Songs For All Seasons

In the run-up to Armistice Day, I have two songs to share. The first, for Remembrance Sunday, is a setting of a thought-provoking poem by G. K. Chesterton (1974 - 1936), called "For a War Memorial". Chesterton was a huge figure, both literally—standing 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighing around 20 stone 6 pounds (130 kg; 286 lb)—and figuratively, in British late 19th and early 20th century literature. He wrote around 80 books, several hundred poems, some 200 short stories, 4,000 essays (mostly newspaper columns), and several plays. He was a literary and social critic, historian, playwright, novelist, journalist, BBC broadcaster, Catholic theologian and apologist, debater, and mystery writer. He was a columnist for the Daily News, The Illustrated London News, and his own paper, G. K.'s Weekly; he also wrote articles for the Encyclopædia Britannica, including the entry on Charles Dickens and part of the entry on Humour in the 14th edit...

Today's Song of the Day is, unsurprisingly, a song about Guy Fawkes Night , aka Bonfire Night, aka  Fireworks Night aka Gunpowder Treason Day. Unless you slept through primary school (or happen to be from outside the UK)  you're likely aware that today marks the day when the nation comes together to celebrate the thwarting of the Gunpowder Plot devised by Guy Fawkes and his fellow conspirators, who aimed to obliterate Parliament and King James I back in 1605. This day is traditionally filled with dazzling fireworks displays and roaring bonfires, where we cast an effigy of Guy Fawkes himself into the flames, though, in more recent years, other notorious figures have taken his place. What you might not know is that in the aftermath of the Plot, the government enacted an Act of Parliament mandating an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot’s failure. We all know the verse: Remember, remember! The fift...

Today's song of the day is a little early, seasonally, but it is the latest performance I have received back from one of my Beta choirs. When I was making my initial list, right at the beginning of this project, of festivals and occasions I wanted to write songs for, I came across a few that were new to me. Lammas is one of these. Lammas (from Old English hlāfmæsse , "loaf-mass"), also known as Loaf Mass Day, is a Christian holiday celebrated in some English-speaking countries in the Northern Hemisphere on 1 August. The name originates from the word "loaf" in reference to bread and "Mass" in reference to the Eucharist. It is a festival in the liturgical calendar to mark the blessing of the First Fruits of harvest, with a loaf of bread being brought to the church for this purpose. Lammastide falls at the halfway point between the summer solstice and the autumn equinox. Christians also have church processions to bakeries, where those working therein are ...

Summer is the season of love, of marriages and betrothals. What better time of year to share the latest recording I have received back from one of my Beta choirs? Today's Song of the Day was written on the theme of engagement, but it would be equally suitable for a wedding. It is a setting of Christopher Marlowe's poem "The Passionate Shepherd to his Love." Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593), a brilliant contemporary of Shakespeare, held the esteemed title of the preeminent Elizabethan playwright until Shakespeare took the mantle. He earned both his BA and MA from the University of Cambridge, yet his life was tragically cut short at the tender age of 29, under circumstances that remain mysterious to this day. Speculation abounds regarding the nature and reasons behind his untimely demise—ranging from a bar-room brawl to accusations of blasphemy, whispers of homosexual intrigue, betrayal by a fellow playwright, and even espionage connected to the highest echelons of Eliza...

I have received another recording from one of my Beta choirs I would like to share with you today.  25th March in the Christian calendar is the Feast of the Annunciation, which commemorates the visit of the archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, during which he informed her that she would be the mother of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.  The poem I have set to celebrate this feast day is called The Annunciation by American poet Alfred Joyce Kilmer (1886 - 1918), known as Joyce Kilmer. As well as writing poetry, Kilmer was also a journalist, literary critic, lecturer, and editor. Kilmer enlisted in the New York National Guard and was deployed to France with the 69th Infantry Regiment (the famous "Fighting 69th") in 1917. He was killed by a sniper's bullet at the Second Battle of the Marne in 1918 at the young age of 31. He was posthumously awarded the Croix de Guerre (War Cross) by the French Republic. It is performed here by the 20-strong Heriot-Watt University Chamber Choir...

