Peter Kearney Songs | Musician/band
Peter Kearney Songs
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25.01.2022 SUBSCRIBE? The best way to hear my Song-Posts (which don't always appear on Facebook) is by subscribing. Fill in the simple form on the home-page of my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home Go well Peter
25.01.2022 START FROM WHERE YOU ARE : Song-Post #40. This song was originally commissioned by the Sydney Catholic Communications Centre during the International Year of Peace. It was intended for television broadcast. So I wrote the song as if I was addressing someone slumped in front of 'the box' after watching the evening news - mostly bad. Unfortunately, the broadcast of the song didn't happen - I forget why, perhaps for budgetary reasons. But anyway, here is the song (please share):... https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//40-start-from-where-you It was originally included on my album 'The Year of God's Favour?'. Resources relating to Start from Where You Are track download, cds, pdf music etc are all available in my website via the Song of the Week page: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/start-from-where-you-are-s THE DEATHS GO ON (another song from The Year of God’s Favour? album) has renewed relevance in this time when ‘Black Lives Matter’ protests are widespread since the killing of George Floyd in the USA. We are reminded that here in Australia, since the 1987 Royal Commission into Black Deaths in Custody, over 430 Indigenous people have died in custody, and that their prison incarceration rates are scandalously high. The song I refer to is The Deaths Go On, which has previously featured in Song-Posts. With my permission, most the lyrics from ‘The Deaths Go On’ have been set to different music by West Australian, Kerry Fletcher. Her strong version has had many performances by her acapella group 'Hammer & Tongues' and another group called 'Pan Arkestra. Listen here: https://www.philipgriffin.com/tdgo. On the same page you will also find my original version. Free audio downloads of all three versions are currently available via the link just provided. SEE ALL SONG-POSTS SO FAR : https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/
24.01.2022 JOSEPH - Song-Post #29. March 19th was the feast of St. Joseph after whom many schools, churches and religious orders have been named. It seems there are not many songs about him. Here is my contribution: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/29-joseph Click on this link and on the page that opens, you can play the song by clicking on the black arrow. You will also find full lyrics for the song. Joseph lived in troubled times, dangerous times. In writing this song, I aske...d myself what traits of character were needed for Joseph to get through those times. I thought of his journey with Mary from Nazareth to Bethlehem, where no room was available, so a stable was found and Mary's baby was born there. I thought of their long journey into Egypt as a family of refugees, fleeing the persecution of King Herod, and of what it was like to live in Nazareth, under the ruthless military occupation of the Romans. Troubled times, dangerous times. This version of the song - plain and simple with voice and guitar only - was recorded March 2020 in the Little Portion Studio and published for the first time through Song-Posts. An earlier more arranged version of the song is included on my 'Celebration+' CD. Music for the song is in the 'Celebration+' CD-Rom. See more information on these resources below. CELEBRATION+ CD - Contains the song 'Joseph' and fifteen other tracks.The link to this item in my online store is: aradium.com/1wg7n CELEBRATION+ CD-ROM - Contains music, chords lyrics etc) for the song 'Joseph' and fifteen other songs. The link to this item in my online store is: aradium.com/83zj8 The custom CD-Rom replaces the original music book, now out of print. SEE HEAR SONG-POSTS 1-28: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/ You can play a song up to three times for free ... After that you might want to purchase a download.
