Preface
But by her still halting course and winding, woful way, you plainly saw that this ship that so wept with spray, still remained without comfort. She was Rachel, weeping for her children, because they were not."
Herman Melville, from Moby Dick; or, The Whale.
Texts
Recorded
March 14, 2026
Sonata in F Major, Kk. 317 - Domenico Scarlatti - Pieter-Jan Belder
hands' figures
keeping
other hands' figures
within bounds
Albumblätter: Impromptu, Op. 124 #9 - Robert Schumann - Florian Uhlig
hopping lightly
over a narrow line
drawn
for games
with hopping
Liebeslied (Widmung) von Robert Schumann, S566 - Franz Liszt - Leslie Howard
the sonorities gain a shape in time
as the figurations build them
4 Piéces IV: Étude, Op. 56 #4 - Alexander Scriabin - Dmitri Alexeev
light as a silk kerchief
Swampy River - Duke Ellington [from That Devilin' Tune]
love the specificity of his harmonies
their stances toward us are
crystal clear
Banana Boat - Stan Freberg [from The Very Best of Stan Freberg]
the drummer doesn't dig loud noises
wow
Here's Where I Came In (Here's Where I Walk Out) - Aretha Franklin [from Laughing On The Outside]
girl group type song
Shirelles or Crystals et cetera
Rocky Raccoon - The Beatles [from The Beatles (White Album)]
checking in
on every trope
of every
old
Western
movie adventure
Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting - Elton John [collected from Neal Kosály-Meyer's SADA Dancing Through The Decades]
camp posturing
Raise Your Hand - Bruce Springsteen [from Live at The Roxy]
the sort of song
that requires the back support
of a large
enthusiastic crowd
to exist
not porch friendly
Mr. Preacher Man
frenzy enabler
After All These Years - T Bone Burnett [from Proof Through The Night]
portrait in questions
Congratulations - Traveling Wilburys [from Traveling Wilburys]
blame cast away from the song persona
The Long And Winding Road - Nina Simone [from A Single Woman]
lounge sentimental
Sinatra ready
Nina proves it
Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - Lauryn Hill [from The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill]
gives it a propulsion
to the stanzas' ends
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night 050510A - Keith Eisenbrey - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey [recorded May 10, 2005]
an accompaniment
that is its own arrangement
there was a note
flubbed
(one of mine)
The Hock Upon Your Leaflets - Christian Asplund [from Viola]
our ear is very close to this sound
Track 2 - Peterman [recorded live at Victory Lounge, Seattle, July 6, 2013]
how I don't fit
at a shout
You Ruined It When You Hugged Me Back - Your Mother Should Know [recorded live at The Skylark, March 1, 2018]
recording skipped ahead a bit
the night that West Seattle became
difficult to access
Ashfield - Keith Eisenbrey - Keith Eisenbrey [October 29, 2023]
the added part is careful of its function
Trinity River - Texas Tommy [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
should I want to write a poem
I would find a likely piece of paper
should I want to write a song
I would find a likely chord change
to fit my lines to
In Dreams - Roy Orbison [from For The Lonely]
candy colored man
sounds like sleeping pills to me
the purpose of a song
is to send Roy
up to the high notes
I'm Beginning To See The Light - Ella Fitzgerald [from Love Songs: The Best of the Verve Song Book]
she sings without trace of any accent
habitually regarded
as being
common
among African Americans
technical perfection
I Shall Be Released - The Band [from Music from Big Pink]
often I find
that the composition
of the opening introduction
to a song
is more interesting to me
as composition
than anything that happens
in the cycles of chord changes
that follow
it is in those cases
composition
of a
different kind of slant
or mode
does Mr. Helm
have the voice of a countertenor?
{NB: perhaps, but this one is sung by Mr. Manuel}
Liebeslied - for a pianist alone - Benjamin Boretz - Keith Eisenbrey [recorded October 17, 2024]
I like this tempo
how it moves right along
into the thick of it
yet
hurries through
none of it
the progression
through time's groves
is without hindrance
the effect
of the repetitions
of the whole
twice
is
about
how we feel
about
being
in this
or
the next
time grove
this time
around
is it even
remotely
the same experience?
nice job past me!
