Music for Life of Pittsburgh Videos
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On this page, you’ll find a collection of original solo harp and solo hammered dulcimer musical compositions
and related music videos.
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Solo Harp
This song came as a reflection about this very unique year, 2020. My dear grandmother, Norma Moore, passed away in February, and shortly after her death a devastating global pandemic began, forever changing our lives. During trying times like these people often reflect on what has happened, how things could have been and how to move forward. Writing this song is one way in which I chose to express the sense of longing and loss that is associated with the year 2020. That is how I came to name the song Hindsight from the old adage, “Hindsight is 2020.”
The video was recorded on the Blue Mist Trail in North Park, located in McCandless, PA. The harp is a custom Irish Style Harp built by Craig Pierpont from Another Era Harps.
This song is loosely based the traditional Scottish tune Tha Mi Sgith, otherwise known as Pulling Bracken. Curious to find out more about the translation, I discovered that bracken is a type of poisonous fern that is removed from fields to protect livestock. Since I performed this song in Fall Run Park in Glenshaw, PA, I decided to call this version Water Fern Gully as a nod to the original title. Hope you enjoy it!
Inspired by Pete St. John’s song Fields of Athenry, a tale of a couple torn apart, I wrote Golden Field of Delight thinking of the happier times the loving couple must have had together before the fated day they were forced to part.
The video below was taken at Erie Bluffs State Park near Erie, PA. The golden fields of tall grass in the park were the perfect setting for this song.
This song is dedicated to Kate Silberberg. She encouraged many people to soar and take flight throughout her life and work with her husband, Brad Silberberg, at the Mesa Creative Arts Center in Burgettstown, Pa. For more information about the Mesa Creative Arts Center please visit www.mesacreativearts.com.
This video was filmed at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware on August 1, 2017.
This piece has a contemplative dream-like feel to it, which is how I thought of the title "Dreaming." The song is recorded in memory of my father, Marshal Brett Hickman, a musician and composer who along with my mother and family encouraged me to pursue music. Some of my fondest memories of my father are of us playing at the shoreline with my little toy boat so I was especially excited to see the footage of the sailboat in the background.
This song was written with the sea in mind, so it was an honor to get to play it with ocean waves. The song was recorded at Cape Henlopen State Park in Delaware in the Gordon's Pond section of the park.
The harp I play in the video is a 36 string Legend carbon fiber harp by Heartland Harps. The song itself is structured loosely and informed by improvisation. This allows the song to be lively and spontaneous like the ocean waves themselves.
This song is an original piece of music that Stephanie composed while playing bedside harp music at the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh. The video was recorded at Rehoboth Beach, DE. It is posted in honor of the International Day of Peace.
Amongst the Barley
Original composition based on "The Juice of the Barley" by Henry Purcell. Music arranged and performed by Stephanie Miller, CMP, VAHTP, on a Legend harp by Heartland Harps.
This recording was made at Highland Park in Pittsburgh, PA on July 1, 2017.
Video recorded with a GoPro Hero 4
Audio captured with a Zoom H4N
Here is one of Stephanie's original compositions, Waterfall Waltz. It was recorded atop Cucumber Falls in Ohiopyle State Park, PA.
This song is dedicated two wonderful women who have supported my musical endeavors: my grandmother-in-law, Mémère Jeanne Bernard Ferron, and my grandfather’s cousin, Violet McMillan.
Castle Meditation is a song that I wrote while thinking of the beautiful ruins I saw during my trip to Northern Ireland. It is dedicated to my friends Cathy McKeary and Richard Simpson, natives of Coleraine, Northern Ireland, whom I met through Ulster Project Delaware. Cathy and Richard graciously welcomed me into their respective homes for an amazing trip abroad, which I will always cherish. For more information about the Ulster Project, please visit the Ulster Project International website: www.ulsterproject.org.
When I play Castle Meditation I envision a bard playing the harp for a gathering in a great stone hall. The 3/4 portion of this tune can be played at a faster tempo as a dance piece. It can also be played with a slower tempo to enhance the tune's meditative qualities.
This video showcases one of the great features of my harp, its color-changing LED lights. This unique carbon-fiber harp is suited to play for outdoor and indoor events and can be played in any type of lighting to fit the mood of your special event! This video was taken at The Barn at Ligonier Valley (http://www.barnatligoniervalley.com) at a wedding reception. The harp is the 36-string Legend from Heartland Harps (http://www.heartlandharps.com/model-l...)
