{"product_id":"darkness-starts","title":"Darkness Starts","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI grew up singing in choirs, playing the piano (as a good little piano student), and playing guitar in rock bands (as a bad little piano student). And even though I love \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eloud\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e guitar solos as much as the next bad piano student, I also \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003elove\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e the intense quiet possibilities of the electric guitar, as the pickups amplify even the softest playing. This gentle piece of music mirrors the gentleness I hear in \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.poetryfoundation.org\/poems\/56706\/darkness-starts\" title='\"Darkness Starts\" poem by Christian Wiman' rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\"\u003eChristian Wiman's elegant poem\u003c\/a\u003e. Guitar effects like reverb and delay are invited to blend the guitar with the choir, just as the guitar slide blends the guitar into vocal glissandi. Finally, I tucked in a nod to Samuel Barber, whose \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003eKnoxville: Summer of 1915, \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003elike Wiman's poem, captures a dusky nostalgia that has enchanted and inspired me for years as I watch my own children play in the shadows of the yard. —Andrew Maxfield, 2023\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\"Darkness Starts\" was recorded by Sound of Ages on their album, \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/soundofages.org\/recordings\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Sound of Ages - First Light\" rel=\"noopener\"\u003eFirst Light\u003c\/a\u003e (available on streaming platforms and vinyl).\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ciframe width=\"560\" height=\"315\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/fnyNyi1PDbY?si=bS7VaAsvhXrpM-6N\" title=\"YouTube video player\"\u003e\u003c\/iframe\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Andrew Maxfield, Composer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41522633474094,"sku":null,"price":3.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0037\/3715\/7678\/files\/darknessstarts.jpg?v=1763749615","url":"https:\/\/andrewmaxfield.org\/products\/darkness-starts","provider":"Andrew Maxfield, Composer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}