Kaleidoscopes

Cover art The pieces in this collection are all designed, in their own ways, to produce aurally something of the visual experience of gazing through a high-quality stained glass kaleidoscope.

They are not necessarily intended to be experienced sequentially. In fact, the recommendation would be to mix them up a bit—perhaps start with No. 5 or No. 7 and then move on in more-or-less random order.

1. Trinity

2. Humanity

3. trinity

4. The Corners

5. Metamorphosis

6. Abalica

7. Dance of the Great Spheres

8. Ask not for whom

9. SpiritFruit

10. Covenental Clockwork

11. Lost, but Not Forsaken

12. Constanter tempus fugit

This collection was inspired by a very special gift.

It was the first anniversary of our marriage. For some time previous, I had been creatively log-jammed, totally unable to produce any new music at all. I was ready to give it all up.

But then, a very special friend of ours presented us with a very special anniversary gift: It was a hand-made kaleidoscope, crafted from stained glass, that she had made for us as an anniversary gift.

One look through this marvelous and incredible kaleidoscope took away my breath with its beauty and wonder. It also broke the log jam. All of a sudden, I had a totally new sense of direction as a composer!

That was the inspiration for this collection of pieces. Before the week was out, I had conceived a collection of pieces that would attempt to convey, in musical terms, something of the experience of gazing through a kaleidoscope like that wonderful gift. Each one of these pieces, in its own way, makes that attempt—obviously, with varying degrees of success.

Little did I know or think at the time that it would take me over 30 years to complete the set. But finally, in early 2025, I was able to produce the last one, No. 12 (which, by the way, you can also experience in visual/aural form as a video on my YouTube channel [watch it here]).

This collection is dedicated in its entirety to Mrs. Pearl Fellingham, that very special friend who created and gave that very special gift that was the inspiration for this collection.

The music of Charles O. Beck

Kaleidoscopes