One of the recipients of these Sunday morning emails, a Canadian, kindly responded to my recent mid-week announcement that I hope to produce seven new CDs of my music with this wise and timely caution:

<< Here in Canada, CD players are no longer sold. You can buy one elsewhere, they are very rare. There are no more CD players in new cars even, so let me suggest something : why make cds when you can convert your music to mp3 on a USB key ? >>

When I say that I want to produce 7 new “CDs”, it’s shorthand for the equivalent of that amount of recorded works. A more accurate word might be “album” instead of CD, connoting that the music will be available in multiple formats. Some radio stations no longer accept CDs; they want aiffs. Then there the various music providers: Youtube, Spotify, etc.

I am going to record about 500 minutes of new music this year, the equivalent of seven full-length CDs, and then share them with you, the recipients of these messages. And I am going to send them to about 160 American classical music radio stations. You will hear them broadcast, too, I hope.

Times change. Technology, too. How thrilled I was when the first LP of my music was issued back in the 1980’s. But CDs soon supplanted LPs and now CDs are in their twilight.

Yet the sort of music you and I favor is “evergreen.” There is no “shelf time” for this music. It’s not like milk or cream. The music I wrote in the 1970’s is as fresh as this morning’s snowfall.

But getting it recorded and “out there” where people can hear is still a heavy lift. That’s why I’m grateful for any contributions you might send to assist me.

Right now you can watch and listen as I introduce, in person and on camera, my new composition “Reconciliations” for flute, oboe, viola and cello. It was premiered one week ago in our worship service at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian here in Cincinnati; it was filmed.

I love this combination of instruments and have just finished another piece for it titled “The Folk of Field & Glen.” (“Folk” refers to birds.)

Here are the movement titles, keys and durations:
“The Folk of Field & Glen” Suite for flute, oboe, viola and cello
I. Wood Thrush - in D major 4:37
II. Thoughtful Owl - in D minor - slow, sad 5:26
III. Zany Mockingbird - D major - scherzo 2:10
IV. Meadow Lark - slow fugue in C major 4:48
V. Exuberant Cardinal - finale in D major 4:26
Total duration: 21:27

Looks promising, don’t you think? Once I get the suite recorded, I’ll send out the movements in these emails, one at a time. And for free.

Rehearsal time for today’s offering was limited and the performance is a little rough around the edges -- a few wrong notes here and there -- but the joyful, tender spirit of the music is abundantly evident and that’s what counts!

Fifty years ago, after my first week on the job as a twenty-something classical radio broadcaster, I admitted to my new boss that my live segments on the air “weren’t very smooth.” She wisely said, “Smooth is over-rated. Warmth is what’s important.”

The musicians playing this music with such endearing warmth are: flutist Julie Morris, oboist Yo Shionoya, violist Rose Gowda and cellist Michael Ronstadt. To view a video of the worship service, copy and paste the link below, and then scroll to my brief introduction, which begins at 51:09.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvLOnTPG9H8

To see a PDF of the score for "Reconciliations," the earlier piece for this combination of instruments, click on the link above.

I'd love to know what you think about this music; reply if you're inclined. But please don't feel that you are expected to reply. I'm just glad to share my work in this way.

As always, feel free to forward this message to friends who might enjoy it.

Anyone can be on my little list of recipients for these mpFrees (as I call these musical emails). To sign up, people can email me at rick@sowash.com, sending just one word: "Yes." I'll know what it means.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Jan. 12, 2025

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A haven, a refuge from “the cares that infest the day,” a nourishing environment in the midst of chaos … this is what I try to offer in these Sunday morning thoughts offered in combination with my original musical compositions.

I want to write and send the sort of email messages I would like to receive: an assurance that, even as very bad things happen in the wider world, good things are happening in tiny communities.

One such “tiny community” was a recent gathering of four musician friends who rehearsed and recorded my new five-movement suite for flute, oboe, viola and cello titled, “The Folk of Field & Glen.”

The title begs the question: who are these “folk of field and glen” ?

Birds. But don’t worry. You will hear no tweets in the score, nor any chirps, cheeps or chitters. No twitters, warbles or peeps. No cuckoos, caws, quacks or hoots.

