Songs For All Seasons

Today's Song of the Day is a setting of a poem by John Le Gay Brereton called simply "Death". John Le Gay Brereton (1871 – 1933) was an Australian poet, critic and professor of English at the University of Sydney. This poem explores the profound grief of a mother who has lost her son in war. The speaker's raw emotions are conveyed through vivid imagery of touch and memory, as she recalls her son's childhood and the comfort he brought her. Compared to Brereton's other works, this poem is particularly poignant and personal. It reflects the sombre mood of the time period, marked by the devastation of World War I. Get the music for this song for free - find out how here . Death By John Le Gay Brereton He, born of my girlhood, is dead, while my life is yet young in my heart Ere the breasts where his baby lips fed have forgotten their softness, we part. We part. He was mine, he was here, though he travelled by land and by sea, My son who could trample on fear, my ba...

Today's Song of the Day is my setting of a very famous poem, although many people "of a certain age" may, like me, have been first introduced to it in the film "Dead Poets Society" starring the incredible, inimitable, indescribably funny Robin Williams (can you tell I'm a fan?) "O Captain! My Captain!", by Walt Whitman (1819-1892), was written in 1865, in the wake of President Lincoln's assassination in April of that year.  Although he never met Lincoln, Whitman felt a connection to him and was greatly moved by Lincoln's assassination. The metaphor is that the USA is the ship of state, with Lincoln as its captain/father. Uncharacteristic of Whitman's poetry, the poem was Whitman's most popular during his lifetime, and the only one to be anthologized before his death. In early 1866, a reviewer in the Boston Commonwealth wrote that the poem was the most moving dirge for Lincoln...

Today's Song of the Day is a sacred song - my simple setting of the words to the hymn "In Sweet Communion" in celebration of Confirmation. I couldn't find who wrote these words - my source simply said "unknown (from Psalm 73)". If anyone knows, I would be interested to find out. This song is being Beta Tested by my friends at Holy Redeemer Choir In Sweet Communion By: unknown (from Psalm 73) In sweet communion, Lord, with Thee I constantly abide; My hand Thou holdest in Thine own To keep me near Thy side Thy counsel through my earthly way Shall guide me and control, And then to glory afterward Thou wilt receive my soul. Whom have I, Lord, in heaven but Thee, To whom my thoughts aspire? And having Thee, on earth is naught That I can yet endure. Though flesh and heart should faint and fall, The Lord will ever be The strength and portion of my heart, My God ete...

Today's Song of the Day is on the theme of Birth/Babies so I dedicate it today to all new parents who have recently welcomed a new addition to their lives. It's a setting of the poem "Lullaby" by Horace Smith, a contemporary and friend of the perhaps more famous poet Percy Shelley.  Smith had a day job as a stockbroker and after making his fortune in business, went on to produce around twenty historical novels. This song is being Beta Tested by my friends at Burgess Hill Choral Society . Lullaby By Horace Smith Sleep, little baby, sleep, love, sleep! Evening is coming, and night is nigh; Under the lattice the little birds cheep, All will be sleeping by and by. Sleep, little baby, sleep. Sleep, little baby, sleep, love, sleep! Darkness is creeping along the sky; Stars at the casement glimmer and peep, Slowly the moon comes sailing by. Sleep, little baby, sleep. Sleep, li...

Apologies, friends, for not having posted in a while - work (the kind that pays the bills) suddenly got busy! Today's Song of the Day is a heartfelt piece for Bereavement, titled "Let Me Go" by Christina Rossetti. Christina Georgina Rossetti (5 December 1830 – 29 December 1894) was an extraordinary English writer renowned for her romantic, devotional, and children's poetry, including "Goblin Market" and "Remember." She also penned the lyrics to two well-loved Christmas carols: "In the Bleak Midwinter,” famously set to music by Gustav Holst, Katherine Kennicott Davis, and Harold Darke, and "Love Came Down at Christmas," which has also been beautifully set by Darke and other composers. “Let Me Go” is a poignant poem written from the perspective of the lost loved one, gently urging those left behind to cherish their memory, not through tears, but by embracing the joy of happy mem...

Today's Song of the Day beautifully captures the bittersweet theme of growing up, of embracing the journey into adulthood. Growing up is an unpredictable and often tumultuous time, whether it’s a phase you anticipated with excitement throughout your childhood or one you feared upon grasping the weight of adult responsibilities. This poignant poem by William Bliss Carman, who wrote under the name of Bliss Carman, is called "When I Was Twenty." It reflects the heartfelt nostalgia of a man reminiscing about the carefree moments of his youth as he fell in love with the enchanting, "melting, wayward, wistful, shy" Madeline, before the demands of the "hurrying world" pulled him away. First published in 1896 in the collection "More Songs From Vagabondia," it resonates deeply with anyone who has navigated the complexities of growing up. William Bliss Carman FRSC (1861 – 1929) was a gifted Canadian poet who spent much of his life in the United States,...

