Songs For All Seasons

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...

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 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...

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...