The music is not about birds. Rather it is about the adjectives we assign birds. The owl seems wise, the mockingbird crazy. Other birds strike us as serene or exuberant.

This is anthropomorphism, the attribution of human characteristics or behavior to a non-human entity. The impulse is not baseless. The staring owl really does seem wise or at least thoughtful. The mockingbird renders sounds that, to our ears, seem insane. Cardinals, judging from their calls, seem to be in a constant state of joyful uplift.

“The Folk of Field & Glen” will be featured on a CD of my music, now in production, titled “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” Be assured, when it becomes available later this year I will announce it in these Sunday morning emails.

A summary of the suite:

I. Gleeful Wood Thrush - in D major - joyful
II. Thoughtful Owl - in D minor - slow, pensive, mysterious
III. Zany Mockingbird - in D major - crazy scherzo
IV. Serene Meadow Lark - in C major - slow fugue
V. Exuberant Cardinal - in D major - rousing finale

Today and for the next four Sundays, I hope you will permit me to share the five movements of “The Folk of Field & Glen.”

Just now, you’re invited to listen to the first movement, “Gleeful Wood Thrush.”

Since the word “glee” means “great delight,” I strove to compose music that would bring delight to whoever hears it. Namely, you.

“Delight” isn’t always loud and fast-paced. What I am after here is quiet delight, which is to say, deep satisfaction, the certitude that, in spite of everything, fundamentally all is well. We feel that, I think, when we hear the call of a wood thrush. And perhaps when music like this is heard, too.

To hear “Gleeful Wood Thrush” played by flutist Betty Douglas, oboist Yo Shionoya, violist Rose Gowda and cellist Michael Ronstadt, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Jan. 18, 2026

https://www.sowash.com

P.S. To order my new CD “Ronstadt plays Sowash, Vol. 1,” and / or maybe some of my other CDs, go to this website:

https://kickshawrecords.com/product/rsp-15-ronstadt-plays-sowash-vol-1/

The sale of my CDs helps to fund the recording of the music you kindly permit me to share with you each week in these Sunday morning emails. Thank you!

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"Bringing owls to Athens" is a figure of speech; it means doing something pointless and redundant, like delivering tons of beach sand to a beach where there is already an abundance of sand or composing a new piece of classical music when there is already a super-abundance of the same.

A friend, who is a retired German professor, told me that the expression is regularly used by German-speaking people. It is their equivalent of the English expression "carrying coals to Newcastle."

I’ve never heard anyone say “bringing owls to Athens” but I like it. It’s funny. Just as Newcastle already had plenty of coal, so ancient Athens had plenty of owls, both literally and figuratively. Because owls roosted in the rafters of the Parthenon they became sacred to Athena, the patron goddess of the city. Owls were featured on Athens’ silver coins.

I like to think, too, that ancient Athens had a super-abundance of balding, bearded, “owlish” philosophers, who gathered daily in public places to argue, debate, opine, pontificate, hold forth and gab. “… to confer, converse and generally hob knob,“ as the Wizard of Oz puts it.

Athens had Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, yes, to say nothing of Thales, Diogenes, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Epicurus and many more.

The last thing Athens needed was more “owls.”

I like the philosopher Thales in particular because he proved that philosophers, for all their airy braininess, could achieve success in business if they so chose. He cornered the market on olive presses, leasing them cheaply in the off season. Then, during the harvest season, when demand was strong, he subleased them at high prices. Wealth, he thus established, lies within the easy grasp of philosophers; it’s just that they choose to seek wisdom instead of riches.

That’s one smart owl! My kinda guy!

Composers, too, can be successful in business if they so choose. One reason I can afford to give away my music is that I do not depend upon the sale of my music to meet my living expenses. My success as a self-publishing author enabled that.

(Mind you, I still scramble for $$ to pay for the recordings of my music showcased in these emails and featured on the CDs I produce. “All contributions gratefully accepted!” See the P.S. at the bottom of this message.)

“Thoughtful Owl” is the title of a piece of music I would like to share with you today.... I don’t know if owls are particularly thoughtful but this music seems thoughtful to me. See what you think.

