Mark John, Author at Music of the Periodic Table

Tones of Water

The quality of water permeates every aspect of our physical, emotional and spiritual world. Two elements, Hydrogen and Oxygen, the 1st and 8th elements from the periodic table join. Two gases join and create the framework for our lives. How interesting that a compound that is in a liquid state creates a framework, yet it…

Tones of Silver

47-Ag-Silver On the Equinox this year 9/22/2023 I performed “Silver Moon” in the Key of Silver at the Commons in Viroqua, Wisconsin. Rahbi Crawford on Crystal Bowls (rahbi crawford.com), Jai Lynn Mcpheron on vocals and Monte Mcpheron piano (Mindfull living), Christopher Robin on piano, Rosie Rain on percussion and Jeff Miller on sax performed…

Music Compilation

These two recordings are from a recent performance in Viroqua, Wisconsin– July, 2023. Following the two recordings is a program with musicians and notes. Combined Element Sound Sketches (1 through 6 in the program) {18 minute listen} Violin accompanied by Rahbi Crawford on Crystal Bowls https://rahbicrawford.com/ (Number 7 in the program) {6 minutes} …

Tones of Nitrogen

Improv in the key of Nitrogen Improvisation with a High Spirits, First Nation flute. This traditional flute is made in the key of F#. Percussion by Larry Stephens. Nitrogen is the 7th element in the periodic table. It is one of the 6 elements that make up 98.7% of the human body. Approximately…

The Work of Joseph Rael – Tsluu-teh-koh-ay – Beautiful Painted Arrow

The work of Joseph Rael, Tsluu-teh-koh-ay, Beautiful Painted Arrow. Over the last few months I have been reading the work of Joseph Rael, a Southern Ute and Picuris Pueblo First Nation mystic and spiritual leader. I was attracted to the titles of his books, Sound; being and vibration: entering the new world; and House of…

Boron

5-Boron-B Image explanation:An image reflecting the importance of boron as an essential mineral for plants. The tree and its strange metallic foliage ‘grow’ from a ‘pure’ dark powdered cone of the element. Appearance:Pure boron is a dark amorphous powder. Uses:Amorphous boron is used as a rocket fuel igniter and in pyrotechnic flares. It gives the…

Rumi’s “The Guest House” in the key of Carbon

The Tones of Carbon By Commons:Robert Lavinsky – File:Diamond-and-graphite-with-scale.jpg, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=39385953 This recording is a sketch of the tones of carbon done by Siobhan Elia on cello, Maya Bennardo and me on violin. There are two versions, one that is instrumental and another with a voice over with a poem by Rumi. Maya…

Rumi’s ‘Where Everything is Music’ in the key of Oxygen

There is a delight in following a stream of thought, seeing where it meets the next body of thought and how they dance together. The following composition is with my daughter, Siobhan Elia (cello) [https://confluencelearningspace.com/], Larry Stephens (percussion) and me on violin. The field recording is simple and done as a single take. The poetry…

Dancing Particles in the Key of Hydrogen

Rumi in the Key of Hydrogen Hydrogen, the most abundant element, the lightest known element, the element that is in every part of our body is the framework for this composition. As I work with the tones from the elements, I find a beautiful consonance between the colors. It is quite mind bending to step…

The Human Elements

After what seems like an inordinate amount of time, I have finished working through the elements of the human body. The question now is what to do with this body of work? Or is it, work of the body? While traveling in Europe the summer before last visiting a dear family friend, her partner…

Tones of Lead

This is the last element in this series that I am analyzing. Lead, Pb, (plumbum-Latin), element 82 is the second heaviest stable element. It is soft, malleable, blue-white element that tarnishes quickly in moist air to a dark grey. It may be the first metal that was ever smelted at approximately 7,000 BCE. The Wikipedia…

Tones of Gold

Gold is the 79th element and one of the heaviest naturally occurring elements. It has been known since ancient times and artifacts from the ancient Ur (modern Iraq) civilization have been found and dated to 3,800 BCE, or 5,800 years ago. It is a shiny, soft, yellowish red, heavy malleable and ductile element. A one-gram…