24.01.2022 MOTHER MARY: Song-Post #47 can be heard here: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/47-mother-mary. On this recording, I am singing with Felicity Parkhill. Felicity's mother Claire adds harmony. It seems that the past week in the Church’s calendar has been a festival of the feminine, with the feasts of Mary MacKillop, Clare of Assisi and Mary, Mother of Jesus occurring within one week. I have read that the feast of the Assumption, August 15, is the oldest of all the festiv...als of Mary. My song for the week, portrays Mary more in her ordinary humanity, as she goes through various experiences - the annunciation, the stable room birth, becoming refugees in Egypt with Joseph and her young child, watching her son grow up and go away into his public life, then witnessing his execution on Calvary. A key thought in the song is that the great heart, the compassionate heart of Jesus, was formed by Mary and Joseph. Perhaps you can share this post. Mother Mary is one of twenty-one songs on my 'Growing in God' CD - available here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356142 A small new batch of this CD has recently been duplicated. Also available is the ‘Growing in God’ music book, available here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/553815 . Here is a link to catch up with previous song-posts: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/ Thanks for listening. Have a good week. Peter Kearney
20.01.2022 CLARE'S SONG / POST #46: On August 11 it will be the feast of St. Clare of Assisi. The name Clare is of Italian origin - ‘Chiara’, meaning ‘light, clear’. For St. Francis of Assisi, Clare was a clear light indeed. Here is the link for CLARE'S SONG in Bandcamp.: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/46-clares-song OR watch a video of the song on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch... The video quality isn't great but the sound is good It is Claire Parkhill singing ‘Clare’s Song’ - a version that was recorded at one of the premiere season concerts in Clubbe Hall, Mittagong. You will also hear two narrators providing context for the song. BACKGROUND: When I was a young man, after reading a book about St. Francis, I wrote a new song that pleased me. Then gradually, over many years, I wrote other songs about Francis’ life. With this big work, I often found I needed more life-experience before I could write or complete a song that needed to be written . This was especially so with ‘Clare’s Song’, in which Clare advises Francis, and sings of her relationship with him. In fact, Clare’s Song was the last song I wrote for this work. It did help that, in the meantime, I had married a wise and good woman, Madge O’Brien. Eventually, more than twenty years after I had written that first song, my musical-narrative was complete. It was then performed several times by community choirs and orchestras at venues in Mittagong, Sydney, Newcastle and Canberra. The whole work, which goes for about 100 minutes in two parts, is called ‘Good Morning Good People’. (and that is also the title of one song in the sequence). The whole musical-narrative, including ‘Clare’s Song’’ is available on my Double-CD publication 'Good Morning Good People (St. Francis of Assisi a Journey in Song)'. Here is its link in my online shop: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356141 Peter Kearney *** If you'd like to read/download my 'Short History of a Long Project' (about ‘Good Morning Good People’), the text can be accessed from the homepage of my website https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home (in the PDF Files for Download section). It can also be viewed on screen. You can subscribe to Song-Posts via a simple form, also to be found on the homepage of my website.
20.01.2022 NOW AVAILABLE : SONG-POSTS VOLUME 3 CD. Some people prefer these CD compilations to digital downloads. I’m happy to help- follow link below. Here is the track-list: 01. The Bridge Song (On a Day Like This) 02. My Name is Love ... 03. Bright Pearl Shining Path (for Sr Irene McCormack) 04. God of the Mess 05. I Could Not Make the Flowers Grow 06. My Daughter My Son 07. George Zabelka 08. Signs of Hope 09. Mother Mary 10. Pentecost 11. Don't Worry About Tomorrow 12. Gypsies and Pilgrims 13. Come Now Holy Spirit 14. Heal Me Help Me Save Me 15. Start from Where you Are Each custom-CD is individually produced with tracks burned onto a high quality disc. The disc comes in a slimline plastic jewel-case with a front cover illustrated by Dorothy Woodward. There is a full track list on the inside front cover. ORDERS and payments in a secure environment can be made online from the Song-Posts Page in my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/song-posts On the same page you can find information about Song-Post Volumes One & Two and purchase these it you wish. With each CD purchase comes access to a free PDF File download with lyrics for all songs on the CD. If you prefer not to order online, you can post your order with a cheque made out to ‘Crossover Music’. Cost $25 per CD plus $3.50 per item P&P. Post to Peter Kearney, Crossover Music, PO Box 496, Mittagong, NSW 2575.
18.01.2022 GYPSIES & PILGRIMS. Song-Post #33. The photo shows our campsite in the Flinders Ranges, S.A. In this time of pandemic, we reflect on many good things we previously took for granted, including the freedom to go travelling here in Australia or overseas. In a previous time, I wrote 'Gypsies and Pilgrims' after completing that nine-week tour around Central and Eastern Australia. I travelled with my wife Madge and our daughter Niamh, who was then twelve years of age. Behind our va...n we pulled an old campervan. Along the way, we offered concerts in eighteen places, including Broken Hill, Adelaide, Coober Pedy, Alice Springs, Darwin, Mount Isa and Townsville. For us, and many we met in caravan parks and on the road, a journey like this was a kind of pilgrimage. We had made a space in our lives and were visiting some of the great places of Australia ...'sacred sites' of Australia. When I wrote this song I was thinking not only of our family, but of those many others, venturing out on their Australian pilgrimages. Here is the LINK for GYPSIES & PILGRIMS: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/t/33-gypsies-and-pilgrims On the page that opens you can play the song and follow the lyrics. The version you'll hear was recorded ‘in -concert’ with the Crossover group. The same concert featured another recent song-post ‘The Man God Chose’. Last week, no song was posted. Instead I paused to promote my latest publication: SONG-POSTS VOLUME 2 available as CD & USB. Volume Two compiles fifteen recent song-posts, spanning the period from Christmas 2019 to Easter 2020. The USB contains both audio and lyrics files. For CD purchasers, song lyrics will be provided as a pdf file sent by email. To ORDER/PURCHASE. Song-Posts Volume Two (&/or One) please visit this new page in my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/song-post-cds-usbs Take care Peter K
