November 2024: Commissions Three
Categories: Composery Life
I have three songs to write this month – all commissions! Ooh – proper composer, or what!? I’ve already started one. Hopefully by the end of November they’ll all be done and I can tell you about them a bit more…
1st November
Good morning from Northumberland and Happy November to you. Here’s my November 1st song, composed for a friend’s birthday two years ago.
2nd November
Another grey day here, but there’s always colour to find if you look hard enough. Today, I spotted yellow things, and the main reason I went for this theme was because a teensy plant of yellow snapdragons has appeared weed-like growing from the join of our house to the path, and it’s very gorgeous indeed, as you can see! I went for the yellow walk this afternoon in between lots of 9th chords and some sausage roll making. When I got home with my yellow photos, someone in Essex had bought a copy of this song!
3rd November
This song was today’s earworm. Mum and I bought a jigsaw from a man wearing a mask under his chin this morning. It was serving no purpose (mask, not chin). I think that’s what did it with the earworm!
4th November
Some choir somewhere is learning this song. It’s not The Bridge Singers, but like them, I think they rehearse on a Monday, because for the last three Monday afternoons and then Tuesday mornings, this video has been watched an inordinate amount of times. The song is nine years old – the world premiere was given by The Bridge Singers in their inaugural concert, and they made this video in 2020 as a lockdown project. They sang it and they illustrated it. They are splendid.
5th November
The first of my three commissions is a song I wrote at the request of my friend Richard, whose wife, Carol died earlier this year. It is a setting of part of Psalm 139. I finished it, and yesterday at The Bridge Singers’ rehearsal we had a go at the very beginning. Richard wrote this: “Thank you, thank you, thank you for the music and score for Knit Me Together. I listened to it and followed the score yesterday before choir as soon as it arrived. It is really beautiful to listen to, a lovely evocation of the words from the psalm and a sound that carries a strong resonance with the person we all knew and loved in our different contexts – Carol. The music could not have been written by anyone else, but it’s not like any other piece of yours I have sung in The Bridge Singers. I cannot wait to start singing it and to see how the choir reacts.”
The recording I sent to Richard was of the computer playing on its oboes. When I have another recording with singing, I will post it here!
6th November
The grey weather continues, but I did have a very cheery rehearsal with Swarland Voices this evening in readiness for our concert appearance on Saturday. I have no music from today to tell you about, except that I’m working full tilt on my second commission. However, although I didn’t do a composery blog in October, I did create some musicky little videos so here’s one from mid-October when autumn was showing its gorgeousness.
If you like Lullaby of Silences (and it really is an excellent song!!!) there’s more information here! Carole wrote: “That is a very beautiful and moving composition Cheryl. One of your best I think.” Shuna wrote: “It is surely one to be truly proud of. Can we sing it again soon, please?” Jeanette wrote: “Such a heart-breaking beautiful song”
7th November
I walked from Warkworth to Amble and back today, meeting up with Mum on the way. I did the same last week too, when it was still October and much sunnier. Here’s bit of that one!
8th November
Busy with work on the second of my November commissions today, but time for a walk this afternoon. It’s been a grey old week weather-and-mood-wise, but still things to spot that make you sing, and still music to write and recall.
9th November
Swarland Voices performed at a concert in Newton-On-The-Moor this evening with Fiddlezonly. First item on our first set was Salsa Salsa. ‘Twas a merry event with dancing too. Only half the choir was present, but they did a grand job with lots of cheering comments afterwards. This choir really is a complete delight – such merriment and musicality every single Wednesday….and on some Saturdays too, as it turns out!
10th November
I wrote an article for The Bridge today about the music in The Bridge Singers’ upcoming Wintry Carols and Songs programme, particularly focussing on the Largo from Vivaldi’s Winter (The Four Seasons). Also, it was Remembrance Sunday, and that reminded me of this song, which we’ve sung a few times in the choir, and made this video for Remembrance Day in 2020 when no-one could meet up at the war memorial in the village.
