Written in April 2025. 
Allan Ramsay (self-portrait).

Allan Ramsay

Written in April 2025. Orchestra.
George Coventry, 6th Earl of Coventry, Allan Ramsay.

George Coventry

Written the April 2025. Orchestra.
A Lady and her child (detail), Allan Ramsay.

A Lady and her child

Written in April 2025. Three trumpets, harp, ten solo strings and string orchestra.
Cristo crucificado, Diego Velázquez.

Cristo crucificado (1)

Written in April 2025. Four trumpets, harp, ten solo strings and string orchestra.
Cristo crucificado, Diego Velázquez.

Cristo crucificado (3)

Written in April 2025. French horn, three trumpets. harp. ten solo strings and string orchestra.
Christuskopf, Rembrandt.

Face of Jesus (3)

Written in May 2025. Clarinet, string quartet and strings.
The Nebra sky disk (Himmelsscheibe von Nebra), Bronze Age.

Nebra sky disk (1)

Witten in May 2025. Clarinet, string quartet and strings.
The Nebra sky disk (Himmelsscheibe von Nebra), Bronze Age.

Nebra sky disk (2)

Nebra sky disk (3)

Written in May 2025. Clarinet,  string quartet and strings.
The Nebra sky disk (Himmelsscheibe von Nebra), Bronze Age.

Nebra sky disk (4)

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
The Nebra sky disk (Himmelsscheibe von Nebra), Bronze Age.

Nebra sky disk (5)

Nebra sky disk (6)

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
View of the Granite Rocks at Cape Woolamai, Eugene von Guérard. 

Granite Rocks

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
The gardener, Frederick McCubbin.

The gardener

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
A bush burial, Frederick McCubbin.

A bush burial

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
Down on His Luck, Frederick McCubbin.

Down on His Luck

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
The Pioneer, Frederick McCubbin.

The Pioneer

Written in May 2025. Solo violin and strings.
Flood Waters, Frederick McCubbin.

Flood Waters

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
A Lord of the Bush, Hans Heysen.

A Lord of the Bush

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
The Camp at Wonoka Creek, Flinders Ranges, Hans Heysen.

The Camp at Wonoka Creek

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
The White Gums, Ambleside, Hans Heysen.

The White Gums

Written in May 2025. Orchestra. 
Droving into the light, Hans Heysen.

Droving into the light

Written in May 2025. Orchestra.
Red Gold, Hans Heysen.

Red Gold

Written in June 2025. Orchestra.
On the edge of clearing, Ableside, Hans Heysen.

On the edge of clearing

Written in June 2025. Orchestra.
Three Sisters of Aroona Valley, Hans Heysen.

Three Sisters of Aroona Valley

Written in June 2025. Orchestra.
Cows Grazing Amongst the Gums, Hans Heysen.

Cows Grazing Amongst the Gums

Written June 2025. String Quartet. 
Panorama of Port Jackson, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

String Quartet No 4 (i)

Written in June 2024. String quartet.
Panorama of Port Jackson, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

String Quartet No 4 (ii)

Written in June 2025. String Quartet.
Panorama of Port Jackson, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

String Quartet No 4 (iv)

Written in June 2025. String quartet.
Port of Sydney, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

String Quartet No 5 (i)

Written in June 2025. String Quartet.
Port of Sydney, Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

String Quartet No 5 (iv)

String Quartet No 5 (v)

Written in June 2025. String Quartet.
'Nouvelle Hollande, Ile King, l' Elephant Marin on Phoque a Trompe, Vue de la Baie des Elephants,' Charles Lesueur.

String Quartet No 6 (i)

String Quartet No 6 (ii)

String Quartet No 6 (iii)

String Quartet No 6 (iv)

Written in June 2025. String Quartet.
The corvettes "Le Géographe" and "Le Naturaliste" during the scientific expedition to Australia (1800–1804) led by Nicolas Baudin (1754–1803), Charles-Alexandre Lesueur.

