Do you like spiders? The Victorian writer Charlotte M Yonge liked spiders as part of the natural world and wrote the poem 'The Gossamer Spider' to counterbalance more negative views of spiders in other poems for children.

David Barton was commissioned by Ruth and Nic Carlyle to produce this musical setting of 'The Gossamer Spider' for the 2023 bicentenary of the birth of Charlotte M Yonge. It is recorded here by Ruth Carlyle and David Barton. The album cover is by Nic Carlyle.

The Gossamer Spider
By Charlotte M Yonge

Creature no bigger than a pin,
Most wonderful of all that spin,
	An acrobatic fairy.
Nay, what rope dancer from himself
Can draw his lines, like this small elf,
	Marking his progress airy.

O’er breezy downs, from bent to bent,
That slender, viewless pathway went,
	Traced in some moment’s shimmer;
But far too fine for common sight
Until the sunset’s sinking light
	Makes the whole network glimmer.

From here, now there, a rainbow gleam
Floats o’er the turf in silvery stream
	Of strange mysterious lightness
That early autumn’s frosts will strew
Each thread with glancing beads of dew,
	Jewels of flashing brightness.

Or when the winds the grasses shake,
They blend the films in snowy flake;
	So, said some ancient rhymer,
The lovely lady of the sky,
In twilight floating, green earth nigh,
	There dropped her silvery cymar.

Notes:
1.	“cymar” = scarf or “gottes-sammer”. Yonge notes that it was associated with Freya, but in Yonge’s time (mid 19th Century) had become the Virgin Mary’s gossamer, or Les fils de la Vierge in France and I filament de la Madonna in Italy.
2.	Poem undated, but published in 1881 as part of Aunt Charlotte’s Evenings At Home with the Poets: A collection of poems for the Young, with conversations, arranged in Twenty-five Evenings.

Charlotte M Yonge: The Gossamer Spider - David Barton, 2023

2023 marks the bicentenary of the birth of the Victorian novelist and writer Charlotte Mary Yonge. This new setting of her words 'To Thee, O Heavenly Father' was commissioned for the bicentenary by Ruth and Nic  Carlyle. David Barton composed this solo song to record with Ruth Carlyle and also a choral version. The first performance of the choral version will be by the WayneFlete Singers as part of a bicentenary Choral Evensong at Winchester Cathedral on 11 August 2023.

To thee, O heavenly Father
By Charlotte M Yonge

To thee, O heavenly Father,
	We raise our hearts in prayer.
Be with us as we gather;
	Thine ear incline and hear.
O, grant to every nation
	From thy great throne above
A better realization
	Of thy most perfect love.

Endue us with thy Spirit:
	May we in thee abide,
That we may all inherit
	A place by thy dear side!
O, Lord, may we in wisdom
	Obey thy law divine
That we may seek thy kingdom
	And be forever thine.

O, haste the day of promise
	When all the earth shall be
Forever free from malice:
	Content to follow thee!
Then all shall come confessing
	And strife and wars shall cease
And we shall know the blessing
	Of thy eternal peace.

Notes:
1.	Original tune: Supplication by Ford
2.	Amend in verse 3: original states ‘Then men shall come confessing’. Amended here to ‘Then all shall come confessing’.

Charlotte M Yonge: To Thee O Heavenly Father - David Barton, 2023

Bob Chilcott brings a sense of a sparkling, cold world to his setting of Christina Rossetti's poem 'In the bleak midwinter'. This solo version was published by Oxford University Press following the success of the original choral setting, published in 1994. The recording here is a live recording by Ruth Carlyle (voice) and David Barton (piano) made in December 2023. The illustration is by Nic Carlyle.

In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,
Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;
Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,
In the bleak midwinter, long ago.

Our God, Heaven cannot hold Him, nor earth sustain;
Heaven and earth shall flee away when He comes to reign.
In the bleak midwinter a stable place sufficed
The Lord God Almighty, Jesus Christ.

Enough for Him, whom cherubim, worship night and day,
Breastful of milk, and a mangerful of hay;
Enough for Him, whom angels fall before,
The ox and ass and camel which adore.

Angels and archangels may have gathered there,
Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air;
But His mother only, in her maiden bliss,
Worshipped the beloved with a kiss.

What can I give Him, poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;
If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;
Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

Mid-winter - Bob Chilcott, ed. 2021

Eric Thiman (1900-1975) was the son of a Congregationalist Minister and included music for church choirs in his compositions. He is less well known for his songs for solo voice.

Thiman was a Professor of Harmony and Composition at the Royal Academy of Music from 1931; he then went on to become Dean of the Faculty of Music for London University. His interest in harmony and melodic transitions is apparent in the piano parts for his voice and piano compositions.

Whilst his songs are beautiful pieces, Thiman's works have been overshadowed by those of his contemporaries, including Quilter, Ireland, Moeran and Finzi.