November 11th
Poster day! Also…choir night! We’re learning Margaret Watchorn’s newest and very jolly song for this concert, “For St. John’s Day” – another world premiere for us. We reached the end of the note-bashing this evening, then cracked on with my arrangement of Handel’s How Beautiful Are The Feet – one of my absolute favourites. We sang it in our inaugural concert nine years ago, but that’s a long time ago so none of us can remember it, so more note-bashing for us next week. I’ve done it before – tune only with some primary school classes as you can see in the video, and also with a treble choir – that’s the version in the video!
November 12th
This morning’s sunrise was a very colourful affair indeed. I went walking in it and took pictures of trees as you can see. This evening there was singing with three pals. Really lovely to be in a quartet for a change, when every single thing you sing really matters. In between I went walking with Mum along the coast south of Amble. A day full of very lovely things.
13th November
Just back from Swarland Voices when we went for it with Christmas songs after last weekend’s gig. We started learning this one, and also sang the John Foster “While Shepherds Watched” which I absolutely love.
14th November
This evening at Lionheart Harmony, we sang Magical Glass (the Sunderland version) which most of us had in our folders, and most of us don’t remember having ever sung. Mick’s been going through his freshly sorted folder and we’ve been singing everything in alphabetical order, so all sorts of things are cropping up that we don’t remember singing. Anyway, Simon clearly remembers singing it as his family recite the sprouts bit from the Pyrex verse whenever there are sprouts to be had! After we’d practised it a bit, Mick said, “I like it. Well done!” Praise indeed.
15th November
I’m about to head off to a rehearsal of Rock Festival Choir, who are rehearsing for their Advent concert on December 1st. One item on the programme is my Hodie Christus Natus Est, which is thrilling. This morning Mum and I went for a walk along the coast near Howick. Here’s the evidence!
16th November
Lots of music today, but I can’t tell you about that yet. so instead… A bit of Burns for a Saturday afternoon. It’s Rebekah, me, Alison, Jamie and Connor indulging in a bit of resonant acoustic in Brinkburn Priory one Saturday afternoon in early March 2020 – part of one last glorious sing out before singing out became temporarily unacceptable.
17th November
There’s been much moon talk during the last two days – a full super moon has been clearly visible most of the night on both nights. I went out yesterday to see the sun rise, but more impressive was this moon. The sunrise clouds were also very colourful and there was a kestrel hovering on my way down the hill.
If you’d like to hear the whole song The Moon, which sets the words of Robert Louis Stevenson, here is Craighead Chorale performing it in 2013. They dimmed the lights in Dunedin Town Hall just for this song, and as it happens, I was in the audience and had worked with the choir a few days earlier – part of my holiday that year!
Craighead Chorale performing The Moon
18th November
Monday, so The Bridge Singers’ choir night, which is always a thrill. We tackled a lot of stuff tonight including Samuel Scheidt’s Puer Natus In Bethlehem. We did sing it in our Epiphany concert in 2022, but we’ve a few new people since then. Also, that’s two years ago, and we do forget! Anyway, here’s a clip of that performance with our current concert poster in animated form!
19th November
I walked from Warkworth to Alnwick today, then caught a bus home. I saw lots of splendid things, I happened upon my pal Jenny and we chatted merrily, I saw a bullfinch, which is always a thrill, I wore myself out with the length of the walking and the coldness of the wind, but I was in a state of exhilaration because as I neared Alnwick, a fox strolled out from a hedgerow onto the path. We looked at each for a while, then the fox bounded off into the field, leaping very springily over tussocks and the like. I never have in all my days encountered a live fox. There’s no photo (although I did take one of the bullfinch), but of course there’s a song. I didn’t write this one, but I did arrange it.
20th November
A quieter day. Plenty of work done, and a Swarland Voices practice in the evening, but nothing I can share from that as yet, so here’s a compilation of yesterday’s long, long walk.
21st November
Another day of lots of work, which I can’t yet disclose, but in amongst it I went on a walk round the Swarland Loop in the icy wind and noticed white things.