I Know It - Madonna [from Madonna]
oh
the techno-glitz-happy eighties sound
sharp and clean
the saxophone plays
the part of her accusee
Wachet Auf - Canadian Brass [from More Greatest Hits]
played as a lullaby
of course
why would the call to awaken
be made
to those
already woke?
The Little Green Lande - King's Singers [from Chansons d'Amour]
exquisitude
No Girl So Sweet - PJ Harvey [from Is This Desire?]
voice filtered
through technomedia
as digital production took over
her Ss
splash
against the surface
of the echo effect
Time After Time - Karin Blaine [from Dirty Money]
fitting words to a melody
can skew a line's accentuation pattern
The War Song - Courtney Marie Andrews [from Urban Myths]
epistolary
to measure a distance
In This House - Princess [from Selling Sulphur]
fashion among band names
that code pink
by bands
whose sound
style
codes blue
the words
need only be the sorts of words
that can be shouted
they needn't be heard lexically
Histrionic - Arbor Towers [from Old]
dynamic level
shifts upward
for the chorus
back down
for the verse
Soundscroll V Part Three: Overscape - S. Eric Scribner [from Soundscrolls V-IV (live)]
a pool for pebble ripples
to sound in
or
the occasional
piano sized boulder
Doin' Things - Joe Venuti and his New Yorkers [from That Devilin' Tune]
high-class-joint arrangement
pricey tables
He Loves and She Loves - Sarah Vaughan [from Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin]
giving her vibrato a good workout
The Karen Tape Chapter 3 - Karen Meyer, Marilyn Meyer, Neal Meyer, William Meyer, Yvonne Meyer [August, 1963]
Neal recites Yertle
(while Karen fusses)
with pronounced tonal
expression
stack of
now you get on his backs
Marilyn vacuums up the sugar from the floor
how many turtles would be needed
to stack them to the moon?
the burp
that shook
the throne
of the king
Tell Her In The Springtime - Rusty Dedrick Orchestra [from Irving Berlin: All By Myself - Notable Compositions 1926-1933]
a little number
for the singerdancer corps
clever end tag
Blinks' Waltz - Scott Joplin - E. Power Biggs
so many moving parts in the action
of the pedal harpsichord
a
ghostly percussive part
Freedom For My People - U2 [from Rattle And Hum]
cultural appropriation
Sound Examples for Symmetry, Regularity, Direction - Robert Doati
tape bleed
adds a dimension
ways to think
about the shapes
of sound
in earmind
Nora Felitsyn - Russia [from The World Sings Goodnight]
it isn't
that it isn't
a bad idea
to record
a bunch of
lullabies
nor
to put them
in the same bucket
but
in thinking of it
as a thing to listen to
all in a heap
I couldn't stomach
Hesitating Beauty - Billy Bragg & Wilco [from Mermaid Avenue]
coming to terms
for a future together
When A Woman's Had Enough - Bettye Lavette [from A Woman Like Me]
the blues
are an empathetic sacrament
includes
the empathic
dialog
as a proper part
text and instrumental commentary
Gradus 57 - Neal Kosály-Meyer - Neal Kosály-Meyer [December 8, 2003]
in a dimly lit
low ceilinged
A-natural
lair
playing
pine cones
with touch
and durations
dynamic vectors
group moments
we hear a line form
and group all the moments
that formed the line
into that line
as we accustom
to the dimly lit
the characters
emerge
more distinctly
Jumpstop - The Tiptons Saxophone Quartet [from Laws of Motion]
the cycling structures
include discontinuities
for use as
reference points and gates
Malaguena - Chaotic Noise Marching Corp [from Smashed at Smash Putt]
as much a street theater
as a party band
back row has taken over
The Beginning of The End - Brenda Ray [from Original Songs/1950s Music]
olden style
sing song
porch or campfire
Gradus 389 - Neal Kosály-Meyer - Neal Kosály-Meyer [October 30, 2023]
we have lengthy lists of notes
itemized
by shelf position
or
excluded specifically
by name
these notes
we play
what
are they?
