The collection of love poetry which forms the Old Testament’s Song of Songs has always presented a conundrum to scholars.  The orthodox understanding of its presence in the Canon of Scripture was the widespread use in the Prophets of the concept of God as the husband of Israel.  For the Christian mystical tradition, the dialogue between the lover and the beloved gave voice to the relationship of the soul to Christ.  Bernard of Clairvaux preached over fifty sermons on them!  Jesus called himself ‘the Bridegroom’ giving authority to this reading.  Some have seen Mary the Mother of Jesus in the references to the ‘room where my mother conceived me’.

The relationship of romantic and erotic love to spirituality is the subject of these songs.  They express desire, hope, confusion and joy; the whole range of emotions experienced by the lover – but there is no final consummation.  The metaphors of vine, wine, garden and fountain are ones that prefigure the language of Christian spirituality.  They provide Christian spirituality with a language of love that is both sensual and spiritual, of earth and of heaven.  The text for these songs is faithful to the text of the Bible but poetic licence has provided a narrative structure and the development of some metaphors.  The cry of the lover to the beloved, the heightening of the senses through sumptuous smells and tastes, and the imagery of fire provide a rich basis for a certain type of music – music born out of our time, yes, but which also draws upon the timelessness of tonality, consonance and balance.

Words: adapted by Andrew Hawes (1954 –   ) from the Song of Solomon

The collection of love poetry which forms the Old Testament’s Song of Songs has always presented a conundrum to scholars.  The orthodox understanding of its presence in the Canon of Scripture was the widespread use in the Prophets of the concept of God as the husband of Israel.  For the Christian mystical tradition, the dialogue between the lover and the beloved gave voice to the relationship of the soul to Christ.  Bernard of Clairvaux preached over fifty sermons on them!  Jesus called himself ‘the Bridegroom’ giving authority to this reading.  Some have seen Mary the Mother of Jesus in the references to the ‘room where my mother conceived me’.

The relationship of romantic and erotic love to spirituality is the subject of these songs.  They express desire, hope, confusion and joy; the whole range of emotions experienced by the lover – but there is no final consummation.  The metaphors of vine, wine, garden and fountain are ones that prefigure the language of Christian spirituality.  They provide Christian spirituality with a language of love that is both sensual and spiritual, of earth and of heaven.  The text for these songs is faithful to the text of the Bible but poetic licence has provided a narrative structure and the development of some metaphors.  The cry of the lover to the beloved, the heightening of the senses through sumptuous smells and tastes, and the imagery of fire provide a rich basis for a certain type of music – music born out of our time, yes, but which also draws upon the timelessness of tonality, consonance and balance.

Words: adapted by Andrew Hawes (1954 –   ) from the Song of Solomon

The collection of love poetry which forms the Old Testament’s Song of Songs has always presented a conundrum to scholars.  The orthodox understanding of its presence in the Canon of Scripture was the widespread use in the Prophets of the concept of God as the husband of Israel.  For the Christian mystical tradition, the dialogue between the lover and the beloved gave voice to the relationship of the soul to Christ.  Bernard of Clairvaux preached over fifty sermons on them!  Jesus called himself ‘the Bridegroom’ giving authority to this reading.  Some have seen Mary the Mother of Jesus in the references to the ‘room where my mother conceived me’.

The relationship of romantic and erotic love to spirituality is the subject of these songs.  They express desire, hope, confusion and joy; the whole range of emotions experienced by the lover – but there is no final consummation.  The metaphors of vine, wine, garden and fountain are ones that prefigure the language of Christian spirituality.  They provide Christian spirituality with a language of love that is both sensual and spiritual, of earth and of heaven.  The text for these songs is faithful to the text of the Bible but poetic licence has provided a narrative structure and the development of some metaphors.  The cry of the lover to the beloved, the heightening of the senses through sumptuous smells and tastes, and the imagery of fire provide a rich basis for a certain type of music – music born out of our time, yes, but which also draws upon the timelessness of tonality, consonance and balance.

Words: adapted by Andrew Hawes (1954 –   ) from the Song of Solomon

The collection of love poetry which forms the Old Testament’s Song of Songs has always presented a conundrum to scholars.  The orthodox understanding of its presence in the Canon of Scripture was the widespread use in the Prophets of the concept of God as the husband of Israel.  For the Christian mystical tradition, the dialogue between the lover and the beloved gave voice to the relationship of the soul to Christ.  Bernard of Clairvaux preached over fifty sermons on them!  Jesus called himself ‘the Bridegroom’ giving authority to this reading.  Some have seen Mary the Mother of Jesus in the references to the ‘room where my mother conceived me’.

The relationship of romantic and erotic love to spirituality is the subject of these songs.  They express desire, hope, confusion and joy; the whole range of emotions experienced by the lover – but there is no final consummation.  The metaphors of vine, wine, garden and fountain are ones that prefigure the language of Christian spirituality.  They provide Christian spirituality with a language of love that is both sensual and spiritual, of earth and of heaven.  The text for these songs is faithful to the text of the Bible but poetic licence has provided a narrative structure and the development of some metaphors.  The cry of the lover to the beloved, the heightening of the senses through sumptuous smells and tastes, and the imagery of fire provide a rich basis for a certain type of music – music born out of our time, yes, but which also draws upon the timelessness of tonality, consonance and balance.

