This video features Paganini's Carnival of Venice. The characters of the Italian Commedia dell'Arte include Harlequin, Pierrot and Pierrette, pictured in this video and you can read more about them below. https://www.italymask.co.nz/About+Masks/Commedia+dellArte+Characters.html It is Carnivale time in Venice as this video goes live. The word 'carnival' or 'carnivale' in Italian has similarities to the word carnivorous. The season of Carnivale is a preparation for Lent, traditionally meaning an abstinence from meat, and it begins in February each year, ending on Shrove Tuesday. That day is also known as Mardi Gras in French or Martedi Grasso in Italian. I would certainly recommend viewing some of the wonderful masks captured on Pinterest. https://au.pinterest.com/ideas/venetian-mask-photography/950388746514/ This musical video is from the short story 'Pierrette le Bon and All the Magic of the Universe'. It's a tale set in Paris, inspired by enchanted antiques, violins and Paganini's music. To find out more, and to download the sheet music for this version, www.alexandralouiseharris.com #paganini #sheetmusictoplay #violin #classroommusic #venetianmask #venetiancarnivale.

Pierrette le Bon and all the Magic of the Universe. A whimsical and somewhat peculiar tale accompanying the middle-grade musical adventure, Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist. To find out more visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com. To purchase the book visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop This video features a slightly abridged version of Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen, or 'Gypsy Airs'. I certainly recommend checking out 12-year violinist SoHyun Koh's amazing performance in this Heifetz Institute recording at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kmV2hj-I7Xo Pierrette le Bon lived a lonely life, tucked away in her father's antique store in Montmatre. over the years, her finances dwindled as she gave away all she had to help others. Face with her last franc, she had almost given up help until... magic appeared on her doorstep. When a stranger leaves behind four enchanted violins, Pierrette is thrown into and extraodinary adventure. A quest for find All the Magic of the Universe. This is the second in a seris of unexpected musical tales accompanying the Violetta books. Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist begins right where this tale ends; in Paris in 1890. Illustrated music videos accompanying this story can be veiwed on Alexandra's YouTube channel. Within the ebook, the golden frames also lead directly to each one on Alexandra's website. You can find the Violetta and the Venetian Violin album here on YouTube, or to stream below. http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1590665103?ls=1&app=itunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1590665103 https://open.spotify.com/album/3auU1gNVW4BBIdldtNjize Oh, and if making your own Venetian-style masks is up your alley, then you’ll find some kits on the Violetta shop too. In the meantime, happy reading and playing! #violin, #paganini, #musicforchildren, #classicalmusicforchildren, #animatedstory, #classroommusic, #musicalstories, #sarasate #inspiringyoungmusicians, #creatingstoriesthroughmusic, #violinteacher, #violinvideo, #musicvideo.

Pierrette le Bon and all the Magic of the Universe. A whimsical and somewhat peculiar tale accompanying the middle-grade musical adventure, Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist. To find out more visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com. To purchase the book visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop This video features my version of Paganini's Moto Perpetuo combined with Tartini's Devil's Trill Sonata, a piece inspired by a dream. The following is from a story told to French astronomer Jérôme Lalande. You can read it at https://interlude.hk/on-this-day-8-april-giuseppe-tartini-was-born. It's worth checking out as you'll also find “Tartini’s Dream” by Louis-Léopold Boilly (1761-1845). Beware, it's not for everyone. “One night, in the year 1713,” Tartini reports, “I dreamed I had made a pact with the devil for my soul. Everything went as I wished: my new servant anticipated my every desire. Among other things, I gave him my violin to see if he could play. How great was my astonishment on hearing a sonata so wonderful and so beautiful, played with such great art and intelligence, as I had never even conceived in my boldest flights of fantasy. I felt enraptured, transported, enchanted: my breath failed me, and I awoke.” Tartini continues, “I immediately grasped my violin in order to retain, in part at least, the impression of my dream. In vain! The music which I at this time composed is indeed the best that I ever wrote, and I still call it the “Devil’s Trill,” but the difference between it and that which so moved me is so great that I would have destroyed my instrument and have said farewell to music forever if it had been possible for me to live without the enjoyment it affords me.” Pierrette le Bon lived a lonely life, tucked away in her father's antique store in Montmatre. over the years, her finances dwindled as she gave away all she had to help others. Faced with her last franc, she had almost given up help until... magic appeared on her doorstep. When a stranger leaves behind four enchanted violins, Pierrette is thrown into and extraodinary adventure. A quest for find All the Magic of the Universe. This is the second in a seris of unexpected musical tales accompanying the Violetta books. Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist begins right where this tale ends; in Paris in 1890. Illustrated music videos accompanying this story can be veiwed on Alexandra's YouTube channel. Within the ebook, the golden frames also lead directly to each one on Alexandra's website. You can find the Violetta and the Venetian Violin album here on YouTube, or to stream below. http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1590665103?ls=1&app=itunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1590665103 https://open.spotify.com/album/3auU1gNVW4BBIdldtNjize Oh, and if making your own Venetian-style masks is up your alley, then you’ll find some kits on the Violetta shop too. In the meantime, happy reading and playing! #violin, #paganini, #musicforchildren, #classicalmusicforchildren, #animatedstory, #classroommusic, #musicalstories, #inspiringyoungmusicians, #creatingstoriesthroughmusic, #violinteacher, #violinvideo, #musicvideo.

