New song – No refuge Save Thee
Yesterday I asked my friends on Facebook to assist me by contributing an uplifting quotation so that I could set it to music. I received a lot of wonderful responses (thank you to those of you who shared such wonderful passages). I tried many of them out as I had a melody in mind and the quote that seemed most suitable is the one below shared by Ladan Eshraghi (thanks Ladanjoon)! It is a beautiful prayer on the theme of steadfastness by Abdu’l-Baha. Parts of the prayer were not easy to set to music because of some of the long sentences and words but as I let go and allowed myself to feel the rhythm, I’m happy with how it came out. Please bear in mind that it is a rough recording.
O Thou beloved of my heart and soul! I have no refuge save Thee. I raise no voice at dawn save in Thy commemoration and praise. Thy love encompasseth me and Thy grace is perfect. My hope is in Thee. O God, give me a new life at every instant and bestow upon me the breaths of the Holy Spirit at every moment, in order that I may remain steadfast in Thy love, attain unto great felicity, perceive the manifest light and be in a state of utmost tranquility and submissiveness. Verily, Thou art the Giver, the Forgiver, the Compassionate.” -Abdu’l-Baha
16 Comments
Elika Joon….. it’s so evident you were inspired. The melody is haunting….
Just beautiful, beautiful, beautiful….
Thank you for sharing your talents with all of us so freely. ❤️
Thank you Munijoon for your loving and encouraging words. I truly enjoyed recording these powerful and beautiful words.
Muni, above, has voiced my sentiment almost exactly. It’s also fascinating to have an inside look of your creative process. The Words on the page take flight towards their very Origin.
Thank you Bret as always for your kindness. It truly means a lot to have friends encourage me throughout this process of creation. I’m sure you know exactly how it feels to see something you create come to fruition… it is truly a gift to enjoy the process of creativity!
I truly love the music you have composed to go with this piece and more than that, I find your voice and tone very indicative of a humble servant turning for assistance to his / her Creator. It is very moving. Thank you dear Elika for this special creation.
Thanks azizam! It is dedicated to you so I’m glad you enjoyed the piece.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing it with us.Every soul who is serving the mighty cause needs these words,and what better way to intone it than listening to this.Your chants often mesmerise us here and bring an amazing spiritual atmosphere to our devotional gatherings.May He confirm you in all your endeavours.Much love from India.
Beautiful El love! Now another one for your consideration:
“O friend, the heart is the dwelling of eternal mysteries, make it not the home of fleeting fancies; waste not the treasure of thy precious life in employment with this swiftly passing world. Thou comest from the world of holiness — bind not thine heart to the earth; thou art a dweller in the court of nearness — choose not the homeland of the dust.” (Baha’u’llah, The Seven Valleys, p. 34)
Great job! It’s not easy getting really long sentences and really long words into a melody. As a whole, the piece is calming and invites meditation. I like how you repeat the last part about tranquility and submissiveness.
Thank you so much Sina. Warms my heart to know you are using these prayers in India.
Hi Brandon – You’re absolutely right – it is not easy to compose a melody with long sentences and especially with words like ‘tranquility’, ‘commemoration’, encompasseth’, ‘submissiveness’ and ‘felicity’ but it was a wonderful challenge!
Thank you for your contribution Jalehjoon! I will definitely consider it for the next composition. 🙂
Elika joon, thank you so much for gifting us with such beautiful talent and magic voice of yours. May AbdulBaha always protect you and your family. Lots of love.
Thank you so much Farahnaz for your kindness.
dear Elika ~ thanks for this beautiful presentation… wonderful to see how the Master asks to be renewed and awakened every moment…. an ongoing reaching for help & assistance from above…. i met your husband twice in China but never saw you in person… Did you ever meet Jack Lenz and consider getting him to work with you to present an album of your impressive melodies? Or Louie Shelton, who did a marvelous job with an album with Munirih Sparrow… thanks for sharing with us and making the day brighter! The point is, your work is fabulous and worthy of professional production! thanks for your gift today!
Hi Steve – thank you for your comment and suggestions. I have met Jack Lenz and he was kind enough to visit my humble studio and give me some tips for upcoming compositions for my CD on the theme of detachment which I hope to release later this year. I have been blessed to work with 2 wonderful producers in the last 9 years and we have released several CDs which you can listen to on my music page (Fire and Gold, Birds of Love, Glimmerings and Edge of Forever). I do occasionally enjoy sharing rough versions of compositions so that my friends can hear them in their raw form and then depending on how they are received, I often consider recording them professionally. Thanks again for your input Steve.
thanks again precious love for all that you do to make this world a better place through your beautiful music…
My pleasure Jalehjoon! Thank you for all your love, support and encouragement!