Angels' Song is a piece I composed while working as a Certified Music Practitioner at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. It is dedicated to all of the patients, families, and staff who have a connection with the facility.
While playing this piece I have heard people describe the song as if they were surrounded by loving arms in a gentle hug, or that angel wings had enfolded them in their loving care. Playing this piece has helped many people relax and fall asleep peacefully in various hospital settings. I have also used this piece for christenings, memorial services, and as a processional for many weddings.
Solo Hammered Dulcimer
This is an arrangement of the Scottish tune Old Gray Cat. Though it starts out fairly traditional, I had fun playing with the various rhythms and harmonies that make up this arrangement. Shifting into 5/4 time for the final time through the tune adds some extra pep, and utilizing the pedals really makes some of the rhythms pop. The cat even joins in with a jolly meow at the end of the piece!
This video was recorded at Stuart Recreation Area in Elkins, WV on September 23, 2023. Video was recorded by Stephanie Miller and myself. I am playing here on a Masterworks RCE 17/17 XR-RS. This arrangement has the range of D2 to E6.
This is an arrangement of Walking Song for hammered dulcimer. It was originally composed as a solo piece for lever harp composed by my wife, Stephanie P. H. Miller. It was inspired by a walk on a windy autumn day in southwestern Virginia. The opening section in 4/4 represents walking out into an autumn forest, looking at all the colorful leaves and taking in the surrounding beauty. The second section in 6/8 introduces the wind as it comes rippling through the trees, causing the leaves to fall gracefully. The walk continues, building in intensity and wonder as the leaves dance on the breeze.
I have always loved this piece. This is one of the first songs I set out to learn when I started playing the hammered dulcimer in the fall of 2017. I performed this as one of my competition pieces when I won the 2019 Mid-East Regional Hammered Dulcimer Championship at the 45th Coschocton Dulicmer Days in Coschocton, OH. I continued developing the second half of the piece, and this arrangement is the result.
Walking Song fits well on a 15/14 hammered dulcimer.
Dreaming in the Morning is the first song I composed for the hammered dulcimer. It started as a melody I was hearing in my dream one morning. I was able to capture it and develop into the piece heard here. It fits on a 15/14 dulcimer with a range of D3 to B5.
This is my hammered dulcimer arrangement of The Green Room by Wayne Gratz. This was one of the first songs I wanted to learn to play on this instrument, and it was one of my competition pieces when I won the 2019 Mid-East Region Hammered Dulcimer Championship.
Here is my arrangement of Memory from the musical CATS by Andrew Lloyd Webber on Hammered Dulcimer! It's a beautiful song, and it's been a joy to work on this arrangement. Thank you to my teacher Karen Alley for her input and guidance. I hope you enjoy the arrangement, and the scenery!
I am playing it on a Masterworks RCE 17/17 XR-RS using hammers by Katie Moritz. This video was filmed at Smith Mountain Lake, VA on April 25, 2021.
Let yourself be carried away with this beautiful classic song from Beauty and the Beast. I've always loved this song, and I am happy to share my arrangement with you all. I played this as my encore after placing 2nd in the National Hammered Dulcimer Championship at the Walnut Valley Festival in September, 2022.
I am playing a Masterworks RCE 17/17 XR-RS, and this arrangement utilizes the full range of the instrument, D2 - A6.
Sheet music for this arrangement is available through SheetMusicDirect.com and can be found here: https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/en-US/se/ID_No/1220612/Product.aspx.
Here is the second movement from Cello Suite No. 1 In G Major by J.S. Bach. This lovely spot is located in Fall Run Park in Glenshaw, PA.
This is the Courante, the third movement from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major by J.S. Bach for the hammered dulcimer. I played this piece on my Masterworks RCE 17/17 XR-RS.
This video was recorded atop Breakneck Falls at McConnells Mill State Park in PA. I found a beautiful spot beneath the Breakneck Bridge to set up to play and the additional shots in the video were from the bottom of the falls. The fast passages in this movement reminded me of the water cascading down the rapids and over the rocks below, and I was happy to be able to pair the music and the location in the video!
This is the Sarabande, the fourth movement from Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major by J.S. Bach for the hammered dulcimer. I played this piece on my Masterworks RCE 17/17 XR-RS.
This video was recorded in a field of Lance-leaf Coreopsis at Hartwood Acres in Allegheny County, PA. The peace present in the midst of the flowers seemed like the perfect location for this reflective movement from the Cello Suite.