Today is American Independence Day so it is fortuitous that I have just completed work on the latest video of a performance by one of my lovely Beta choirs which serves to honour two great Americans on this day. Today's Song of the Day is my setting of a famous poem by Walt Whitman (1819-1892), "O Captain! My Captain!", 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. 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?) who you can see AI-imagined as a sea captain in the first photo of this video. Uncharacteristic of Whitman's poetry, the poem was Whitman's most popular during his lifetime, and the only one to be anthologized b...

Today's Song of the Day is a celebration of summer and of love. Set to a poem by Robert Fuller Murray (1863–1893), A Summer Morning starts with the narrator celebrating the beauty of  the summer morning, declaring that the sun had never been so bright, the birdsong never so sweet, or the grass so green, and we learn that this particular summer day is so lovely because of the presence of his beloved. Although born in the United States, Murray moved with his family at the age of six to Kelso, Scotland and from then on lived most of his life in the United Kingdom, most notably in St Andrews, Scotland. He attended grammar school in Ilminster and Crewkerne and in 1881 he entered the University of St Andrews. He wrote two books of poetry and was published occasionally in periodicals. He sadly died young, most likely from tuberculosis, "dying with his work scarcely begun"*. This poem was published in the volume referenced below, which was published posthumously in 1894, the year...

Today's Song of the Day is seasonally out of sync, but I wanted to share the latest recording I have received from one of my partner Beta choirs.  Maundy Thursday, set to a poem by Christina Rossetti, was recorded by the Cathures Chamber Choir on Tuesday 17th June 2025 as part of WestFest , Glasgow's biggest cultural and community festival. When Cathures first approached me to be part of the Beta testing they explained that their summer concert, called "Windows of Wonder", was to be held at Kelvinside Hillhead Parish Church, Glasgow, and that the songs were to be relevant to the beautiful stained glass windows in the church. Together, we chose the song Maundy Thursday with its reference to Jesus as "The Great Vine" because of the window described on the church's website as: "Jesus turning water into wine at the marriage in Cana (by Cottier, 1893). Appropriately, the background is of vines and grapes." The windows appear as the first image in t...

Today is Saint John's Eve, the eve of the feast day of Saint John the Baptist. It is one of only two feast days marking a saint's earthly birth (the other being the nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary on 8 September). The Gospel of Luke states that John was born six months before Jesus; thus, the feast of John the Baptist’s birth was fixed on 24 June, six months before Christmas. In the Roman calendar, 24 June was the date of the summer solstice, and Saint John's Eve is closely associated with Midsummer festivities in Europe. Traditions are similar to those of May Day, and include bonfires (Saint John's fires), feasting, processions, church services, and gathering wild plants. The poem I have set is not remotely religious, but it is called St. John's Eve by Madison Julius Cawein. It tells a tale of elves and wizards, trolls and Nis (a household spirit in Norse folklore) revelling on Saint John's Eve, trying to tempt the narrator into who knows what, but he was t...

Today's Song of the Day is one I have been looking forward to sharing with you as it is one of my favourites. Today is the midsummer solstice (in the Northern hemisphere anyway), the longest day and the shortest night. The word ‘solstice’ comes from the Latin words for sun (sol) and to stand (sistere). It is also known as "Litha", which is derived from the Anglo-Saxon word for "midsummer”. It's the time of year when the position of the rising or setting sun stands still in its movement along the horizon. The summer solstice has been recognised and celebrated since prehistoric times. Stonehenge in Wiltshire, UK, was built to align with the sun on the solstices. On the summer solstice, the sun rises behind the Heel Stone in the north-east part of the horizon and its first rays shine into the heart of Stonehenge. Even today, people often gather at Stonehenge to mark the summer solstice, echoing the joyous festivities of our prehistoric ancestors. The poem I have cho...

