Concert day yesterday! I wrote the music for Tell O Shepherds a few years back, inspired by carol singing basically. I wanted something that just felt like one of the traditional carols, four-part, with a nice sop descant in the last verse. There’s a little bit of a nod to ‘Infant Holy Infant Lowly’ with the rising sequence, and think the words might even be related/from the same source originally.
You can get the sheet music for Tell O Shepherds here.
catching up with arrears here; recorded these for Easter!
Him upon the cross I love – A year some back, I think, I returned to the Catherine Winkworth oeuvre … and had a go setting this one in a kind of, um, musical theatre style? I find it rather challenging to sing, but here’s a kind of demo anyway.
From Thy Heavenly Throne, a new recording of one that first appeared here, words again by Winkworth.
God of mercy, God of grace – I recorded this before too, but maybe never shared it. Words by Henry Francis Lyte. unlike the previous two, this is less soloistic, could be definitely sung by a group, more of a … I was going to say “modern” and “hymn”, but what I think I mean is 80s-90s chorus 😄
Wesley: Easter Hymn. I kind of didn’t realise these lyrics were THIS song, without the Allelulias I associate it with. So, here’s another different tune! This one is also envisaged more as a singable group song – one of those joyful marching songs for Easter.
Easter Week by Charles Kingsley. I am enjoying the jubilant melismas and big alto notes here ^_^
o those Elizabethans and their aesthetic bitterness! Here’s a song setting sketch from a couple months ago that I never posted, but had a decent rough recording of.
words by Robert Jones, found in Lyrics from the song-books of the Elizabethan age
Once did my thoughts both ebbe and flow,
As passion did them move,
Once did I hope, straight fear again,
And then I was in love.
Once did I waking spend the night,
And told how many minutes move,
Once did I wishing waste the day,
And then I was in love.
Once by my carving true love’s knot,
The weeping trees did prove,
That wounds and tears were both our lot,
And then I was in love.
Once did I breathe another’s breath,
And in my mistress move,
Once was I not mine own at all,
And then I was in love.
Once did I Sonnet to my Saint,
My soul in numbers move,
Once did I tell a thousand lies,
And then I was in love.
Once wore I bracelets made of hair,
And collars did approve,
Once wore my clothes made out of wax,
And then I was in love.
Once in my ear did dangling hang,
A little turtle dove,
Once, in a word, I was a fool,
And then I was in love.
This weekend we had the first, I think, UK performance of the Four Hildegard texts, and the definitely first performance of O virga ac diadema (another setting of words by Hildegard), by my ogs, Bristol University Schola Cantorum. A big thank you to Emma Hornby, Gillian Hurst, and all the staff of St. Nicholas’ Brockley for a lovely afternoon. I wondered at first why this venue, out in the middle of nowhere it seemed to me (— a non-driving urbanite, bear in mind though)… once I got there all became clear. I walked down a track through a field in the low afternoon sun towards and old stone tower in the distance, then through some kind of magical tree-shaded lane…
To here. I definitely recommend visiting if you are ever nearby!
Schola sang my Hildegard settings between two sets of plainchant, the first while processing into the church and up to the front.
Excerpt O virga diadema:
The Orange County Women’s Chorus got in touch about a performance of two of my Four Hildegard Texts, one of which you can now watch / listen to below:
This was performed as part of their concert program, The Sisterhood of Cecilia, which began with music by Hildegard herself.
Thank you! A beautiful performance.
Quick live recordings again….
Very live, work-tape recordings of a couple new songs, and a bunch of old ones from flicking through my chord sheets~
I took part in the latest 2 hour album challenge on one of the hottest days of the year. I wasn’t going to do anything at all, but then I figured that while I couldn’t standing sitting with the heat of my computer filling the room and headphones, I might do something with a lot of live singing.
And, as it turns out, cardboard box percussion. I found this broadside ballad — a very big fish story indeed! — on the Bodleian’s website, as part of a huge project collecting ’em.
I’m a couple years late for the sea shanty trend (and not sure this really qualifies as a shanty), but here’s “Thundering Large Sea Snake” from the MONSTROUS album:
You can get the whole album here with 60 more tracks, pay what you want, and donate to rescuing cats.
Watch this song being made (when the camera wasn’t overheating)
And some actual music:) I think it’s been a clear month since I made any song settings. This is a quick recording of a Robert Burns lyric that might be called “The Silver Tassie”, with a new tune by me. My pronunciation is not… stable… I’m afraid, but shh.
Go fetch to me a pint o’ wine,
An’ fill it in a silver tassie;
That I may drink, before I go,
A service to my bonnie lassie.
The boat rocks at the pier o’ Leith,
Fu’ loud the wind blaws frae the ferry,
The ship rides by the Berwick-law,
And I maun leave my bonnie Mary.The trumpets sound, the banners fly,
The glittering spears are rankèd ready;
The shouts o’ war are heard afar,
The battle closes thick and bloody;
But it’s no the roar o’ sea or shore
Wad mak me langer wish to tarry;
Nor shout o’ war that’s heard afar,
Its leaving thee, my bonnie Mary.