String Quartet No 7 (i)

String Quartet No 7 (ii)

String Quartet No 7 (iii)

String Quartet No 7 (iv)

Composed 1994-96. Orchestra. 

This is a first movement of a classical symphony, with an introduction, a sonata form main section, and an extensive coda. But it bears the marks of Australia – the slow moving melodies, the block structure, the pedal points, and the ceremonial use of the Last Post and Reveille. I use a number of melodies (apart from my own): The Sweet Sorrow (Hebridean), The Farewell to Music (by the Irish harpist Carolan, composed in 1738 just before he died), eight lullabies from various nations, the final fugue from Bach's Art of Fugue as a shadow in the second half, and, in the final section, the pibroch form of bagpipe music. The melody of the introduction, set over a passacaglia, is a setting of the beginning of 'For Love Alone', by Christina Stead, titled 'Sea People', about the island continent's watery place in the world.

This piece is about migration and permanence, about life, death and resurrection. 

Nowra, NSW (painted by my father, Barry Carroll).

The Sweet Sorrow

"In the night the heavy earth is falling from all the stars into loneliness" (Rilke). Nathan Waks cello, Anthony Fogg piano. Written and recorded in 1979.
Jimmies Island, South Coast, NSW, Barry Carroll

In Terra Pax

Tachanun: Supplication (Hebrew). Piano quartet. Composed in 1996. Tachanun is part of the morning service in which prayer is spoken while the head rests on the arm. A mirror structure - with the first part being replicated at the end - and within, an unfolding melody, which grows and grows.
Megalong Valley, NSW, Barry Carroll.

Tachanun

Written in July 2018. Orchestra. A setting of the Gregorian chant, Rorate Caeli - "Sprinkle the earth with dew, O heavens, and let the clouds rain down justice."
Mount Solitary, NSW, Barry Carroll.

Rorate Caeli

Written in September 2019. Orchestra. "Air des Naturels de la N[ouve]lle Hollande au Port Jackson." Bernier's transcription of an aboriginal melody. Noted down by members of Nicolas Baudin's French expedition in NSW, Winter and Spring 1802.
Bermagui, NSW (close up), Barry Carroll.

Air Des Naturels De La N[ouve]lle Hollande

Australian composer, born 1960, married to Clare Maclean (New Zealand/Australian composer). The first series of paintings used on my Soundcloud sight were by my father, Barry Carroll. I have used other painters since then. There is a wide variety of music here: recent compositions, pieces written in my thirties, student works, and pieces written in my teenage years. Its mostly based on Finale versions of my scores. There is a full list of my Soundcloud pieces at https://john-carroll-poems.com/soundcloud-recordings/

Soon after I started learning piano I began composing. At university I studied with Peter Sculthorpe (1978-81) [and earlier, with Martin Wesley-Smith, Moya Henderson and Eric Gross]. My style was modernist (In Terra Pax, Sonata for Two Pianos and Horn, Qui Tollis). After my studies I felt drawn to tonality. Many of my pieces were written during my thirties. My style is often tonal, sometimes using the structures of classical music, sometimes incorporating traditional melodies, aiming to express a sense of the timeless goodness in existence. I became a pastor. There was a twenty year exile from composition, during which time I started writing poetry. 

In 2018 I began composing again. Over 1830 new works have been written, each one canonic - using Plainsong, Jewish cantillation, Scottish pibrochs, Icelandic music, early transcriptions of Aboriginal music, Breton and Northumbrian melodies, Gaelic psalms, Irish and English tunes, Welsh folk songs, and my own melodies (and an extended series of works that accompany paintings) "joining our voice to a great communal voice that calls out across the centuries" (Ben Myers). Bruckner greatly influenced me when I was young. May I also create melodies that "arc from heaven" (Colin Davies). 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100025651981505
Poetry: https://john-carroll-poems.com/ 
Email: yomechad7@gmail.com
Thesis: https://john-carroll-poems.com/lament-and-homecoming-1/

John Carroll

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