The words to 'Madonna and Child' are by Gerald Bullet (1893-1958). Bullet was a man of letters as well as a poet and wrote science fiction under the name Sebastian Fox.

This home recording was made by David Barton (piano) and Ruth Carlyle (voice).

Madonna and Child - Eric Thiman, 1930

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David Barton's sparkling setting of 'When Icicles Hang' is reminiscent of the light on icicles and fresh snow. The words come from Shakespeare's 'Love's Labours Lost'. They describe a medieval winter, with icicles hanging from the guttering, workers blowing on their hands to keep warm and Joan, the scullery maid, scrubbing the cooking pot.

The image by Nic Carlyle reflects the context for the words. The recording was made by Ruth Carlyle (voice) and David Barton at the Summerfield Recording Studio.

When Icicles Hang - David Barton - studio recording

Inspiration for songs can come from a wide range of sources. The lyrics for this song by Eric Thiman come from a poem by T. H. Dipnall that was published in 'Popular Gardening'. When Ruth Carlyle and David Barton came across it, we thought we should record and share it, as it is a beautiful song. The illustration is by Nic Carlyle.

Evening in Lilac Time
T. H. Dipnall (used with permission from Popular Gardening)

Such colours on the valley lie
As one may scarcely dream;
And little clouds a-down the sky,
All tinged with gold and crimson, ply
Like small ships on a stream.

And soft the air and very sweet
With beanfields all in flower
And lilac in the village street,
And scent of growing grass and wheat
After a sudden shower.

And hedges white with snowy may,
Where dance a myriad flies,
While round the church the shrill swifts play,
And cuckoos call from far away,
Until the twilight dies.

Evening In Lilac Time - Eric Thiman, 1931

Granville Bantock's setting of words by Harold Boulton is prefaced on the score with the words: 'The refrain of this song was actually used recently on a Hebredean Island by a singer who thereby attracted a quantity of seals to gather round and listen intently to the singing.'

The 'Hoiran, oiran, oiran, oiro' of the refrain is certainly evocative. Bantock's setting is performed here by David Barton (piano) and Ruth Carlyle (voice). The painting of the seal is by Nic Carlyle.

Song To The Seals - Granville Bantock, 1930

David Barton wrote the words and music of 'Be a Voice of Hope' in support of The Separated Child Foundation. It is sung here by Ruth Carlyle, with David Barton at the piano, in the solo version, but is scored for unison (or solo) voice(s) and piano, with optional SATB parts. To mark his 40th birthday, and to support The Separated Child Foundation, the score is offered as a free PDF download from the link below. 

In return for making this piece available free, David is encouraging everyone to make a donation to The Separated Child Foundation ( the Just Giving details are in the link below). He emphasises the importance of supporting 'the wonderful work already being undertaken in offering emotional, social and practical support to lone refugee children and young people when they arrive in the UK.'

Further details about the music, links to the score and the fundraising link are here: https://www.davidbartonmusic.co.uk/be-a-voice-of-hope/

Be a voice of hope - David Barton, 2023

The Canadian writer L.M. Montgomery is best known for her novels, particularly the Anne of Green Gables series. Her poems are less well known. The language and style of ‘Come, Rest Awhile’ reflects her love of British authors, particularly Shakespeare, Browning and Scott.

There is also a universal message within the poem of the need to slow down and rest in the moment.

This setting by David Barton was commissioned by Nic and Ruth Carlyle as part of a tribute to Montgomery on the 150th anniversary of her birth. It was recorded by Ruth Carlyle (voice) and David Barton (piano) at the Summerfield Recording Studio. The paintings are by Nic Carlyle and the album cover design is by Clementine Barton.

Come, rest awhile
By L.M. Montgomery

Come, rest awhile and let us idly stray
In glimmering valleys, cool and far away.

Come from the greedy mart, the troubled street,
And listen to the music, faint and sweet,

That echoes ever to a listening ear,
Unheard by those who will not pause to hear – 

The wayward chimes of memory’s pensive bells,
Wind-blown o’er misty hills and curtained dells.

One step aside and dewy buds unclose
The sweetness of the violet and the rose;

Song and romance still linger in the green,
Emblossomed ways by you so seldom seen,

And near at hand, would you but see them, lie
All lovely things beloved in days gone by.

You have forgotten what it is to smile
In your too busy life – come, rest awhile.

Come Rest Awhile - L.M. Montgomery and David Barton, 2024

Ruth is based in Lichfield, UK, and sings mostly classical and traditional folk music. She also writes lyrics (as Eleanor Ruth Carlyle) and collaborates on new music with David Barton http://www.davidbartonmusic.co.uk/.

She  released her first EP with David Barton in November 2020: ‘Annabel Lee Replies’.

The songs on Ruth’s SoundCloud site are illustrated by her husband Nic Carlyle https://www.twitter.com/carlyle_nic

Ruth was a awarded a Distinction for London College of Music Examinations Grade 8 Classical Singing (100%) in July 2018 and the DipLCM (upper level) in July 2019.

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