Perhaps the most poignant poem in AE Housman's 'A Shropshire Lad': the ghost of a soldier killed in the trenches converses with his best mate back home. It is chilling, yet wonderfully beautiful. I hope you enjoy this setting that I composed just before Christmas in 1991

Is My Team Ploughing

One of the most plaintive of Housman's poems in 'A Shropshire Lad'; and (I think) a bleak musical setting to match (hopefully)

On Your Midnight Pallet Lying

A witty, short madrigal text, first set by Orlando Gibbons in the early 17th century. I tried to capture the humour in the piano writing - much of it is off the beat, with the singer leading, and much of this short song is a flamboyant piano interlude that suggests the dainty bird being led a dance by the self-pitying man of the household...!

Dainty Fine Bird

One of my songs from twenty or so years ago that I called 'Madrigals revisited: 'The Silver Swan' is one of the best known of all English madrigals, beautifully set by Orlando Gibbons. Here I provide music for the anonymous text that is a solo song with piano accompaniment.

The Silver Swan

A setting of a short poem by John Betjeman which has a distinctly yesteryear feel to it; however, I saw in it opportunity for a languid, lyrical song as the poet shares his daydream, and enjoyed finding the melodic contours and harmonic colours to complement the words.

Woman Driver (Betjeman)

A setting of a poem by African poet Wayne Visser, written for a friend who was born in South Africa and is a singing teacher and choir director. I found the words wonderfully colourful and expressive of the African plains, and the music came to me very fluently - all in one day's composing. Happy Birthday, my friend!

African Flame

One of my 'Madrigals Revisited' - returning to partsongs I knew at school, and setting them to new music as a solo song with piano. Here I revisit Wilbye's melancholy ode to the night - a text that resonates so much with me and invited me to pour out my feelings along those lines

Draw on sweet night

Title: Siren's Song
Singer: Evelyn Lo
Composer: Javier Sabadell
Production: Moonwalk Ensemble (Abu Dhabi)

Description:

Siren's Song is a poetic evocation that intertwines myth and melancholy, written as an inner song that was never spoken. Evelyn Lo's voice delicately navigates between desire and renunciation, in a musical landscape of soft strings, ethereal piano, and almost ghostly accompaniment. Inspired by ancient legends of the sea, the song explores the magic of the mythical and the reality that cries out to be revealed.

This song is part of the artistic universe of Moonwalk Ensemble, an international collective that crosses boundaries between music, literature, and image. With influences ranging from Agnes Obel to contemporary chamber music, Himalaya embodies the search for a silent and vertical beauty.

Lyrics:

Upon the waves, a haunting tune,
A melody of moonlight's swoon,
Your voice, a siren's dulcet call,
Enthralling hearts, destined to fall.
Oh, siren of the deep blue sea,
Your song, a sweet, sad mystery,
A lullaby of ocean's grace,
Lost in your ethereal embrace.
The sailors yearn, their hearts aflame,
Drawn to the magic of your name,
Like moths to a flickering light,
They sail towards your endless night.
The crashing waves, a rhythmic beat,
Mirroring the longing, bittersweet,
For in your song, a mournful plea,
A yearning for eternity.
Oh, siren of the deep blue sea,
Your song, a sweet, sad mystery,
A lullaby of ocean's grace,
Lost in your ethereal embrace.
Fade into the ocean's heart,
Where melodies forever start,
A siren's song, a timeless art,
Forever etched within my heart.

PORTRAITS OF SOLITUDE

The Siren's Song

Brise d'Hiver" is a proposed piece for a choir. The text is taken from the poem "Les Roses de Saadi" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore.

Winter Breeze
After the poem "Les Roses de Saadi" by Marceline Desbordes-Valmore
(Text by Claude Andreoni)

Je suis la brise d’hiver, je suis la brise amère,                                                                                            I am the winter breeze, I am the bitter breeze
Je suis la fleur qui tombe en pleurant,                                                                                                                               I am the flower that falls in tears,
Je suis l’étoile qui luit au firmament,                                                                                                              I am the star that shines in the firmament,
Je suis l’amour qui passe et qui espère..                                                                                                                        I am the love that passes and hopes

Je suis le rêve éphémère, ô douceur,                                                                                                                        I am the fleeting dream, oh sweetness,
La nuit alanguie, je goûte la saveur, 
At night, languidly, I savor the taste
Du souffle léger, sans prévenir,                                                                                                                               Of the gentle breath, without warning,
Le cœur saigne et n’ose rien dire.                                                                                                                            The heart bleeds and dares not speak.

Je suis l’ombre qui fuit la lumière,                                                                                                                       I am the shadow that flees the light,
Mon chant meurt, dans une plainte étouffée,                                                                                                   My song dies, in a stifled lament,
Je suis l’adieu suprême et ce qui peut rester,                                                                                                            I am the supreme farewell and what may remain,
La rose qui saigne, le silence des pierres.                                                                                                               The bleeding rose, the silence of the stones.


Je suis la brise d’hiver, je suis la brise amère,                                                                                           I I am the winter breeze, I am the bitter breeze
Je suis la fleur qui tombe en pleurant,                                                                                                                               I am the flower that falls in tears,
Je suis l’étoile qui luit au firmament,                                                                                                              I am the star that shines in the firmament,
Je suis l’amour qui passe et qui espère..                                                                                                                        I am the love that passes and hopes
Et je t’attends.                                                                                                                                                      And I await you.

Brise d'Hiver (Winter Breeze)

A setting of John Betjeman's poem that captures an experience of train travel from back-in-the-day through a rather attractive, romantic lens. The song was composed as a birthday present for a friend ho is active in the Betjeman Society

Pershore Station

I love composing; always have done. I write Opera, Oratorio, Orchestral music, Chamber music, Church music and Song. An ongoing project is composing 'Songs without Words' for solo piano; it is a way of trying to articulate my experience of life, its joys and its pains, its hopes and its disappointments. Currently I have composed 229 songs without words.
For further information, including how to access scores of my music, and any projects you may have that needs a composer, please message me on SoundCloud - I will get back to you and we can use other media to discuss music (one of my favourite pastimes!)

Empecé a tocar con 12 años, en un Hammond que había por casa, en mitad del pasillo, y que parecía antes un mueble que otra cosa. Contenía dos octavas y una serie de botones de colores, que eran los acordes. Con 13 años compuse mi primer tema ("Vademecum") en un grabador de cassette con doble pletina, de manera que a través del aire podía ir añadiendo pistas sucesivas a aquello que iba grabando. Fue mi primera experiencia con un secuenciador. Y me divertí mucho. Los resultados, aunque rudimentarios, no pudieron ser mejores. Esto me animó a escribir otras tres piezas musicales, en una de ellas haciendo intervenir mi propia voz cantando extrañas frases psicodélicas. 

Más tarde, una vez exprimido el Hammond al máximo, compré un teclado más razonable. Con él fui feliz creando cualquier tipo de música que decidía probar. Aprendí con ello que, muchas veces, cuanto menos sofisticada es la música, más creativo es el resultado. 

Con el tiempo, me introduje en el fascinante mundo de los sintetizadores, las estaciones de trabajo y los teclados arranger. Hoy en día estoy totalmente inmerso en los VSTi y el Cubase, aunque confío en que mis trabajos preserven el sabor natural de lo que siempre la música significó para mí. 



New tracks tagged #classical song