Todays' Song of the Day is in honour of all the girls out there who are turning 18. Becoming an adult is a tough, scary time. Yes, you're legally an adult and can do all sorts of things you couldn't do yesterday, but does it really feel that way? Don't you still need a more adultier adult to help and support at times? It's important to understand that it's OK to feel that way. No one expects you to suddenly have all the answers and be able to do everything. You'll probably find that that feeling will stay with you for a long time, and may never actually go away.  One of the most important things to learn about being an adult in this world is that we all still need each other. It's OK to ask for help, support and advice from people who you trust. And it always will be! Happy birthday! Today's Song of the Day is a setting of Lennox Amott's poem "Stanzas Addressed to a Lady Coming of A...

Today's Song of the Day on the theme of Baptism is a setting of a poem entitled "The Christening" by Walter de la Mare, an award-winning  English poet, short story writer and novelist. A gentle, lilting melody, this would be suitable for any celebration of a child's baptism.  This song is being beta tested for Songs for all Seasons by the Barisons Singers . The Christening By Walter De La Mare The bells chime clear, Soon will the sun behind the hills sink down; Come, little Ann, your baby brother dear Lies in his christening-gown. His godparents Are all across the fields stepped on before, And wait beneath the crumbling monuments, This side the old church door. Your mammie dear Leans frail and lovely on your daddie's arm; Watching her chick, 'twixt happiness and fear, Lest he should come to harm. All to be blest Full soon in the clear heavenly water, he Sleeps on unwitting of't, his little breast Heaving so tenderly. I carried y...

Today's Song of the Day is on the theme of Adoption. I found it surprisingly challenging to discover a public domain poem focused on adoption, so I've chosen one that tells the the oldest adoption story of all, the timeless and poignant story of Moses. Not only is this piece fitting for an adoption celebration, but it also resonates with any occasion where the inspiring tale of Moses can be shared, such as a Family Service. "The Story of Moses" was written by H. P. Nichols (1816 - 1890), from Salem, Massachusetts. He was the visionary behind a thriving publishing company in Boston during the mid-1800s alongside his partner William Crosby. This venture eventually evolved into Nichols & Noyes. This poem is from a volume printed in 1850 with the inscription: "Most of the simple verses which compose this volume were written for a very dear child, with no thought beyond her gratification. They are published at the request of friends...

Today's Song of the Day is for Epiphany. We may feel as if Christmas is well behind us now, it was back to work for me today and back to work, school and college for millions across the country. But 6th January is the Feast of Epiphany, known as Three King's Day is some cultures, and also as Little Christmas or Old Christmas. In some parts of the Spanish-speaking world, the emphasis of Christmas Day is on family dinner reunion and church attendance, while gifts are exchanged on the Feast of the Epiphany, when according to tradition the Three Wise Men (or Magi) brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Baby Jesus. It is an important celebration in Spanish-speaking countries, mainly dedicated to children, who receive their gifts on the morning of 6 January. In some countries it is a public holiday that marks the end of the Christmas season which started on Christmas Eve. Today's song is a simple, singable se...

The lucky Scots get two Bank Holidays for New Year - the 1st AND the 2nd of January. So today's Song of the Day is another New Year's Day-themed song. It is a setting of a poem called, rather unimaginatively, "New Year's Day" by Canadian poet Thomas Frederick Young. I can find little information online about this particular poet other than that he was Canadian, a poet and author, and died in 1940.  So, with nothing more to say, I will wish you all a Happy New Year in the poet's own words: "A happy, happy, bright New Year, I wish to all the sons of men, With happy hearts, and merry cheer, Till it has roll'd its round again." New Year's Day By Thomas Frederick Young Hail! joyous morn. Hail! happy day, That ushers in another year, Fraught with what sorrow, none can say, Nor with what pain, to mortals here. Another year has roll'd away, With all its sorrows, joys and fears, But still the light of hope's glad ray, Yet beams within our hear...

Happy New Year everyone! I hope you are not too worse for weather after the celebrations of last night. Today's Song of the Day is the first of two New Year's Day themed songs. it is a setting of a poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox called "New Year Resolve". On the theme of new year, new life, new hope, it exhorts the reader to put behind them errors and failures of the past and press on with a new hope in the new year. New Year Resolve By Ella Wheeler Wilcox As the dead year is clasped by a dead December, So let your dead sins with your dead days lie. A new life is yours and a new hope.Remember We build our own ladders to climb to the sky. Stand out in the sunlight of promise, forgetting Whatever the past held of sorrow and wrong. We waste half our strength in a useless regretting; We sit by old tombs in the dark too long. Have you missed in your aim? Well, the mark is still shining. Did you faint in the race? Well, take breath for the next. Did the clouds drive you back? ...