sound with resonant pitch
or other qualia
of which
earbrain
makes music
if sound
is heard
to be made
of individuals
of
anything?
rolling around
in the mouth of dissonance
shining
on the
surface of consonance
this gets quite dramatic
down here
in profundo land
dialogs among register figurations
Lay Down Baby, Take Your Rest - Carolina Tarheels [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
rambling life tempo
The Riddle Song - Peggy Lee [from Sea Shells]
draw it out
as long as can be stood
Abra Ka Dabra - Shirelles [from The Shirelles Anthology]
has it all
Flower In The Sun - Big Brother And The Holding Company [from Cheap Thrills]
heroic verse
witness narrative
Prayer Blues - Alan Ginsberg [from Holy Soul, Jelly Roll]
composes in
the dialog form
of the blues
The Cutter - Echo and the Bunnymen [from Nancy's Mix]
a low ceilinged sound
basement nightclub
person lost
back in
the echo effect
The Steve Martin - EPMD [from Strictly Business]
dance craze!
Kind of Game - Fastbacks [from Zucker]
muscle car
pit crew
punk fantasy
a song
is an invented persona
made audiopalpable
The Night Is Still Young - Jonathan Richman [from I'm So Confused]
pay attention to the address dude
write it down
a green and purple fog begins to grow
Track 8 - Eckstein Middle School Students [from Mach 6]
the jazz choir number
Far Away From Me -The True Bugs
adulting
as an adventure taken
or
to be
or
decided upon
James Dean - Chastity Belt [from No Regerts]
whether or not
a music
or a poetry
is
a music
or
a poetry
that I like
or dislike
is immaterial
to
whether
I could regard it
to be
an honest expression
or not
Town of Corazon - Strung Out [from Black Out The Sky]
competently steady strummer
upon which
is etched inspiring
words
report from the life
within the suburban
architectural
prison camp
Haunted - Steve Layton [from Bedtime Stories]
its loopness loopness loopness
discomforts
how many times
has the record
loop loop looped?
how many rooms?
how many records?
how many loops?
the song
can be heard
from many of the rooms
Johnson City Blues - Clarence Green [from Really The Blues]
a blues
is a conversation among parts
this one
is on the
road
opened up
by the Civil War
Lonely Avenue - Ray Charles [from Yes, Indeed!]
sometimes
the dialog
is with
the tune itself
or within
Christmas Hymn - Lake Washington Singers, Betty Eisenbrey, Joanne Deacon [December 1963]
this hymn
includes little cherubs
echoing in the sky above
antiphonal
Midnight Mood (alternate) - Bill Evans [from Alone]
perverse curiosity
what
is the density of pitch class
per
segment
of this
compared
to one of Schoenberg's
little
keyboard pieces?
does Bill complete aggregates?
Rosie - Fairport Convention [from Meet On The Ledge]
settling into complacency
what is
is
what is
acceptance brings oblivion
For Elliott - Jeffrey Mumford - Claudia Stevens
a poem
Mister Cee's Master Plan - Big Daddy Kane [from Long Live The Kane]
dance
as you are ordered
so to do
scratch it man
introducing
self
and band
and hood
and handle
intro
presents
the relevant structural duration
so that
we know
when
we can expect
to find
a completion
of a statement
and
what it will look like
March 18, 2026
One Belief Away - Bonnie Raitt [from Fundamental]
reference to Moses in the rushes?