18.01.2022 MY NAME IS LOVE. Song-Post #42. A story of very gradual publication. Please share. Earlier this year I received a request from Ireland for the pdf music of 'My Name Is Love'. The request came from Liam, who told me that the song is very popular with congregations in the Wexford Parish. I was naturally curious to how the song came to Wexford, Ireland. Liam kindly wrote back: "You may not remember, but my mum directed a folk group in St Basil's Church, Basildon (England) for o...ver 25 years. I was a young chap when you came over to the group to teach some of your songs, which remained in the group's repertoire thereafter. 'My Name Is Love' was just one of the songs you brought to St Basils. The songs travelled with Mum when my parents moved to Wexford. I do remember teaching those songs. In 1969 I had travelled to England, where I lived for the next ten years. In 1971, in a burst of creativity, I wrote a batch of new religious songs. Nine of the songs were eventually published in 1978 (as music book only) under the title 'Songs of the Lord's Travellers'. [PHOTO: The photo accompanying this post is of the publicity-poster for this publication, featuring a painting by my friend Karin Donaldson]. The songs in the 'Songs of the Lord's Travellers' msic book included 'Where Is Your Song, my Lord?', 'A King in Rags' and 'Martha and Mary'. But NOT 'My Name is Love' for some forgotten reason. That song had to wait another thirty years before publication in my Islands of the Heart CD and Music Book. But, thanks to Liam and his Mum, I now know that in the meantime it was being sung at St. Basil's Church, Basildon and in the Wexford Parish, Ireland. HERE IS THE LINK TO HEAR 'MY NAME IS LOVE': https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/42-my-name-is-love. Please share. As you listen you can scroll down to follow the lyrics. You may already have discovered that if you listen more than three times you will be invited to purchase a digital download of the song. I receive these funds. It is also possible for you to order/purchase from me the 'Islands of the Heart' CD & Music Book via links provided in the section below the lyrics. PREVIOUS SONG-POSTS: Here is a link if you’d like to catch up with previous song-posts: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/ NB. You can still go into the digital album Song-Posts Volume One and hear/purchase individual tracks or buy the whole digital album. Thanks for listening. P.K.
18.01.2022 THE BRIDGE SONG (On a Day Like This). Song-Post #38. Listen to it here: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//37-the-bridge-song-on-a If you like the song please share this post. At this time of year in Australia, a few days are set aside as National Reconciliation Week. Yesterday, May 28th was be the 20th anniversary of the day when the Sydney Harbour Bridge was closed to vehicles so that people could walk across it in support of Reconciliation with the Indigenous people o...f Australia. Madge and I were among a busload of people who came from the Southern Highlands to walk.. On that bright, cold day, about 250,000 people did the same - "a river of good will" that flowed across the Bridge for more than six hours. As we walked, a tiny silver plane ascended the cloudless sky. With smoke, it slowly wrote a single word - SORRY. It was such a blessed and happy day, I had to write this song - the first seed of which was the opening line. "You hardly feel the cold on a day like this". Completion of reconciliation is still a long way off, but that day gave us a taste, a glimpse, a feel for that goal. 'The Bridge Song' is another track from my ISLANDS OF THE HEART CD which also contains last week’s song 'Bright Pearl Shining Path'. For more information on the CD or to place an order go here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356144 If you haven't already joined, you very welcome to opt-in to receive my weekly Song-Post notifications by email. Just fill-in and submit the simple form on the home-page of my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home Thanks for listening. Peter Kearney
17.01.2022 SIGNS OF HOPE - Peter Kearney Song-Post #48. Dom Hélder Câmara visited Australia in 1985 and spoke in the main concert hall of the Sydney Opera House. I wrote this song especially for that occasion with lyrics based on Dom Hélder's writings. Before singing .,, I presented a copy of the lyrics to Dom Hélder as he sat on stage. Here is the url link for 'Signs of Hope': https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/48-signs-of-hope. It's a studio recording of the song as performed b...y me and the 'Crossover' group - the same line-up that sang and played at the Opera House. When the new page opens, click the black arrow to play, then you can scroll down the page to follow the lyrics. If you like the song, please share. Dom Hélder Câmara was a Brazilian Catholic Archbishop. (August 27 is the anniversary of his death in 1999). He was an advocate of liberation theology. He did social and political work for the poor, and for human rights and democracy during the military regime. He preached for a church closer to the disfavoured people and for non-violence. He is quoted as having said, "When I give food to the poor, they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor, they call me a communist." (Wikipedia) ‘Signs of Hope’ became the title song for a new album, released the following year. All ten songs from the Signs of Hope album are included on 'Make Me a Song (The Best of 25 Years)'. This double CD (36 tracks) compiles most songs from the albums: ‘Turn It All Around’ (Songs for Peace and Justice), ‘Where Is Your Song, my Lord?’ and ‘The Year of God’s Favour?’ The double-CD is available here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356147 To see/hear previous song-posts visit here: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/ Thanks for listening. Peter Kearney
