Play it With Flowers - Great Music Inspired by Nature

To coincide with the launch of our new botanical range of super-sized outdoor musical flowers – Harmony Flowers and Harmony Bells – we thought we’d look a little closer to how the world of nature, and in particular flowers, stems out into music and popular culture.

Flowers have long provided inspiration for a lot of artists, from legendary painters like Claude Monet to fashion designers such as Christian Dior. Considered universally beautiful, this botanical inspiration is frequently expressed in a visual form, however with their bright colors, and unique designs (as well as the feelings they evoke), flowers are equally inspiring musically, motivating and coloring the music we create. The choice of arrangement can signify the occasion - flowers can bring happiness, and can also mark occasions of solemnity much in the way that music does. Many famous musicians use flowers as a focal point for their lyrics or compositions. For as long as people have been writing songs, they’ve been using flowers as metaphors, props and symbols for life, love, and death.

Flowers have made an appearance in countless musical hits and songs throughout the years and even today, blooms continue to be a primary theme in music with a plethora of hit ‘floral’ songs released every year. Flowers in music often represent a romance, regardless of whether that romance is blossoming or wilting away.

“If you look deep enough you will see music; the heart of nature being everywhere music” – Thomas Carlyle

Nature and music are intimately connected, with the natural world inspiring musicians and writers from all cultures. Reference to nature and flowers is felt in the songs sung by aboriginal tribes who inhabit forests. Many such examples are found among Yakamas, Hopis, American Indians of Americas, Andamanese, Bhils, Gonds and many other tribes around the world. Folklore studies suggest that the natives spontaneously sing songs and play music about flowers and other natural objects out of their love for the nature in which they live but also to preserve their history, provide important knowledge, cultural values and wisdom.

Wildflowers served as the objects in most of the aboriginal songs and music. Using songlines, Indigenous Australians have acquired an encyclopedic memory of the thousands of species of plants and animals across Australia. They are singing the information in songs that tell stories because song, story, mythology, is so much more memorable than a list of facts.

So, it seems nature, with all its fauna and flora, has always and will continue to play a crucial role in the creative expression we as humans use to understand and explain our existence and the world around us. Flowers are among the most radiant things in nature and if we take a moment to step outside and examine what surrounds us, we’re bound to expand our understanding of what we love - adding depth to the music we make.

We sincerely hope that our new musical flowers Harmony Bells and Harmony Flowers, along with our existing portfolio of outdoor musical instruments will create a new and interesting way to encourage people of all ages and abilities to step outside and find harmony in the great outdoors.

Harmony Flowers and Harmony Bells

Percussion Play has launched a new botanically based range of instruments inspired by nature and a love of the great outdoors. Colorful, and contemporary, the collection begins with Harmony Flowers and Harmony Bells - both flower-shaped ‘bell’ instruments - perfect for al fresco music-making in parks, playgrounds, and inclusive playscapes.

Perpetually in a perfect state of bloom, each ‘flower’ of the Harmony Bells is comprised of four bells of decreasing size and ascending pitch. Available tuned to uplifting major and minor chords, each ‘bell’ - when struck - emits a pure tone with a long sustain. Available as six individual flowers or in a 'bunch' of three bells in complementary chords.

With their bright, vibrant colors, Harmony Flowers are made with a stainless-steel frame, powder-coated aluminum flower petals and bells. The ‘bells’ sing when struck with the attached vandal-resistant beater. They are available as six individual flowers or in two chords of three we've called 'posies'.

With all the flowers having different notes, heights, and colors - you can collect them all to let your musical garden grow and bloom. In this collection you’ll find radiant colors, quirky shapes and designs plus an uncompromising sound quality, what’s not to love? We're very excited about this collection and encouraging our customers to enjoy the world outside even more.

Show your outdoor space some love with the new outdoor musical flowers from Percussion Play.

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