Composing
I have written an acapella arrangement for three voices (SAT, or really AAT/B), a nostalgic song about Scotland based around the melody from the first movement of Mendelssohn's Scottish Symphony. I persuaded my 18 year old son (tenor/baritone) and 14 year old daughter (alto) to sing
Wedding
We had a lockdown wedding in December 2020, at Judges Hotel, Kirklevington. Due to covid restrictions we were only allowed 15 guests and no reception, so we improvised a toast in a lay-by near the hotel. Below are some collected posts taken from our original wedding website. Taksameteret går Our
Francis Cabrel
Here’s my attempt to provide a singable English translation of the song “Je t’aimais, je t’aime et je t’aimerai” from Francis Cabrel’s 1994 album, “Samedi soir sur la terre”. Post originally published in 2020. “Je t’aimais, je t’aime et je t’aimerais” is
Francis Cabrel
I wanted to share a song that I've been preoccupied by a little. It's a song by the French singer-songwriter Francis Cabrel and, when put prosaically, couldn't be more French. An adult looks back at a formative sexual experience of his adolescence, when he
Reviews
“There’s one thing you must tell him – let him explore.” Josephine Peach’s advice to me for my 7 year old son, about to start his first piano lessons. What was joyful about Peach’s recital at Ripon Cathedral, the first in the new season of the cathedral’s
French
Stuck in my head today is France Gall's beautiful song "Ce soir je ne dors pas" so I thought I'd share it here. I'd be grateful for a French person's opinion on the translation query at the crucial part of
French
Francis Cabrel is one of my favourite singer-songwriters, coming from the region of France where I lived for ten years. I learnt much of my French from his songs, as he writes with a great deal of intelligence and poetic sensibility and love for language and music - in the
Thoughts
One of my favourite Paul Simon songs is "Some folks' lives" and I was reminded of it today meeting some other Harrogate Gingerbread mums and sharing stories. Here are the lyrics; have a listen: [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbagtXi4HBs?rel=0] It's
Choir
Sadly I've decided to stop singing with the Clerkes in York, an excellent and fun chamber choir which I have been a member of for six months. While I've enjoyed the time I have spent, and I've tried various things to make it work,
Thoughts
Something which often preoccupies me is how an atheist (like me) can fully engage with and experience art which is inspired by religious faith. That's not to say I don't think it's possible, as in fact I think rather the opposite. But defining how
Thoughts
I lived away from the UK for ten years, and had a slow internet connection so couldn't stream radio. So coming back here last summer, I had no idea what the different UK radio stations were or what you could listen to on them. I love listening to