The Snowy Day
Music inspired by the classic picture book and field recording.
Irving Park is where all the kids in the neighborhood come to sled down a small hill when it snows. I walked out in to the middle of the action and let my earbud microphones soak up the mirth. Have a listen to an excerpt:
My score is an arrangement for kalimba, celeste, glockenspiel, and synth(s). It is available exclusively on Bandcamp for free. It’s a one day soup to nuts recording, just like I used to do when I was first making music. It is also the kind of thing that I’m aiming to one day include on this Substack for premium subscribers (only). I’m not there yet. But that’s the idea for a way forward.
I thought about the classic children’s book The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats when composing it. It tells the story of Peter and his adventures on a snowy day.
One winter morning Peter woke up and looked out the window. Snow had fallen during the night. It covered everything the eye could see.
I love everything about this book. Like Keats' illustrations, I wanted to play with texture in a less is more way. Fuzzy synth passages intertwine with plucky melodies and bell tones.
My favorite panel might be the one with Peter in the big pink bath. I wanted my score to sound like that illustration; warm, safe, thoughtful.
He told his mother all about his adventures while she took off his wet socks. And he thought and thought and thought about them.
Beautiful.