Today's Song of the Day was actually written for the theme of "Becoming an Adult" but it works just as well for a summer occasion. Entitled "When I Was Twenty", it tells the story of a man looking back at his youth (when he was twenty, strangely enough!) at one June day in particular, 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. This poem is a wistful story of regret and missed opportunities, but it also caused me to learn the meaning of the Latin phrase Festina lente - make haste slowly. It was written by William Bliss Carman FRSC (1861 – 1929) and first published in 1896 in the collection "More Songs From Vagabondia". Carman was a gifted Canadian poet who spent much of his life in the United States, where his talent blossomed into international acclaim. In his later years, he was cel...

Happy Father's Day to all those Dads: biological Dads, adoptive Dads, foster Dads, step-Dads and father figures. Men often get a bad rap these days. There's a lot of anti-men rhetoric, and talk of the patriarchy and toxic masculinity, and sometimes with good cause. But there's not enough talk about the good, decent men out there. The ones who don't want to take us back to the time when "men were in charge and women knew their place." The ones who just quietly get on with their lives, being decent human beings and respecting others, the ones who understand that the world has changed, and the ones who have changed with it. One such is my Dad, Bill Cavanagh. He was born in 1940 and turns 85 this year. Although I credit my mum for giving me my first musical teaching, I credit my Dad for getting me into choral singing (and also Star Trek). As a small child I would watch him sing in the church choir every Sunday and long to be up there with him. At the age of 8 I wa...

Today's Song of the Day is the second live recording I have had back from one of my lovely partner Beta Choirs. Appropriately summer-themed, the song is called Invocation to Summer and is sung for you here by the Thames Vale Singers . As a composer, it is difficult to properly imagine one's music how it should sound. Playing it on the piano or even a computer-generated recording is not the same as hearing it sung by real choirs. I am indebted and truly grateful to all my Beta Choirs for helping me to hear my music as it should be performed. And I can only apologise for those long high notes! Scroll to the end of the blog entry to see their very kind feedback! The first green shoots of Thames Vale Singers appeared in the late forties as a choir formed by Mary Richards from Women’s Institute members. By 1953 the WI were meeting in the newly built Purley Memorial Hall and as time went by Mary decided she would like to expand the cho...

Today is Pentecost in the Christian calendar, a Christian holiday which takes place on the 49th day (50th day when inclusive counting is used) after Easter. It commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles of Jesus while they were in Jerusalem celebrating the Feast of Weeks, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 2:1–31). Pentecost is one of the Great feasts in the Eastern Orthodox Church, a Solemnity in the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, a Festival in the Lutheran Churches, and a Principal Feast in the Anglican Communion. Many Christian denominations provide a special liturgy for this holy celebration. The poem I have set for this sacred day is called Pentecost (or Whitsunday) by John Keble. John Keble (25 April 1792 – 29 March 1866) was an English Anglican priest and poet who was one of the leaders of the Oxford Movement. Keble College, Oxford, is named after him. His father was vicar of Coln St...

It has been a month since I last posted - I didn't mean to leave it so long, but the new day job is a lot busier than the old one!!  I should have posted today's Song of the Day on May 29th - it is for Ascension Day. Ascension Day is a Christian remembrance of the bodily Ascension of Jesus into Heaven. Following the account of Acts 1:3 that the risen Jesus appeared for 40 days prior to his Ascension, Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter according to inclusive counting, although some Christian denominations have moved the observance to the following Sunday, sometimes called Ascension Sunday.  The observance of this feast is of great antiquity. Eusebius seems to hint at the celebration of it in the 4th century. At the beginning of the 5th century, Augustine of Hippo says that it is of Apostolic origin, and he speaks of it in a way that shows it was the universal observance of the Catholic Church long before his time. The poem I...

