The Gentle Music Company presents Deborah Brown and Heather in the Mist

Presents
Deborah Brown in her debut psaltery album
Heather in the Mist

Treat yourself to the nuances of Deborah Brown’s playing as she explores the medium of therapeutic music and sound on her psaltery.
Let her transparent improvisational style flow through you with its subtle invitation to relax.

Deborah says, “I discovered that people who were ill or in pain were able to relax to the point of falling asleep while listening to my improvisations. When several friends said they had trouble sleeping or knew someone who did, I decided to make a CD, one that would reach an audience of people who want soothing music that will encourage them to relax, and maybe even to sleep.”

The CD's title song, Heather in the Mist, is an original composition for psaltery by the artist. The other thirteen tracks are the artist’s adaptations of traditional folk melodies. She chooses sweet songs that evoke a feeling of relaxation. A sweetness of melody unfolds gently in the transparent, improvisational style that has become her personal hallmark. For this recording she includes several lullabies that can be enjoyed equally by children or adults, because, as Deborah says, “I think we all need and love lullabies.” The songs become slower and softer during the second half of the album until, like tender lullabies, they gently fade away.

Tracks
(Click on a link to hear a Windows Media or Real Audio sample.)

1. Morning Has Broken -- traditional Welsh
Windows Media - Real Audio

2. Las Estrellitas -- traditional Mexican
Windows Media - Real Audio

3. Dongdongwen Canto -- traditional Filipino
Windows Media - Real Audio

4. Heather in the Mist -- Deborah Brown
Windows Media - Real Audio

5. Sakura -- traditional Japanese
Windows Media - Real Audio

6. Arirang -- traditional Korean

7. Southwind -- traditional Irish

8. Schule Aroon -- traditional Irish

9. Fais Dodo -- traditional French

10. Brahms’ Lullaby -- traditional German
Windows Media - Real Audio

11. Searching for Lambs -- traditional English

12. Schlaf, Kindlein, Schlaf -- traditional German

13. Nun Zirade -- traditional Basque
Windows Media - Real Audio

14. Malcolm Laddie -- traditional Scottish

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Recording details
This recording was made in the Los Angeles area in a private residence. This lovely space offered warm acoustics with naturally live reverberation. Audio engineer Peter Sutheim of Los Angeles-based Earworks chose a Bang and Olufsen ribbon mic for this original recording. Editing and mastering was done in Seattle by Steven Tracy and Jeremy Edwardson of Studio Sonorous. CD manufacturing and printing was done by Discmakers in Pennsauken, NJ, USA.

Deborah Brown About the psaltery
Related to the zither, the psaltery dates back to an ancient instrument from Sumeria where it was originally called a qanun. It arrived in Europe in the 11th century and is found in many European paintings from the medieval and renaissance periods. It is occasionally still used in performance by early-music groups. Deborah chooses to string her psaltery in nylon, rather than the traditional wire. This produces a sweeter sound and allows her to pluck the fifteen strings comfortably with her fingers. Her instrument was made by Musicmaker’s Kits in Stillwater, MN.