16.01.2022 I COULD NOT MAKE THE FLOWERS GROW. For winter solstice (down under) the longest night I offer my musical setting of a poem and prayer by Paul Smith. Paul was a sometime resident at the Edel Quinn Shelter in Wagga Wagga (Australia) - a shelter for homeless men. Here the link for a new page where you can see lyrics and hear audio for the song(recorded in concert, with applause edited out): https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//41-i-could-not-make-the. This is Song-Post #41.... Please share. Paul Smith gave handwritten copies of his poem and prayer to my friend Joan Saboisky. Joan, who compiled Shelter's newsletter, remembers that Paul was quite urgent in his request for the words be published. This became especially poignant when, two days later, he had a massive seizure and died without recovering consciousness. Joan shared Paul's writings with me. At the end of her note conveying the context of the poem and prayer, Joan wrote: 'and the flowers grow’. Some may find Paul’s words depressing but some of us may be touched, having experienced even a little of his bleakness and desperate hope. Perhaps his words can be heard as a modern psalm in the spirit of Psalm 130: "Out of the depths I cry to you oh Lord". Thanks for listening. To see/ hear all PREVIOUS SONG POSTS visit here: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/ Please share. Peter Kearney RESOURCES: ‘The Common Good’ is the name of my CD that contains the song 'I Could Not Make the Flowers Grow'.and eleven other songs. After being out-of-stock, this CD has recently had a new batch of 50 produced. The CD and other resources relating to the song (lyrics, chords etc) can be purchased via the SONG OF THE WEEK page in my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/i-could-not-make-the-flowe
16.01.2022 THE MAN GOD CHOSE - Song-Post #31. For Holy Week and Good Friday I offer a song that is my setting of Isaiah 52: 14-53, a passage that is sometimes called the ‘song of the suffering servant’. I'll follow with a link for opening a page in my Bandcamp website where 'The Man God Chose' can be heard and full lyrics can be seen: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/31-the-man-god-chose. PLEASE SHARE. [NB. You can freely listen to the song online three times. After that you'l...l be invited to purchase a digital download for a small fee]. Here is how the song came to be written. I first met Fr.Ted Kennedy when I was a student and he was chaplain at Sydney University. He encouraged me to write my first folk-hymns, including 'Fill My House' and 'The Beatitudes'. Ted later moved to St. Vincent de Paul Parish, Redfern, an inner suburb of Sydney. There, he became a great friend of ... and fierce advocate for the many Aboriginal people who lived in that area and who always felt welcome at St. Vincent's. Ted was at Redfern from 1971 until a couple of years before his death in 2005. It was through Ted and my experience of the Redfern community that inspired me to write The Man God Chose, which was one of twelve songs, recorded and published in 1984 as 'TURN IT ALL AROUND' (Songs for Peace and Justice): https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356151 The recording I have posted this week is a later version by me and the 'Crossover' group, recorded in-concert at St. John's Hall, Dapto (near Wollongong NSW). Applause has been edited out. Listen for some lovely expressive improvisation by Lindsay Martin on his electric violin. INVITATION to OPT-IN FOR SONG-POSTS. Simply visit my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home. Fill in and submit the simple form on the home page. I will send you a welcome-aboard message and include you in my regular song-post notifications. Thankyou. P.K.
14.01.2022 MERCY IS ONE OF GOD'S NAMES - Song-Post #30. Artwork by Dorothy Woodward. What an extraordinary time we are living through. A friend has described it as a period of mass monasticism with opportunities as well as difficulties and danger. This week’s song is 'Mercy Is One of God's Names'. PLEASE SHARE. I'll follow with the link to open a new page on which you can listen to the whole song and follow the lyrics. The link is: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//30-mercy-is-on...e-of-gods I wrote this song for the launch of The Mercy Foundation, North Sydney. On that occasion, I sang it with a small choir from the nearby Monte Sant' Angelo Mercy College. From the Foundation’s website: The Mercy Foundation was established by the Sisters of Mercy, North Sydney. It is an organisation committed to social justice and structural change to create greater social equity and inclusion in the Australian community. The Foundation addresses its social justice agenda through seed funding, advocacy and education. . Please note - especially those who are new to Song-Posts - when you click on the link above, a new page will open. Look for a black arrow and click on it to play the song. While the song plays, I suggest you scroll down the screen to follow the lyrics. The song is from my CD ‘The Common Good’, which is available from the NEWLY INSTALLED SHOP ON MY WEBSITE. Check out the shop here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/cds A CD-Rom with melodies, chords, lyrics etc is also available there. For the first time, through this shop, I can accept credit-card payments. See/ hear earlier Song-Posts 1go here: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/. Thanks for listening. Take care stay safe. Peter K PS. On a personal level, I am forever grateful to the Sisters of Mercy for the practical support they gave me in 1994, enabling the time and resources I needed to complete the ‘big work’ of my creative life - a musical-narrative on the life of St. Francis of Assisi - Good Morning Good People!