just out of reach
Sarabande - Keith Eisenbrey - Keith Eisenbrey, Jim Knodle [recorded December 23, 2003]
trumpet and piano discuss a melody
Intermezzo in midi: 9. Sunrise - J. K. Randall [from Open Space 22]
frozen moments
counted up
So Long - Acapulco Lips [from Acapulco Lips]
party band
for the cusp of life decisions
Red Hot Kinda Love - Christina Aguilera [from Lotus]
very little about this
is unassembled in the booth
Sonata in 2 Movements - Keith Eisenbrey - Keith Eisenbrey [from Keith Eisenbrey #6: 1988-1994]
1
figures and vectors
in tense battle
standoffs
wary
positions
sudden attacks
2
terms of peace
consequences of failure
a stern warning
Home Town Blues - Roane County Ramblers [from Really The Blues]
almost entirely
on two chords
fancy fiddle bowing
Evidence - Norman Monath [from Songs of The Pogo]
but not a clue
as to how it fits
The Galaxy Way - Sun Ra [from Monorails & Satellites]
dancing on the starry sky
and on the solid floor
Seven Preludes for Guitar, Op. 51 - Lockrem Johnson - Douglas Rice
what might these be like
on clavichord?
they don't read quite as
tight
as the piano preludes do
idly dreaming
Shaddy Lady - Ocelots [from Bard Sampler 1982-1983]
looking down on women
from a position
of moral compromise
dorm band
Before The Ending Of The Day - Cambridge Singers [from Brother Sun, Sister Moon]
at an Anglican remove
La Belle Argentina - Black Cat Orchestra [from Dante's Inferno Live Score]
slinkily elegant
in a down to earth dance
lets make a big noise shall we?
this sounds like Clementi or perhaps earlier
Bach?
well now
that's Chopin
I probably played this one myself
at
about that age
helluva piece that A minor Prelude is
back to big noise
is this a repeat
of what we have heard before
I fear so
tracking error
Litron 8 - Steve Kennedy [from State's Exhibit]
several species of small furry animals
gathered together in a cave
and grooving with a Steve
Aurobindo - Empty Cage Quartet [from Stratostrophic]
giant's thumb piano
King Kalimba
Monster Mbiru
horns
tell the tale
promote the poem
tattle the text
No Control - Antique Scream [from Two Bad Dudes]
red flag
braggadocio
a regular prickswinger
Venice Of The Sky - Tim Root [from Constance And The Waiting]
music of a fantasy world
figure
points out the chord change
pattern
a major articulation point
new dancers take the stage
lighting cue
power prog
big band
animated short
wooden piano puppet
a narrative
seems to unfold
it's a tone-melodrama
Totem 26 - Sascia Pellegrini [from Totems VI]
motion across distant surfaces
some moments pull in
to a singular
point
some moments
invite proliferation
and a
far-encompassing ear
flutish exhalations
sharp and thrusting
Georgia Stomp - Andrew & Jim Baxter [from Anthology of American Folk Music]
no beat
could be a downbeat
here
the floor
is airborne
dance calls
swing your corner
now swing your partner
mix it up y'all
One Summer Night - The Danleers [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
keeping two syllable words
to a minimum
summer
and under
that's it
oops
also
tenderly
that's three
ever
that's four
Footprints - Wayne Shorter [from The Classic Blue Note Recordings]
a four bar groove
an invitation
to move along with
has come
alive
beneath the seams
pianist plays figure scraps
Nexus I (excerpt) - David Dunn
trumpets in canyonlands
the motorized sky
moans above
our
trumpet sound
converses
with our motor sky roar
and
corvid laughter
crow crow crow!