It is the 1st of May - the sun is shining, the air is warm. May Day Bank Holiday may not be until Monday but today is May-Day nonetheless. May Day is a European festival of ancient origins marking the beginning of summer, usually celebrated on 1 May, around halfway between the Northern Hemisphere's Spring equinox and Midsummer solstice. The earliest known May celebrations appeared with the Floralia, festival of Flora, the Roman goddess of flowers, held from 27 April to 3 May during the Roman Republic era, and the Maiouma or Maiuma, a festival celebrating Dionysus and Aphrodite held every three years during the month of May. The best known modern May Day traditions, observed both in Europe and North America, include dancing around the maypole and crowning the Queen of May. The poem for today's Song of the Day is called May-Day by English poet John Clare. From Helpston in rural Northamptonshire, John Clare was born in 1793. He is now regarded as the most important poet of the na...

Today's Song of the Day was written for the theme of St. George's Day, which was yesterday, but it can be used for any April concert as it is a setting of Robert Browning's famous poem "Home-Thoughts, from Abroad". Robert Browning (1812 – 1889) was an English poet and playwright whose dramatic monologues put him high among the Victorian poets. By the age of 12, Browning had written a book of poetry, which he later destroyed for want of a publisher. After attending one or two private schools he was educated at home by a tutor, using the resources of his father's 6000-book strong library. By 14 he was fluent in French, Greek, Italian and Latin. He became an admirer of the Romantic poets, especially Shelley, whom he followed in becoming an atheist and a vegetarian. At 16, he studied Greek at University College London, but left after his first year. His parents' evangelical faith prevented his studying at either Oxford or Cambridge University, both then open o...

Happy St. George's Day! Of all the 77 songs in this collection, the one I am sharing with you today is one of my favourites. It almost wrote itself, seemingly springing from my pencil fully-formed! I wrote the whole thing in a single day - the quickest of all of them. I had visions the entire time of a whole football pitch of England fans singing this. Before you laugh, football took Nessun Dorma to its heart in 1990 - and that was chosen simply for the fact that the lyrics contain the word "vincerò" meaning "I will win" in Italian. So, if there are any people out there on whichever committee chooses football theme tunes - check this one out for England's next big tournament! I stole a tiny snippet of a very famous (public domain) hymn tune for part of this song - see if you can spot it! St. George was not actually English. According to holy tradition, he was a soldier in the Roman army. Of Cappadocian Greek origin, he became a member of the Praetorian Guard...

Today's Song of the Day celebrates a day many of us may be unfamiliar with.  22nd April is Yggdrasil Day. Yggdrasil is the World Tree in Norse mythology, a great Ash Tree that connects our world to the others, with branches that reach high into the Heavens. The tree is supported by its three great roots and is the place where Gods collectively govern over our world. Also known in much of the world as the 'Tree of Life', this day is all about celebrating it as the source of life and of the magnificent nature that supports us and the world around us.  It is important to understand our place within the Universe and to spend time appreciating the co-dependency that we have for each other's existence. You can honour Yggdrasil Day by finding a quiet woodland space. Allow yourself to become immersed with your surroundings and be one with the blessings of nature. The generally accepted meaning of Old Norse Yggdrasill is "Odin's horse", meaning "gallows"....

Happy Easter! After Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, inevitably comes Easter Sunday, the day when Christians globally celebrate the miracle of Christ's resurrection from the tomb. Easter traditions vary across the Christian world, and include sunrise services or late-night vigils, exclamations and exchanges of Paschal greetings, flowering the cross, the wearing of Easter bonnets by women and consuming Easter eggs. The Easter lily, a symbol of the resurrection in Western Christianity, traditionally decorates the chancel area of churches on this day and for the rest of Eastertide. Additional customs that have become associated with Easter and are observed by both Christians and some non-Christians include Easter parades, communal dancing (Eastern Europe), the Easter Bunny and egg hunting. There are also traditional Easter foods that vary by region and culture. Today's Easter Song of the Day is a setting of a poem called "Easter" by American poet Fannie Isabelle Sherrick...