11.01.2022 GATHERED FOR THE JOURNEY. Song-Post #51. Two feast days Blessed Frederic Ozanam (September 9) and St. Vincent de Paul (September 27) prompted my choice for this week. 'Gathered for the Journey'is a song I wrote for, and first sung at a large Sydney gathering of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, NSW. It has not previously been published by me. Here is the link for 'Gathered for the Journey': https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//51-gathered-for-the-jou If you like the song, p...lease share. A couple of Song-Post subscribers, Verity and Nicole, have suggested the song could also be used "as a gathering song for educators at the beginning of the year" or "for a College liturgy and retreat" (after explaining who St. Vincent and Frederic were). I welcome new subscribers to my weekly Song-Posts. Subscription can be made via the simple form on the homepage of my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home HISTORY: The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded in Paris in 1833 by a 20-year-old student named Frederic Ozanam. He gathered a group of like-minded individuals who wished to put their faith into action through charitable works. The group adopted the name Society of St Vincent de Paul, after the patron saint of Christian charity. Groups (known as Conferences) sprang up in other French parishes, and then internationally. The first Australian Conference was established in 1854. "We are called as Vincentians, to feed, clothe, house and assist our brothers and sisters who are forced onto the margins of society". (from the vinnies.org.au website). For an interesting brief history on the life of Frederic Ozanam (1813-1853) and the movement he started, visit https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/About/History/ SONG-POST CDS NOW AVAILABLE: Volume 3 (the new compilation), also Volumes 1 & 2. For full track lists and/ or to place an order visit the Song-Posts page of my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/song-posts Music is an important part of my livelihood. Thanks for listening Peter Kearney
05.01.2022 GOD OF THE MESS : Song-Post #34. To play the song and see the lyrics: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/34-god-of-the-mess PLEASE SHARE. Over the past 35 years I’ve been invited to give my concert-reflections in parishes in every state and territory of Australia. On these visits I’ve met many good people and had many interesting conversations. The title 'God of the Mess and the content of this week’s song were inspired by a conversation with Fr. Paul Hannah. At the tim...e of my visit, Paul was the Pastor of Holy Family Parish in Mount Druitt, Western Sydney. God of the Mess' is one of twelve songs on my CD The Common Good. The track was re-recorded and mastered for the second edition of the CD. Lindsay Martin plays mandolin and acoustic violin. I play the guitar and sing. SONG-POSTS VOLUMES 1 & 2. These compilations are available as CD or USB: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/song-post-cds-usbs You can be included in my Song-Posts contact list by emailing a request to me: peter AT peterkearneysongs.com.au It is good to have a postcode too. Thanks for listening. Peter Kearney
04.01.2022 Song-Post #32: 'A CONVERSATION' is a Resurrection song in a minor-key, which could be appropriate for the time we are going through. My start-point for writing it was the story in the Gospel of St. Luke (24:13-35) where two disciples meet and converse with a stranger as they walk the path to Emmaus. Here is a link that will take you to a new page with audio and information for 'A Conversation' : https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/32-a-conversation PLEASE SHARE. Ideally,... the song would be done with a soloist singing the part of the Stranger/Jesus and a group singing as the Disciples. In St. John's Church, Barraba NSW, many years ago, the priest sang the part of the Stranger/Jesus and the congregation, led by the choir, sang the Disciples' part. A parishioner told me about this, and I would love to have heard that piece of liturgical-drama. Last week, I described song-posts as a slowly unfolding concert. It could also be a ‘retrospective’ featuring songs written and published over a period of more than fifty years. 'A Conversation' was written a long time ago, in 1970, after I had traveled 'overland' from Australia to England and was working as a teacher in Basildon, Essex. In a burst of creativity, I wrote this song and several others, including 'Where Is Your Song, my Lord? But, whereas my 1966 song collection (including ‘Fill My House’ and ‘The Beatitudes’) had quickly found its way into the world, another fifteen years would pass before these new songs were properly published as music book and cassette tape under the title 'Where Is You Song, my Lord?'. This album has turned out to be the most popular of all my publications. Take care stay safe. Happy Easter ********* RESOURCES AVAILABLE for 'A CONVERSATION' with links to Peter's online shop: 1. SHEET MUSIC (pdf file) for this song only: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/557753 2. CUSTOM CD-ROM: Melodies, chords, piano-accompaniments and lyrics for all eleven songs in the original 'Where Is Your Song, my Lord?' music book, which is now out of print: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/554041 3. CUSTOM-CD: This song is one of 11 tracks on the 'Where Is Your Song, my Lord? custom-CD, which contains all tracks heard on the original cassette tape: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356152 4. DOUBLE-CD: This song is one of 34 tracks on my double-CD 'Make Me a Song', which includes eight of the eleven songs from the original Where Is Your Song, my Lord? cassette tape: peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356147