canyons resonate
Segway - Future Forefathers [from Bard Sampler 1982-1983]
putting parts together
to test their twang
World Leader Pretend - REM [from Green]
journal
from the forward command post
under duress
of moral
peril
harmonic mortar
What'll I Do - Janet Jackson [from Janet]
starts straight ahead
with a rock combo groove
produced
to
imitate
the intimacy
of a smaller club
an easy groove
to move to
Yesterday's Winner Is A Loser Today - James King [from Bed by The Window]
complaint
within a moral lesson
karmic invocation
While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks By Night - Keith Eisenbrey - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey [recorded live at University Temple United Methodist Church, Seattle, November 6, 2004]
hiding a thorny hedge
behind
a note by note tune
Breathe (feat. Colbie Caillat) - Taylor Swift [from Fearless]
disarming strumming
betrayed
by production value
added
greebles
addicted
to going to the chorus
Gift Of Song - Spinning Whips [from Sentimental Groover]
name Og
who you
name Tog, Og
Og: Tog
common denominator
Tourmaline Resonance - Joey Largent [from Earth Drones]
envelope in space
of a quivering string
fluctuating
Ruth 1: 16-17 - Keith Eisenbrey - Karen Eisenbrey, Keith Eisenbrey [from Keith Eisenbrey #6: 1988-1994]
what a jolly setting
with clever pulse-rate play
Lindy - Proximity Quartet [from Turn Me Loose White Man]
porch favorite
for mandolin pickers
and friends
courting
serenade
Memphis Tennessee - Chuck Berry [from The Best of Chuck Berry]
my uncle took the message
and wrote it on the wall
lovely rhythm section
I Surrender, Dear - Thelonious Monk [from The Complete Columbia Studio Solo Recordings: 1962-1968]
scraps of song
pasted on a song
until
it owns its scraps
as its essence
Loves Me Like A Rock - Paul Simon [from The Essential Paul Simon]
sunny faith
Scott Beam - Larynx [from Bard Sampler 1982-1983]
zapped the grapes
with this ray
winemaker army
mutant wine
My Spirit Sang All Day - King's Singers [from My Spirit Sang All Day]
composed
so that
the cleverness of the ensemble
is plastered
on its surface
Just To Hold You Once Again - Mariah Carey [from Music Box]
walking the streets of empathy
and vulnerability
Get It Back - Whitney Houston [from My Love Is Your Love]
a song
that dances
as dancers do
at dances
text concerns
relations
among romantic partners
such as
might be
dancers
dancing
at a dance
Jesus & Gravity - Dolly Parton [from Backwoods Barbie]
aspirational independent stability
feel good anthem
Barcorale - Brave Combo [from Box of Ghosts]
music as vacation
nothing to tax a thingmud's brain pan
long
enough
to enjoy one's drink
just what the doctor ordered
sunny paradise
Electric Lights - Star Anna [from Go To Hell]
dropoff at lines' ends
even when not explicitly executed
vocal accent
lags behind the rhythmpulse
Rakish Boy - Bret Hart [from Double Thud]
a bonfire of sounds
or
a mere campfire
or cauldron
hearth
steady heat
rudimental rumpus
guiro edition
set up
four square
in case
we might not expect
or
demand it
numb it in
Old Lade and The Devil - Bill and Belle Reed [from Anthology of American Folk Music]
gossip legend rhyme
pick up a hatchet
and split his skull
outdo the devil
and the old man too
Maybe - The Chantels [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
fashionably expressed devotion
against odds
Jugband Blues - Pink Floyd [from A Saucerful of Secrets]
the voice deflects from continuity
You're My Home - Billy Joel [from The Essential Billy Joel]
taking the grand tour of the states
that fit the rhyme
you're my instant pleasure dome !?!
Roll Me Away - Bob Seger [collected from Dave Marsh's The Heart of Rock & Soul]
I'll be fine
as long as I can keep moving
or
facilitate
escape
cowboy fantasy
Feliz Navidad - London Symphony Orchestra, Placido Domingo Jr. [from Joy To The World]
the horror
the horror
C.R.E.A.M. - Wu-Tang Clan [from Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)]
leg up
to the cycle state
Pretender - Goodness [from Goodness 1995-1998]
portraits paint both ways
to the singer
and to the subject of the
song
In Session at The Tintinabulary
March 15, 2026
Burford - Keith Eisenbrey
Drops
Music of Aaron Keyt - Part 2
This collection is composed of two large sets of short pieces: 40 Hymn Arrangements (2019) and Joshua Tree Preludes (2021). I recorded the hymn arrangements on clavichord in 2024, and the preludes on piano in 2022.
recordings of my compositions (and more!) can be found at keitheisenbrey.bandcamp.com - free to download or stream
