Paul Max EdlinComposer | Artistic Director | Lecturer | Performer

2013 (appx 3 ‘)
setting of words by John Dowland
for double choir (16 parts)

Programme Note:

MacMillan famously said ‘Events, dear boy’.  Things happen and at times of crisis, the fortunate artist within us can say ‘Enough’, and it is time to inhabit only beauty.

In early 2013 I set about composing four pieces for unaccompanied choir that I dedicated to kind and special people all of whom demonstrated infinite humanity and grace.  Each piece chooses texts of great significance.  ‘Weep No More Sad Fountains’ is a well-known song by John Dowland.  My reworking explores its tenderness, its dreaminess and its magical qualities, exuded by the twists and turns of Dowland’s original melody.  It is dedicated to Sally-Ann Edlin.

So the experience of composing these works was not only deeply cathartic, it was also a way of me creating beauty out of ugliness and challenge and saying things in music I would not wish to repeat in words.  Maybe one day a musicologist will have a field day?

Perusal score available on request

This entry was posted in Choral. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>

Current day month ye@r *