04.01.2022 INVITATION to OPT-IN for SONG-POSTS by PETER KEARNEY You may know of my music as I have been writing and publishing for many years. My earliest folk-hymns 'Fill My House'and 'The Beatitudes' became internationally known. Since then, over 150 of my songs and hymns have been published in fifteen different albums. Several have been included in hymnals. One of my songs, 'The Deaths Go On' received best new song award at the National Folk Festival in Canberra (Australia). SONG-PO...STS is a recent ongoing project in which I am posting one of my songs each week on a special website in Bandcamp. You can listen to the whole song. Full lyrics can be seen plus other information relating to the song. The main aim is to give my songs an airing - the unfamiliar as well as some old favourites. The range of songs posted is broad some liturgical, some not ... songs for children and for adults, some songs touching on social-justice themes. Not every 'post' will be a winner for you, but there will always a different song coming up, while the project lasts. TO OPT IN please fill-in and submit the simple form on the home-page of my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home You will receive an acknowledgement and 'welcome aboard' message from me, then a notification-email at the time of each new Song-Post. Most people will just listen to the songs. If you want to download audio or obtain pdf music for a song, this is possible. Links are provided for purchasing these resources for a small fee. To check out my SONG-POSTS SITE go here: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/dashboard Another way to subscribe is to click the 'Follow' button in this site. PLEASE SHARE this post if you know of others who may be interested in my Song-Posts. Thankyou Peter Kearney
04.01.2022 CANTICLE OF THE SUN -ST FRANCIS OF ASSISI October 4th was the feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Here is a link to hear my musical setting of his famous ‘Canticle of the Sun': https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/tr/52-canticle-of-the-sun On the new page that opens, after clicking the arrow to play, scroll down to see full text for narration and the song. PLEASE SHARE.. Get ready to hear the moving story of Francis’ last days, woven through with the singing of his beautiful Canti...cle: "Be praised my Lord for Brother Sun, for Sister Moon and all the Stars". You'll be listening to an excerpt from a live performance of 'Good Morning Good People' my musical-story about Francis , featuring narrators and soloists with community choir and orchestra. At this stage of the story, Francis has been despondent about troubles in his order of Friars Minor. He is sick and is going blind. At his request, he has been brought to the convent of San Damiano where (Saint) Clare and the other sisters live. Francis stays in a hut of branches in the convent garden and it is there that he composes the words for his Canticle. The whole two-hour concert including ‘Canticle of the Sun’ is available on my double-CD 'Good Morning Good People' which can be purchased in my online shop here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356141. Payment can be made by PayPal or credit card in a secure environment. OR (within Australia only) send your order with a cheque made out to ‘Crossover Music’ to PO Box 496, Mittagong, NSW 2575. Cost per CD is $30 + $3.50 P&P. Free Script: Those purchasing the CD can freely download a pdf script for the whole of ‘Good Morning Good People’. The script has been beautifully illustrated by Dorothy Woodward. Thanks for listening. Pax et bonum. Peter Kearney ** New to Song-Posts? You are very welcome to subscribe via a simple form here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home
03.01.2022 LUKE THE DOCTOR. Song-Post #49. As horizons shrink in a time of pandemic, mental health can become an issue. ‘Luke the Doctor’ is different to my usual song-posts but it has led some to reflect on the importance of friendship. It can be heard here: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/49-luke-the-doctor It is a previously unpublished song, written when I was in my early 20s, soon after starting to live in England after a long journey ‘overland’ from Australia.. The 'Luke...' of the song was no-one in particular, but perhaps I was thinking back to Australia and my friendship with Fr. Ted Kennedy - someone in whom I was able to confide, and ask: "Can you see any good in being me? A few years after the song was written, this track was recorded on a reel-to-reel tape recorder . I played guitar and I invited an English friend Paul Jeffery to sing, which he did beautifully and with deep feeling. The photo/artwork below is Dorothy Woodward's 'Francis in the Cave'. As a young man, Francis of Assisi fell into deep depression after being in prison for a year (having been captured during a battle between Assisi and Perugia). There must be many who feel some sense of imprisonment in this time of lockdowns. Dorothy’s drawing is one of many she created for inclusion in the Illustrated Script for Good Morning Good People (1994), my musical-narrative on the life of St. Francis. Available here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/556008 Thanks for listening. Take care. Peter K Dorothy Woodward webpage: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/dorothy-woodward-art