To hear “Thoughtful Owl” played by flutist Betty Douglas, oboist Yo Shionoya, violist Rose Gowda and cellist Michael Ronstadt, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Jan. 25, 2026

www.sowash.com

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When was the last time you behaved in a way that could be described as “zany”?

Can’t remember? Me neither.

We are a lot of things, you and me, but we are almost never zany. We lack the courage.

One reason we love zany characters -- such as the Marx brothers -- is that they display the courage we lack. They do not acknowledge the unwritten rules that define decorum, to which we adhere. They are free from the constraints of courtesy.

Are you or I even capable of zaniness? Ever?

Here is a little quiz by which you can gauge your capacity for zaniness.

Imagine yourself on an elevator with several strangers. How many of these zany possibilities do you think you could really do?

1. As the elevator ascends or descends, gently sway your hips, hulu-style, with the elevator’s natural frequency.
2. Crack open your briefcase or purse and, peering inside, ask in a stage whisper: "Are you gettin’ enough air in there?"
3. Stand, facing the wall, silent and motionless, without getting off.
4. Do Tai Chi exercises.
5. Stare, grinning, at another passenger for a while, and then loudly announce: "I'm wearing new socks!"
6. Stare at another passenger with a suspicious look and say: "You're one of THEM!" … then move to the far corner of the elevator.
7. As each new passenger steps aboard, ask if you may push the button for them.
8. Sing out "Ding!" at each floor.
9. Draw a little square on the floor with chalk, position yourself inside it, then inform the other passengers that this is your "personal space."
10. Every time anyone presses a button, make explosion noises.
11. Stare at your thumb for a while, then say, "I think it's getting larger."
12. Recite: “Sometimes riding an elevator can be an uplifting experience. Other times it can let you down. One thing is sure: it takes you to a whole new level.”

Your score? One? It was #12, right? Me, too. I have actually done #12 on occasion and I am guessing you, too, might be just capable of it.

What if someone else on the elevator did any of these things? Would you laugh? I would. In fact, I’d love it because elevator rides are so boring. We ride in a stiff and almost intolerable silence. I hate it. This time, though, I’d exit the elevator with a story to tell my wife -- about the funny thing that happened on the elevator!

Only a truly zany person could do the first eleven. Groucho or Chico. Harpo, too, though only the gags that don’t require speech.

Uh oh. Excuse me. By writing and sending this, am I being zany? Did the above verbiage amuse you even just a little? If so, then the value of zaniness has been affirmed. Zaniness provides a brief refuge from “the cares that infest the day,” warm smiles in a dark world, a moment of light and light-heartedness in a dark time.

“Zany Mockingbird” is the title of the piece of music I would like to share with you today. It’s the third movement of my new five-movement suite titled “The Folk of Field & Glen” which will be featured on a CD of my music, now in production.

The titles (listed above) are charming but, I admit, a little misleading. The music is not about birds. Rather it is about us, specifically our habit of assigning adjectives to birds, describing human emotions. The call of the mockingbird seems “zany” to us, for example, and thus, the third movement.

I don’t know if mockingbirds are truly zany. Still, if you heard one that’s really “going to town,” I think it would give you pause. The Marx brothers have nothing on a full-throated mockingbird.

In any case, this music seems zany to me. See what you think. And remember that almost no one has yet heard this new music.

To hear “Zany Mockingbird” played by flutist Betty Douglas, oboist Yo Shionoya, violist Rose Gowda and cellist Michael Ronstadt, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Feb. 1, 2026

www.sowash.com

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To hear the call of a meadowlark go to this website:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Western_Meadowlark/sounds

The call is amazing but it is also amazing that you or I can so easily access -- “on line,” as we say -- something so rare, delicate and beautiful. A miracle, I’d call it.

In this tiny film, the bird seems calm and happy. Maybe even serene. Who is to say?

I cannot speak with any authority about a bird’s emotional state. I can speak for myself though. I may not know how the meadowlark is feeling but I know how I feel when I watch and listen to this video … and how I’ve felt, many times, hearing distant birds when I’m at work in our gardens or walking the dog in the woods and fields near our house in the semi-countryside just east of Cincinnati.

