Songs For All Seasons

We are returning to Grief Awareness Week for our next song. This poem is very famous 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 ever written. Get the music for this ...

Today's Song of the Day is a special one for me. We're taking a break from Grief Awareness Week as today is my youngest's 17th birthday and this song is to celebrate that fact. One of the life events I wanted to write about was pregnancy - but you may (or may not) be surprised to learn that there is very little public domain poetry about pregnancy. Thinking about it, the reason is obvious - pregnancy in those days was a thing to be kept secret, not celebrated as we do today. Pregnancy was concealed as it was evidence having *gasp* done the deed!! So I asked my youngest, who has shown an inclination for poetry, to write me a poem about Pregnancy and here is the result. I did add the chorus-type part from the point of view of the mother (those are the indented bits), but the parts from the baby's point of view are the work of my talented now-17-year-old! (And in case you are curious, Julie Reilly is the name I use for my word-writing, as opposed to my music-writing. Reill...

We continue with Grief Awareness Week with a setting of a poem entitled "My Mother's Hand" by Hattie Howard (1860-1920). A child's relationship with their mother is undefinable. It's the first love any of us knows, formed before we are even born. It's a complex love, threaded through with strands of discipline to ensure we grow up to be the best person we can be, and, if we are lucky, it survives our turbulent teenage years unscathed to mature into a strong bond of deep affection. Hattie Howard's poem is written from the haunting perspective of an adult remembering those golden days of childhood whilst contemplating her mother's face and hand "encoffined, still, and white." This song is dedicated today to a young friend of my daughter's, Maisie Croft, who lost her mother recently far too soon. RIP Louise Croft. Get the music for this song for free - find out how here . ...

Happy December!! You might think that this is the perfect moment to dive into the joyful embrace of Christmas music. After all, the advent calendars have been joyfully opened, the stores are brimming with festive delights, and perhaps you've already begun your Christmas shopping or are contemplating the start of that exciting journey. Worry not - we will indeed celebrate with Christmas music very soon. But before we immerse ourselves in those cheerful tunes, it’s important to acknowledge that today marks the beginning of Grief Awareness Week (2nd December - 8th December). For many, Christmas is a season filled with joy and laughter. Yet for others, it can be a time of sorrow. This may be the first Christmas spent without a beloved companion, or perhaps the loss was some time ago, but the pain still lingers. Some might even find this season tinged with bittersweet memories if they lost someone around this time of year. Therefore, our first song of December is a heartfelt piece for B...

Today is St. Andrew’s Day so naturally our Song of the Day today is to celebrate the patron saint of Scotland. St. Andrew holds a cherished place not only as the patron saint of Scotland but also for 21 other nations and towns. His protective embrace extends to fishermen, fishmongers, rope-makers, textile workers, singers, miners, pregnant women, butchers, farm workers, and even offers solace against ailments like sore throats, convulsions, fever, and whooping cough, as well as to the valiant souls of the Russian Navy and the US Army Rangers! St. Andrew was one of the original twelve Apostles of Christ, a brother of St. Peter. Andrew is said to have been martyred by crucifixion on an X-shaped cross, or saltire. Legend has it that Óengus mac Fergusa, the king of the Picts from 820 to 834, heavily outnumbered, led an army of Picts and Scots into battle against the Angles. On the eve of battle, he prayed fervently, vowing that if victory was granted to him, he would name Andrew as the pat...

Hello friends Firstly, apologies for being quiet for a few days. I have been away for work - the kind of work they pay me for, not music work. Rude of them I know to expect me to actually work for my salary rather than messing about with music stuff all day, but what can you do? There will be a Song of the Day tomorrow for St. Andrews Day, but I wanted to share some very exciting news I received this week. The world premiere public performance of one of my Songs for all Seasons will be taking place on Sunday 8th December 2024 at 3pm. The Faringdon Singers , of Faringdon Oxfordshire, will be performing " Merry Souls " as part of their Christmas concert! It's a shame I can't be there, but it is a long trek from Blackpool! But, if you are in the vicinity, take yourself down and have a listen and let me know what you think 😊 It is free entry - yes, FREE entry - with a retiring collection for Sanctuary Faringdon which aids asylum seekers and refugees.

Today is National Adoption Day, so it feels only right to share a song that beautifully encapsulates 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 bey...