02.01.2022 GEORGE ZABELKA - RELUCTANT PROPHET: In choosing my song-post for this week (link below to hear the song), I was thinking ahead to August 6th, the 75th anniversary of the first atomic bombing. An American priest, Fr. George Zabelka (1915-1992) was chaplain to the 509th Airborne Division based on Tinian Island in the Pacific Ocean - the island from which the planes flew to bomb Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Before they flew, he blessed the planes and their crews. Later, Zabelka had... what he called an 'about face', painfully coming to the conclusion that he had been wrong to give that blessing. In 1985, he made a pilgrimage walk from Hiroshima to Nagasaki to mark the fortieth anniversary of the bombings. He walked as a way of asking those harmed by the bombings for forgiveness for himself and for his Church - for bringing you death instead of the fullness of life, misery instead of mercy. He dedicated to rest of his life to teaching the way of non-violence as shown and taught by Jesus. Here is the link to a page where you can hear the ballad of George Zabelka and follow its lyrics: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/track/45-george-zabelka The song was originally included on my Signs of Hope album. All ten tracks from that album are included on my double-CD compilation Make Me a Song (The Best of 25 Years): https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356147. I sent a recording of my song to Fr. Zabelka and received a letter from him, to say that he was pleased with my telling of his story. In 1988 a DVD 'Reluctant Prophet' was made about him. For more information on his life see Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Benedict_Zabelka SONG-POSTS: You can opt-in to receive my regular song-posts via the simple form on the homepage of my website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home Thanks for listening Peter Kearney * Here is a link to catch up with previous song-posts: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/
02.01.2022 SONG-POSTS VOL 2 now available as CD or USB. Compiles fifteen of the most recent song-posts. See track-list below. Please share. ORDER CUSTOM CD: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/559381 * Each CD is individually produced. / * Fifteen tracks burned onto an archive quality disc. * Disc comes in a slimline plastic jewel-case. / * Front cover with illustration by Dorothy Woodward. * Full track list on the inside cover.... ORDER USB STICK: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/559397 Includes the fifteen songs listed below: * as audio files (wav & mp3) * as plain text files (txt). Lyrics for all songs. The USB Stick comes with an attached label, listing contents. TRACK LIST: 01 The Tenderest Time 02 How Far to Bethlehem 03 At Christmas (God Became Like Us) 04 Hope for the Tree 05 Rock of Ages / Uluru 06 All Aboard the Ark 07 L’Arche Prayer 08 Mercy is One of God's Names 09 Ashes to Easter 10 Parting of the Ways (Graduation Song) 11 The Story We Share 12 Islands of the Heart 13 Joseph 14 The Man God Chose 15 A Conversation Still available: SONG-POSTS VOL 1. CUSTOM CD: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/554064 or USB Stick: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/559394 Take care stay safe. Peter Kearney
02.01.2022 MY DAUGHTER MY SON was my song-post for Mothers Day. (I've been slow to post it here because of difficulties in accessing my FB page) I dedicate this song to my wife Madge and of course our own daughter and son - Niamh and Jason. Here is the link for My Daughter My Son: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/tra/35-my-daughter-my-son On the new page that opens, you can play the song and scroll down to follow the lyrics (or sing along!). PLEASE SHARE I originally thought the song... might be suitable for baptisms, but over the years I’ve heard of its use at many weddings and funerals too. Most touching was to hear from the mother of a child who had died. She told me this song had been sung at the funeral and still meant so much to her. Later, in a Melbourne concert, we sang it together. The song has also been played primary school graduation ceremonies as photos of the graduating children are shown on screen. In many concerts presented by Claire Parkhill and me, this was always a favourite song. It was originally included on my 'Signs of Hope' album. These days, the ten songs from Signs of Hope are included with twenty-six others on my double-CD compilation Make Me a Song (The Best of 25 Years), which is available here:https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/product/356147 DIGITAL ALBUM: During the week I have created the