Pierrette le Bon and all the Magic of the Universe. A whimsical and somewhat peculiar tale accompanying the middle-grade musical adventure, Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist. To find out more visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com. To purchase the book visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop This video features Debussy's Clair de Lune, meaning 'moonlight' is a piece inspired by a poem by Paul Verlain. The translation below is from. https://www.hoffmanacademy.com/blog/clair-de-lune-debussy "Your soul is a chosen landscape On which masques and Bergamasques cast enchantment as they go, Playing the lute, and dancing, and all but Sad beneath their fantasy-disguises. Singing all the while, in the minor mode, Of all-conquering love and life so kind to them They do not seem to believe in their good fortune, And their song mingles with the moonlight, With the calm moonlight, sad and lovely, Which makes the birds dream in the trees, And the plumes of the fountains weep in ecstasy, The tall, slender plumes of the fountains among the marble sculptures." Pierrette le Bon lived a lonely life, tucked away in her father's antique store in Montmatre. over the years, her finances dwindled as she gave away all she had to help others. Face with her last franc, she had almost given up help until... magic appeared on her doorstep. When a stranger leaves behind four enchanted violins, Pierrette is thrown into and extraodinary adventure. A quest for find All the Magic of the Universe. This is the second in a seris of unexpected musical tales accompanying the Violetta books. Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist begins right where this tale ends; in Paris in 1890. Illustrated music videos accompanying this story can be veiwed on Alexandra's YouTube channel. Within the ebook, the golden frames also lead directly to each one on Alexandra's website. You can find the Violetta and the Venetian Violin album here on YouTube, or to stream below. http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1590665103?ls=1&app=itunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1590665103 https://open.spotify.com/album/3auU1gNVW4BBIdldtNjize Oh, and if making your own Venetian-style masks is up your alley, then you’ll find some kits on the Violetta shop too. In the meantime, happy reading and playing! #violin, #paganini, #musicforchildren, #classicalmusicforchildren, #animatedstory, #classroommusic, #musicalstories, #inspiringyoungmusicians, #creatingstoriesthroughmusic, #violinteacher, #violinvideo, #musicvideo.

Pierrette le Bon and all the Magic of the Universe. A whimsical and somewhat peculiar tale accompanying the middle-grade musical adventure, Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist. To find out more visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com. To purchase the book visit: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop This video features the third movement from Paganini's 4th violin concerto. Pierrette le Bon lived a lonely life, tucked away in her father's antique store in Montmatre. over the years, her finances dwindled as she gave away all she had to help others. Face with her last franc, she had almost given up help until... magic appeared on her doorstep. When a stranger leaves behind four enchanted violins, Pierrette is thrown into and extraodinary adventure. A quest for find All the Magic of the Universe. This is the second in a seris of unexpected musical tales accompanying the Violetta books. Violetta and the Paganini Poltergeist begins right where this tale ends; in Paris in 1890. Illustrated music videos accompanying this story can be veiwed on Alexandra's YouTube channel. Within the ebook, the golden frames also lead directly to each one on Alexandra's website. You can find the Violetta and the Venetian Violin album here on YouTube, or to stream below. http://itunes.apple.com/album/id1590665103?ls=1&app=itunes http://itunes.apple.com/album/id/1590665103 https://open.spotify.com/album/3auU1gNVW4BBIdldtNjize Oh, and if making your own Venetian-style masks is up your alley, then you’ll find some kits on the Violetta shop too. In the meantime, happy reading and playing! #violin, #paganini, #musicforchildren, #classicalmusicforchildren, #classroommusic, #musicalstories, #inspiringyoungmusicians, #creatingstoriesthroughmusic, #violinteacher, #violinvideo, #musicvideo.

Recovering from injury means returning to things that have worked in the past. Here are a few ideas and a very random one...the practice pineapple pyramid. Inspired by my discovery that pineapples take years to grow, each of these little origami flowers will represent a week of me sticking to my plans. It's a bizarre idea, but at times like these sometimes we need a bit of creativity.

