, on a spectacular stage that covers every inch of this planet.

Through the millennia, man has listened to the sounds of nature, sang with her tunes, danced to her rhythms and was inspired by her passion, and perhaps the best portrayal of man’s interpretation of nature’s music can be found in Antonio Vivaldi’s timeless “Le Quattro Staggioni” (The Four Seasons) set of violin concertos composed in 1723. In this superbly written and arranged suite, Vivaldi captures the character and essence of every individual season, in a distinct musical representation that can ingeniously transport the listener from wherever and whenever, into the hearts and souls of the four seasons of the year.
The perfect way to explore this sensory transportation is to listen to each of these masterpieces, whilst closing your eyes and picturing images of each season as you listen to one of the best ever interpretation of nature’s music through instrumentation.
Spring: Heralding the time of new birth and renewal, the melt of the snows of winter rushing over rocks and stones down mountain streams, images of the budding of leaves and blooms, the songs of birds celebrating spring with serenades to would-be mates, the sounds of spring showers, the vibrato of a bracing breeze, and the uplifting feeling of optimism in the air.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-dYNttdgl0&feature=related
Summer: The joyful sounds of young and old relishing the warmth of the sun, children frolicking on playgrounds, and on beaches where the surf breaks onto the shore playing a  welcoming fanfare to its guests, the sounds of birds busily gathering food for their new hatchlings, the buzzing of insects and bees, the fluttering of butterflies, the lazy flow of streams and rivers, the boastful songs of dolphins as they come closer in-shore to show kinship to their land cousins, and the ebullient chorus of calls from thousands of animal and insect species, gorging on the bounty of their forests and plains.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8BsBbtp4gW4&feature=related
Autumn: This is a time of year when Mother Nature literally changes its tune, a time when she reminds her wayward children to beware. The rising autumnal winds which strip trees bare from their dying leaves rise-up in force and volume, as nature flexes its muscles in blunt reminders of its awesome power, when the gentle adagio of spring and exuberant arpeggio of summer, turn into deafening crescendos in autumn. Anyone who hears the sounds of thunder-storms, hurricanes, tornadoes and the crashing of giant waves upon shores, is left in no doubt as to who conducts the symphony of life.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QOSg7LFgt6Y&feature=related
Winter: The music of winter depicts a time of hushed serenity and peaceful reflection, a time of hibernation and seeking shelter from harsh elements, and a time when ambient sounds are muted into secretive whispers by the falling snow. The soothing musical interludes of winter are often interspersed with sudden flourishes of cadenza as winter winds whistle and whine through leafless trees.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uC-USAB530A&feature=related
Nature is an emotional composer and its moods are reflected in its music. One can relate to the sound of contentment in the gentle breeze, joy in the trickle of a mountain stream, ecstasy in the chirruping of birds, alarm in the calls of animals, threat in high winds, melancholia in the songs of whales, and terrifying fury in the cacophonous sounds of thunder, tornados, hurricanes, volcanoes and earthquakes.
Mother Nature’s music transcends all boundaries. It plays the same tunes to its human offspring regardless of colour or creed, age or gender, sighted or blind; it is egalitarian and has no parameters; it pays no homage to rules and begets the same response from all. Like smiles, laughter, groans of pain and cries of sorrow, nature’s music is a universal language which can raise the spirit, sadden the soul, or instil fear in the heart of the listener.
Inspired by nature’s music, early man’s bids at making tools were in part to emulate nature and produce his own musical or rhythmic sounds; hollowed-out tree-trunks made drums and so did animal skins, stretched intestines made tuneful sounds and holed lengths of bamboo and reeds made flutes. As man moved-on so did his instruments and music, and as in nature itself, man’s music became a magical mirror for mood reflection.
Yes… Mother Nature is indeed the composer of the music of life. She is the matriarch whose sounds can elevate or depress, energise, or suppress all of her children in equal measures, and once the human family joins its mother’s orchestral perfection, and humans begin to view one another with the same equality, a truly harmonious brotherhood of man may then emerge.

Mike’s biography
Mike Al-Amiry was born in Baghdad-Iraq in 1946; for his further education he moved to England in 1964, where he then took a forward leap out of The Manchester Business School in 1968 and started his own business, and after spending several years in the fashion business he moved into the leisure industry. He spent the following 30 years as a Restaurateur and owner of bars and nightclubs. According to Mike, he attained his unique perspective of life by looking at it through the bottom of a glass; “distortion can often offer a clearer image of what is already distorted” he would always claim.
Sometime before reaching retirement age, Mike followed his passion for the English language and he first took a sideways step into factual writing, but upon constant encouragement from his partner of many years Rachael, who is much younger, prettier and (sometimes) wiser, he went fully into writing fiction. Mike has since then authored 5 fiction novels, the first to be published (3 Days to Lazarus. ISBN: 9781908775313) will be on general release in Jan/Feb 2012, it is an action-packed speculative political thriller, set in an Orwellian world that could have been, and may yet come to be.

mike_alamiry@hotmail.com