first Digital Album on my Song-Posts website. It contains the same fifteen songs that are included on the physical CD 'Song-Posts Volume One'. For those who no longer use CDs, it is now possible to download the fifteen songs in one go. For those who purchase, an access link is provided to download a ‘book’ of lyrics (pdf file) for all fifteen songs. Here is the link for the new Digital Album: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//song-posts-volume-one-1 It sells for $10 less than the physical CD. It is still possible to play and purchase individual tracks from the digital album. I hope you are well and in good spirits. Thanks for your interest and thanks for listening. Peter Kearney JOIN PETER'S SONG-POSTS CONTACT LIST by filling and submitting the simple form on the Home Page of his website: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/home
01.01.2022 Song-Post #36 is BRIGHT PEARL SHINING PATH, a song I wrote to remember the tragic death of Sister Irene McCormack in Peru. Here is a link to the page where you can hear the song: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//36-bright-pearl-shining It is a long song but I hope it will hold your attention with the help of the lyrics that can be followed on the same page. This Thursday, May 21st, it will be twenty-nine years since Irene's death. In the chorus I have included tributes ...to Irene, written by young people of Huasahuasi. The whole song should be heard as if sung by one of these young people. In Huasahuasi Irene is regarded as a ‘pearl of great price’. They call her 'Santa Irena' and to this day, they put fresh flowers on her grave every day. Of you like the song PLEASE SHARE this post. Irene McCormack was born in 1938 and grew up on a wheat/sheep farm near Trayning in West Australia. She took final vows as a Sister of St. Joseph in 1965. After many years teaching in West Australian schools, she went to live and work in a Josephite mission in Peru, in a town called Huasahuasi, high in the Andes Mountains. On May 21st 1991, a band of Shining Path guerrillas raided the town. Irene and four local people were seized and accused of the ‘crime’ of handing out Caritas food-parcels. They were subjected to a mock-trial in the town square before the forcibly assembled villagers. Then, having been found 'guilty' they were made to lie face down and each in turn was executed by a shot to the head. Gil Long, encouraged me to write this song and provided much of the material on which it is based. At the Pacific Mission Institute in Turramurra, Sydney, Gil did a course with Irene before she went to Peru,. Resources relating to this song are all available via my song of the week: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/song-of-the-week Resources include: * AUDIO CD - ‘Islands of the Heart’. Bright Pearl Shining Path is one of fifteen songs on the CD, which also includes previous song-posts ‘Here’s to You Mum & Dad’ and ‘Islands of the Heart’. * MUSIC BOOK -‘Islands of the Heart’. Melodies, chords, lyrics for fifteen songs. * PDF MUSIC File for ‘Bright Pearl Shining Path’. Thanks for listening. Peter Kearney
01.01.2022 Song-Post #39 :HEAL ME, HELP ME, SAVE ME : Here is the link: https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com//39-heal-me-help-me-save I’ll let the song speak for itself, but first, some context. It is a track from my first studio-album, 'Turn It All Around' (Songs for Peace and Justice), an album that was inspired by a friendship with Fr. Ted Kennedy (1931-2005). From the early 1970s Ted had been the priest at St. Vincent de Paul Parish in Redfern, where he gave a special welcome to the ...many Aboriginal people who lived in that area. People came from all over Sydney to attend Mass at Redfern and many became involved in the Redfern community. Ted Kennedy was also a family friend and he often called at our home near Mittagong when he travelled to the Southern Highlands for a break from his Redfern ministry. Many of my songs arose out of conversations with Ted, and he was always among the first to hear a new song. You could say that he had been my muse since he first encouraged me in my songwriting when I was at Sydney University and he was a Chaplain there. The photo below shows the caravan that was the PLATYPUS STUDIO, situated on a bush-block in Brogers Creek (near Kangaroo Valley), where the Turn It All Around album was recorded. Looks basic yes, very basic and so was the steep, rough rainforest track that led to it. Nearly wrecked my car. But I was glad to be working with Nic Lyon, the studio owner and sound engineer, who also played violin, mandolin, harp and bass for various tracks on the Turn It All Around album. 'Heal me, Help Me, Save Me' later became one of the 36 tracks on my double-CD compilation 'Make Me a Song' (The Best of 25 Years). This, and other resources relating to the song, including pdf music and a custom-CD for Turn It All Around, can be purchased via my website on the page called SONG OF THE WEEK: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/heal-me-help-me-save-me-so A reminder that PDF music-sheets for nearly all song-posts so far are available here: https://peterkearneysongs.com.au/song-posts-pdf-music. SEE/HEAR ALL SONG-POSTS : https://peterkearney.bandcamp.com/ Thanks for listening. Peter Kearney