Words: adapted by Andrew Hawes (1954 –   ) from the Song of Solomon

The collection of love poetry which forms the Old Testament’s Song of Songs has always presented a conundrum to scholars.  The orthodox understanding of its presence in the Canon of Scripture was the widespread use in the Prophets of the concept of God as the husband of Israel.  For the Christian mystical tradition, the dialogue between the lover and the beloved gave voice to the relationship of the soul to Christ.  Bernard of Clairvaux preached over fifty sermons on them!  Jesus called himself ‘the Bridegroom’ giving authority to this reading.  Some have seen Mary the Mother of Jesus in the references to the ‘room where my mother conceived me’.

The relationship of romantic and erotic love to spirituality is the subject of these songs.  They express desire, hope, confusion and joy; the whole range of emotions experienced by the lover – but there is no final consummation.  The metaphors of vine, wine, garden and fountain are ones that prefigure the language of Christian spirituality.  They provide Christian spirituality with a language of love that is both sensual and spiritual, of earth and of heaven.  The text for these songs is faithful to the text of the Bible but poetic licence has provided a narrative structure and the development of some metaphors.  The cry of the lover to the beloved, the heightening of the senses through sumptuous smells and tastes, and the imagery of fire provide a rich basis for a certain type of music – music born out of our time, yes, but which also draws upon the timelessness of tonality, consonance and balance.

Words: adapted by Andrew Hawes (1954 –   ) from the Song of Solomon

The collection of love poetry which forms the Old Testament’s Song of Songs has always presented a conundrum to scholars.  The orthodox understanding of its presence in the Canon of Scripture was the widespread use in the Prophets of the concept of God as the husband of Israel.  For the Christian mystical tradition, the dialogue between the lover and the beloved gave voice to the relationship of the soul to Christ.  Bernard of Clairvaux preached over fifty sermons on them!  Jesus called himself ‘the Bridegroom’ giving authority to this reading.  Some have seen Mary the Mother of Jesus in the references to the ‘room where my mother conceived me’.

The relationship of romantic and erotic love to spirituality is the subject of these songs.  They express desire, hope, confusion and joy; the whole range of emotions experienced by the lover – but there is no final consummation.  The metaphors of vine, wine, garden and fountain are ones that prefigure the language of Christian spirituality.  They provide Christian spirituality with a language of love that is both sensual and spiritual, of earth and of heaven.  The text for these songs is faithful to the text of the Bible but poetic licence has provided a narrative structure and the development of some metaphors.  The cry of the lover to the beloved, the heightening of the senses through sumptuous smells and tastes, and the imagery of fire provide a rich basis for a certain type of music – music born out of our time, yes, but which also draws upon the timelessness of tonality, consonance and balance.

Words: adapted by Andrew Hawes (1954 –   ) from the Song of Solomon

Six variations on Stanford’s setting of the poem The Blue Bird.

THEME
Stanford’s unaccompanied part song of 1910 (words by Mary Coleridge) is here given a contemporary gloss.  The solo clarinet introduces a new theme at the very beginning of the piece, adding extra melodic possibilities for later exploration.  The original choral texture is enriched with washes of sound from orchestra and solo piano.  These intensify phrases which the variations will focus on and develop.

VARIATION I – LAKE
The perpetual motion of harp and cello suggests the movement of water and introduces anxiety and uncertainty in sharp contrast to the serene nature of the Theme.

VARIATION II – BIRD
The lightness of the guitar and the fluttering dialogue between clarinet and flute stand in marked contrast to the intensity of the choral line.

VARIATION III – SKY
The dance-like clarinet figure is set against more robust strings and voices and the appearance of the blue sky is brought into full focus by the filmic string theme.

VARIATION IV – MOMENT
Fast-moving strings and tense woodwind and brass introduce a sense of expectancy and awe.  The moment of connection is reflected in the coming together of previously disparate instruments and textures in an adrenaline-filled tour de force.

VARIATION V – IMAGE
Order reasserts itself in a return to the opening clarinet melody.  Here though, it is the solo voice which holds our attention as it did in the original statement of the Theme.

The lake lay blue below the hill,
O’er it, as I looked, there flew
Across the waters, cold and still,
A bird whose wings were palest blue.

The sky above was blue at last,
The sky beneath me blue in blue,
A moment, ere the bird had passed,
It caught his image as he flew.

Words: Mary Coleridge (1861 – 1907)

A cantata depicting the Wedding at Cana of Galilee where Jesus performed his first miracle, turning water into wine.

Originally written as a duet for soprano and tenor with harp accompaniment, and now available for SATB choir, this piece comes at the heart of the cantata The Wedding at Cana.  It depicts the moment when water is transformed into wine and reflects on the presence of the divine in human love.

The Land was written for the South Holland Choral Project in Lincolnshire and was commissioned by the South Holland District Council to celebrate the changing seasons in that area.  It was first performed at St Mary Magdalene Church, Gedney on April 29th, 1995.

Whilst the four-part choir relates the original poetry, the semi-chorus provides the folk melodies.  For much of the work they exist as separate units but there are occasions when they come together.  The string orchestra also serves to compliment the two choral groups and provide the opportunity for rich textures and antiphonal effects.  The only ‘season’ which is independent of the semi-chorus is Winter.  This is very much an introduction to the succeeding movements which, with their folk-song flavour, rely heavily on dance rhythms and a typically ‘English’ harmonic style.

The celebration of beauty was one of the main elements of writing the poems.  The landscape, once dubbed ‘the factory floor of England’ is unique with wide and deep skies, tantalising skylines; patterns of colours on a panoramic scale.  Except for Winter, the poems are in strophic form, bound to the metre of the folk song which is the musical base to each movement.  In Summer, a liberty is taken in the creation of a new text for the refrain of ‘Bring Fair’.

The work is dedicated to the memory of Liz Busby, Patrick’s friend, who was tragically killed at the time the work was being composed.

Words: Andrew Hawes (1954 –   )