Serene. That is how I feel at such moments.

When I hear the call of a bird, the feelings engendered by the news of the day fall away and what remains is a serene sense that “underneath are the everlasting arms,” that fundamentally all is as it should be. Things unfold which are vastly larger than current events.

Thoreau wrote, “The poem of Creation is uninterrupted.”

Serenity is lovely. There isn’t much else to say about it. That’s the way it is with “things that are good to have and days that are good to spend.” That’s what J.R.R. Tolkien wrote in “The Hobbit” ...

“Now it is a strange thing, but things that are good to have and days that are good to spend are soon told about, and not much to listen to; while things that are uncomfortable, palpitating, and even gruesome, may make a good tale, and take a deal of telling anyway.”

“Serene Meadowlark” is the title of the piece of music I would like to share with you today. It’s the fourth movement of my new five-movement suite titled “The Folk of Field & Glen” which will be featured on a CD of my music, now in production. We’ll hear the final movement next week.

The music, as you may guess from the titles above, is not about the emotions of birds. Rather it is about us, about our habit of assigning adjectives to birds, describing the emotions we feel when we encounter them.

How to evoke serenity, then, musically? With a tuneful fragment in C major that is allowed to develop unhurriedly into a four-part fugue, as if the world was free of care and as serene as that meadowlark seems to us.

To hear “Serene Meadowlark” played by flutist Betty Douglas, oboist Yo Shionoya, violist Rose Gowda and cellist Michael Ronstadt, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Feb. 8, 2026

www.sowash.com

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In the messages I’ve sent on the past four Sundays, I have shared the first four movements of my suite, “The Folk of Field & Glen.”

Let’s take a backward glance. Here is a summary of the entire piece:

I. Gleeful Wood Thrush - in D major - joyful
II. Thoughtful Owl - in D minor - slow, pensive, mysterious
III. Zany Mockingbird - in D major - crazy scherzo
IV. Serene Meadow Lark - in C major - slow fugue
V. Exuberant Cardinal - in D major - rousing finale

As you see, the fifth and final movement is titled “Exuberant Cardinal.”

When I hear a cardinal singing, there is exuberance. But whose is it? Mine or the cardinal’s? I can’t speak for the cardinal but the call certainly sounds exuberant.

The color of the cardinal is also exuberant, though perhaps flamboyant is a better word for that intense shade of red. It is especially vivid against the bare, black tree branches and the white of the snow. We do see cardinals in such settings here in the semi-countryside east of Cincinnati -- red against a background of black and white -- because the cardinal, bless his heart, does not abandon us by flying south for the winter. The cardinal sticks by us, sees us through the cold months and waits alongside us until Spring finally arrives.

I think the music I’ve composed for the exuberant cardinal is, yes, exuberant and, by a stretch, at least a little reminiscent of bird calls. The quick tempo, the jagged leaps of the melodies, the trills, all are -- to my ear -- reminiscent of bird calls. That’s only movement in this suite of which that can be said.

However effective it is in evoking the cardinal, the movement, “Exuberant Cardinal,” makes a snappy, joyful finale for this suite, as you will, I hope, shortly discover.

The entire suite will be featured on a new CD of my music to be issued later this year, titled “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.” When it becomes available, I will announce it, you may be sure! Recordings such as the one you are about to hear require an expenditure of $$$, but the sale of my CDs and books helps to offset the cost. I’m not shy about touting them.

Meanwhile, you can hear my music for free right now.

To hear “Exuberant Cardinal” played by flutist Betty Douglas, oboist Yo Shionoya, violist Rose Gowda and cellist Michael Ronstadt, click on the link above. There's also a link to a PDF of the score.

Rick Sowash
Cincinnati, OH
Feb. 15, 2026
www.sowash.com

P.S. To order my new CD “Ronstadt plays Sowash, Vol. 1,” and / or maybe some of my other CDs, go to this website:

https://kickshawrecords.com/product/rsp-15-ronstadt-plays-sowash-vol-1/

The sale of my CDs helps to fund the recording of the music you kindly permit me to share with you each week in these Sunday morning emails. Thank you!