22nd November
Today there was a Rock Festival Choir practice in St. Paul’s, Alnwick in the evening. The concert’s on 1st December at 3pm if you’d like to come along. We’re singing lots of slushy songs and a few lively ones – all sound gorgeous in the church, and even though it was exceedingly cold in there and several were missing, it still already sounds brilliant. My Hodie is one of the lively ones and I get to conduct the women’s choir, and another is William Mathias’ Bell Carol in which I get to play a C# and a triangle. Another lively one is Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day when my tambourine gets an outing. Otherwise, I’m singing. In other news, there’s still snow on the shady ground and there were lots of people at the supermarket – perhaps anticipating that tomorrow they’ll be Storm-Berted-in.
23rd November
I was chatting to a teaching pal today about how students think that they can dress up their poxy work by presenting it in an outrageous font like Haettenschweiler, changing the colour to a gaudy green and think that their teacher will be so impressed that they won’t notice the grim quality of their remarks and analysis. So in honour of my pal and in the spirit of the student with the poxy work, I give you my attempt to pull the wool over my own eyes that this was a sparklingly sunny day. I couldn’t bear the green Haettenschweiler for the entire thing, so I’ve morphed it into a more acceptable Century Gothic and a lightish grey. Pics are of Queensland, September 2023. Music is Golden Rain Baby, composed in Queensland in the late 1990s.
November 24th
Brilliant day. Skyping with Australia, then a wonderful, wonderful performance of Tippett’s A Child Of Our Time at the Glasshouse in Gateshead, then “surprise” singing one of the three November commissions at Shuna’s birthday drinks – the world premiere, no less, with Rebekah, Jamie and Connor. Up until now, I’ve not been able to mention it to anyone except them and Shuna’s sister Fiona, who commissioned it. Part of the gift was to make this video as well, so I’ll leave this here for now:
In most versions of the original, the lady’s voice is seldom heard. Our Great-Grandmother’s version, however, shows the events entirely from the lady’s perspective – a practice these days known as imaginative response and something which as an English teacher I encourage students to do in their creative writing.
I have always liked the original ballad and it was extremely pleasing to come across our great-Grandmother’s creative response to it. The setting of it to music by Cheryl makes for a very fitting birthday present for my sister.”
November 25th
Roast dinner with Mum, Frances and Colin then a choir practice.
November 26th
A tricky day, which started with an excellent walk at the seaside with Mum and Frances. This photo is of us at sunrise. It could be anyone, I guess, but it’s not! I also continued briefly with my arrangement of Unto Us Is Born A Son and then lots of gathering myself together ready for more musical action during the rest of the week.
November 27th
The highlights of the day came in the evening when I had first a Swarland Voices rehearsal, then a quartet practice with Jamie, Rebekah and Connor. Swarland Voices are full-on Christmas singing now with a mini-concert in a fortnight, and also an appearance at the Christmas Memorial Service at Northumberland Woodland Burials and Crematorium. The four of us practised my now completed arrangement of Unto Us Is Born A Son, and my song Knit Me Together – both sounded fab, and will sound fabber later in the week. I took no photos today, but here is one, which surfaced today from one of the guests, of the four of us singing at Shuna’s party on Sunday.
with the commissioning sister, Fiona, listening in.
This is the world premiere of The Dowie Bride Of Yarrow
As an added bonus, here’s a video I made of a green-hued walk on October 15th, which remained un-shared at the time!
November 28th
Afternoon walk in the setting sun:
November 29th
Here’s another animated poster for next weekend’s concert with The Bridge Singers. There were three posters to choose from, and we went for the sheep one in the end, but the others are striking too!
November 30th
Here’s a bit more of November, including some photos I haven’t yet used, and a minute of yesterday’s rehearsal for Rock Festival Choir – concert’s tomorrow at 3pm in St. Paul’s Church Alnwick. The first picture in this video is one I came across last week while doing a random search for “Retford Flying Scotsman” on the internet. The picture’s from 2016 and in amongst the crowd there’s me and Dad. I don’t know who took it but I’m very happy I spotted it and us!
So of the three commissions, I’ve finished two. One’s been performed, the other is being rehearsed and will be performed next weekend, and the other is still on-going – no deadline, you see – these are the ones that are always put off!!!
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