Josh Verbae
1) Tom Thumb
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Long ago, in the merry days of good King Arthur, there lived a ploughman and his wife. They were very poor, but would have been contented and happy if only they could have had a little child. One day, having heard of the great fame of the magician Merlin, who was living at the Court of King Arthur, the wife persuaded her husband to go and tell him of their trouble. Having arrived at the Court, the man besought Merlin with tears in his eyes to give...
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There was once a man who had three sons, the youngest of whom was called the Simpleton. He was laughed at and despised and neglected on all occasions. Now it happened one day that the eldest son wanted to go into the forest, to hew wood, and his Mother gave him a beautiful cake to take with him, so that he might not suffer from hunger...
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Once upon a time there were Three Bears, who lived together in a house of their own, in a wood. One of them was a Little, Small, Wee Bear; and one was a Middle-sized Bear, and the other was a Great, Huge Bear. They had each a pot for their porridge; a little pot for the Little, Small, Wee Bear; and a middle-sized pot for the Middle Bear, and a great pot for the Great, Huge Bear. And they had each a chair to sit in; a little chair for the Little, Small,...
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For Epicurus, the purpose of philosophy was to attain the happy, tranquil life, characterized by peace and freedom from fear, the absence of pain, and by living a self-sufficient life surrounded by friends. He taught that pleasure and pain are the measures of what is good and evil; death is the end of both body and soul and should therefore not be feared; the gods neither reward nor punish humans; the universe is infinite and eternal; and events in...
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The Star-Child is the story of an abandoned infant boy found in the woods by a poor woodcutter, who pities him and takes him in. He grows up to be exceedingly beautiful, but vain, cruel, and arrogant, believing himself to be the divine child of the stars. He lords himself over the other children, who follow him devotedly, and takes pleasure in torturing the forest animals and town beggars alike.
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Set in a magical kingdom where a wealthy prince and a Russian princess meet for the first time and fall madly in love with each other. Their wedding is to be a huge celebration for the entire realm, with all sorts of entertainment, including fireworks as a grand finale. As soon as various firework elements are set in place they start talking amongst each other and we meet the very distinguished Remarkable Rocket responsible for so many of Oscar Wilde's...
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This traditional Christmas Carol is also known as 'The Basque Carol' or simply as 'Gabriel's Message'. It tells a story of Jesus' birth. Charles Bordes composed the tune while researching traditional Basque music. He published several of these traditional songs, and some were popularized elsewhere in Europe. This recording offers reading of the English language text followed by magical Harp music based on original composition.
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Hughie Erskine is in love and wants to marry, but the girl's father will not allow it, since Erskine has no money. Erskine's friend Alan Trevor is a painter, and he visits him at his studio one day to find him with a pitiable beggar - the model for his painting. Erskine only has one coin, on which he depends for transportation, but he decides he can walk for a couple of weeks and gives the beggar the coin.
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A nightingale finds a young romantic student in tears because he cannot find a red rose for his beautiful ball partner. There are no red roses in the garden. The nightingale visits all the rose-trees in the area, and one of the roses tells her there is a way to produce a red rose, but only if the nightingale is prepared to sing the sweetest song for the rose all night with her heart pressing into a thorn, sacrificing her life. Seeing the student in...
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This traditional Christmas Carol is also known by its ancient name 'Greensleeves' dating from England around the time of Henry VIII, and some say that it was even written by the king himself. This recording offers reading of the English language lyrics followed by magical Harp music based on original Christmas Carol melody.
14) Pussy Tales
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Pussy Tales offers unique insight into hidden lives of our feral friends. Adventures, misadventures, and even darkest secrets revealed in this collection of tales told through the eyes of the animal. Mother cats share their life wisdoms and tricks with their kittens. We learn how cats observe humans and try to imitate them. Cats share their observations about human people and offer humorous remarks about human manners.
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This traditional Christmas Carol is often referred to as 'The Huron Carol' or 'Twas in the Moon of Wintertime.' A Jesuit missionary in Canada adapted an old 16th Century French tune into a Christmas Carol, adding words in the local Huron language which he taught to the Indians where he was based. This recording offers reading of the English language text followed by magical Harp music based on original composition.
16) Psalm 111
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Psalm 111 includes reading of the eponymous prayer followed by beautiful piano music based on original compositions of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Piano music includes: The Seasons, Les Saisons Op. 37a, June: Barcarolle. Prayer read in English, unabridged by Josh Verbae. Music recording by Anton Kingsbury.
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Oscar Wilde's is most famous for his satirical plays which he wrote at the time of great literary enlightenment, when all Britons were able to embrace literature previously only available to the wealthy and educated. At the height of the prosperity sweeping through London in the Victorian Era Oscar Wilde also wrote many tales offering rich and dramatic portrayals of the human life and condition. This volume of Oscar Wild tales includes: The Model...
19) Blue Beard
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Once upon a time there was a man who had fine houses, both in town and country, a deal of silver and gold plate, carved furniture, and coaches gilded all over. But unhappily this man had a blue beard, which made him so ugly and so terrible that all the women and girls ran away from him.
20) Nine Lives
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Did you know cats have nine lives? Mother cat tells her life story and teaches her kittles cat-wisdom and useful cat-life tricks.