The Creative Chronicles…an unorthodox name for a vlog. In this week’s video, I’ll tell some secrets about how the Violetta masks came about. There will be history, some personal stories and some other random and strange objects...including the practice pineapple pyramid. Yep, weird, but I'm going with it. I use Adobe Fresco for illustrations and animations, and Adobe InDesign for creating the cardboard for the masks in this video. I use iMovie for the editing, and from next Sunday I'll begin sharing the animated musical videos I've been making to accompany Pierrette and All the Magic of the Universe. More information: https://alexandralouiseharris.com Shop: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop Intro - 0:00 Mask parade - 0:17 Making the Violetta 1 mask and some history - 0:40 Making the Violetta 2 mask and my story - 2:48 Sarasate mask - 5:56 Practice pineapple pyramid - 6:53 Conclusion- 8:29 Who am I? I’m a violinist, teacher and creator of musical middle-grade adventures involving time-travel. I love imagining stories in my music and like all things creative, sometimes we need to step outside of our comfort zones. Performing, yes, that can be frightening, but for people like me who feel they were born in a different era, the internet sometimes seems like alien territory! However, instead of avoiding it, I thought I'd use opportunity to share what goes into creating these magical tales. Over this four week series, I’ll be setting myself some intentions, jobs I need to do, but along the way, I’ll be searching for everyday magic. Although this is a video log, I won’t be calling it a vlog. The individualist in me is rebelling against that term. Instead, I’ll be calling it Creative Chronicles. Pleasingly alliterative, and it reminds me of Narnia. Next week I'll also begin logging the practice pineapple. Yes, slightly odd, but considering their flowers take up to 24 months to grow, I think the fruit makes a worthy musical mascot. #middlegradebooks #maskmaking #venetianmask #childrensillustration #creativevlog

The Creative Chronicles…an unorthodox name for a vlog. In this week’s video, I’m taking you behind the scenes of how ideas get turned into books. Dogs, wallabies, jellyfish and dragonflies are just a few of the characters appearing in this week's episode as well as an unusual bowed instrument. I'll also be sharing my editing process and my plan for all the first drafts I've written before I send them off to the professionals! I use Adobe Fresco for illustrations and animations, and Adobe InDesign for creating the book files in this video. I use iMovie for the editing, and next week I’ll be taking you through how I add make the mysterious masks. More information: https://alexandralouiseharris.com Shop: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop Intro - 0:00 Approving book files - 0:26 Cooking distraction - 0:46 Movies this week - 0:57 Puppy dog characters - 1:37 Fur Seal and Dragonfly - 2:03 Music inspiration - 2:31 Friday - 2:53 Creative Saturday begins - 3:23 Creating book files - 3:43 Signore Maggiorino - 4:57 Beach jellyfish - 5:36 Practice and planning - 5:32 Wallaby - 6:10 Reading - 6:20 Editing before professional edit - 6:34 Next week - 8:29 Who am I? I’m a violinist, teacher and creator of musical middle-grade adventures involving time-travel. I love imagining stories in my music and like all things creative, sometimes we need to step outside of our comfort zones. Performing, yes, that can be frightening, but for people like me who feel they were born in a different era, the internet sometimes seems like alien territory! However, instead of avoiding it, I thought I'd use opportunity to share what goes into creating these magical tales. Over this four week series, I’ll be setting myself some intentions, jobs I need to do, but along the way, I’ll be searching for everyday magic. Although this is a video log, I won’t be calling it a vlog. The individualist in me is rebelling against that term. Instead, I’ll be calling it Creative Chronicles. Pleasingly alliterative, and it reminds me of Narnia. Next week is masks .I'm also planning to start a practice pineapple. Yes, slightly odd, but considering their flowers take up to 24 months to grow, I think the fruit makes a worthy musical mascot. #middlegradebooks #adobeindesign #childrensillustration #creativevlog

The Creative Chronicles…an unorthodox name for a vlog. In this week’s video, I’m taking you behind the scenes into my process for creating the music for the Violetta books, some blue screen behind-the-scenes and how I create the animated videos for Pierrette’s adventure. I use Adobe Fresco for illustrations and animations, and I use iMovie for the editing. Next week I’ll be taking you through how I create the stories and where I find inspiration. More information: https://alexandralouiseharris.com Shop: https://www.alexandralouiseharris.com/shop Creating an album using GarageBand: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV5sXjvLZhvKs6-l2WF3IUAYoh2MamTix https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLV5sXjvLZhvLS9NqZYLt_M9dU6LrTLUzO Intro - 0:00 Jobs and wrapping books- 1:12 Violetta music diary- 1:52 Violin practice - 2:14 Blue Screen - 2:54 Costume alterations- 3:22 First violin video - 4:09 NYE - 3:46 Recording the album - 4:20 Birdlife interval - 5:20 Wedding dress - 5:50 The Swan video- 6:21 Next week - 6:41 Who am I? I’m a violinist, teacher and creator of musical middle-grade adventures involving time-travel. I love imagining stories in my music and like all things creative, sometimes we need to step outside of our comfort zones. Performing, yes, that can be frightening, but for people like me who feel they were born in a different era, the internet sometimes seems like alien territory! However, instead of avoiding it, I thought I'd use opportunity to share what goes into creating these magical tales. Over this four week series, I’ll be setting myself some intentions, jobs I need to do, but along the way, I’ll be searching for everyday magic. Although this is a video log, I won’t be calling it a vlog. The individualist in me is rebelling against that term. Instead, I’ll be calling it Creative Chronicles. Pleasingly alliterative, and it reminds me of Narnia. Next week is the writing. I'm also planning to start a practice pineapple. Yes, slightly odd, but considering their flowers take up to 24 months to grow, I think the fruit makes a worthy musical mascot. #middlegradebooks #adobefresco #childrensillustration #creativevlog