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Latter half of 2009

Projects and appearances

Publications

Videos

Current Projects and Appearances

Started teaching a computer course for the Sale U3A.

Concert of brass quintet music at the Royal Northern College of Music, including my work: Night Time - another concert is planned which will include both Night Time and Dance in 7 and possibly a brass Trio called Hans Dampf in allen Possen, so I’ll wait for that before uploading soundfiles.

- Concert in Seattle for bassoon and strings (featuring works by members of the Delian Society (including me) based on the name of Paul Verlaine) (see video).

- Folksong Snapshots - which are extended arrangements of folksongs for clarinet / flute and classical guitar, have now been published and appear on YouTube and MyScoreStore.

- 3 Songs of the Auvergne for alto voice or flute or clarinet with classical guitar (scores - video)

- Various concert appearances, including solos (singing both alto and bass!) and duets with the Sylvan Singers at St Martin’s Ashton on Mersey (17 October). Another Cabaret took place at St Barnabas Penny Lane (Liverpool) (31 October), in which I sang Hey Big Spender in my blond wig again (by special request, apparently!), Lascia ch’io pianga, Wine and Water, Barcarolle with the organist’s wife and Crazy Blues....

- Services with the choir of the Martin Luther Kirche based in Stretford (Singkreis) - including the funeral of Inge Pilling in Ashton, Cheshire (30 September) and the re-dedication of the Bradford Lutheran church (25 October)

- Services at Christ Church Didsbury - including Ireland’s “Many waters” at exactly the right time - the roof was leaking and the back quarter of the church was flooded! We persevere...

- Presentation of some of my music videos at the University of the Third Age (U3A) in Sale Community Centre (23 October) - this went very well, apart from a few sticky tracks on the DVD.... It was great to see my videos on a large screen and the music broadcast on 8 speakers :-)

- Added a Technical solutions page to the site

- The Itunes page of choral music by other composers has been updated - There are now 5 virtual CDs to choose from.

- Created a 6th virtual CD - this time it is of choral music based on bells - shortly to appear on Itunes - some movements can already be heard on YouTube (see below)

- The guitar quartet and various pieces for North American Native Flute are shortly to be published

New publications:

To paint the portrait of a bird (after the poem by Jacques Prévert)

McQuiddity for bassoon and guitar

The Meeting of the Waters (arr.)

Ariette Oubliée No 4 (alto and guitar)

Hans Dampf in allen Possen (Jack of all tricks) - brass trio version

Rêvé-je - arranged for alto or mezzo and guitar

Noel di Gautier - Christmas song for two altos and guitar

Ten very simple Nursery Rhyme arrangements (voice and guitar chord names) - for high, medium or low voice

3 songs of the Auvergne (voice or flute or clarinet and classical guitar)

Away in a manger (alto solo, strings, flute, organ and harp)

Pieces on Time - guitar quartet

(zip file of electronic previews of this quartet)

Folksong Snapshots (for clarinet and guitar)

Folksong Snapshots (for flute and guitar)

4 Yiddish Folksong arrangements

And the wall came down

Bring us in good ale

Ding dong merrily on high - a “refreshingly contemporary” re-working of the old carol

The Bell Ringing - choral arrangement of a Devon folksong

Les Cloches by Debussy - a choral arrangement

Süsser die Glocken nie klingen (SATB or ATTB) (with various voice parts emulating bells in verses 2 and 3)

Mandoline and Colloque Sentimental - for alto and guitar

Colloque Sentimental - for three altos a cappella

NEW: SATB version of the 12 Days of Christmas a Conductor’s nightmare

Madonna il tuo bel viso (Philippe Verdelot - arranged for alto and guitar (and with an additional English singing translation) by D W Solomons)

The Face of Love (for alto and guitar)

Order of the Day (for male voice (or low mixed) choir)

Hans Dampf in allen Possen (Jack of all tricks) (2 violins and cello - based on German and Alsatian folksongs)

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New Videos:

To Paint the portrait of a bird (after Jacques Prévert)

The Meeting of the Waters

Ariette Oubliée No 4

Brigitte (solo guitar)

Japanese song for Seiji Kojima (solo guitar)

Es ist ein Ros entsprungen

Six of the Ten Nursery Rhymes in simple arrangements for voice and guitar

Wenn der Pott aber nu ein Loch hat

(ancestor of “There’s a hole in my bucket”)

Rêvé-je (am I dreaming) - song by Bataille - arranged for alto or mezzo and guitar, with English singing translation

Noel di Gautier (2 altos and guitar)

Lazy guitar (with ivory horses)

Bailero from 3 Songs of the Auvergne

Lamento d’Arianna (Monteverdi) part 1

Lamento d’Arianna part (Monteverdi) 2

Away in a Manger

New video of Rupert the chocolate angel (a response, or antidote, to Rudolph the red-nosed reindeer)

Come into the garden Maud (arranged for alto (or bass) and guitar)

John Brown (a 20 second song - based on a mock inscription by Odgen Nash)

Tria Paidia (Greek folksong)

Whispering (with my cats giving each other loving licks)

Swing Door

Folksong Snapshots (clarinet and guitar)

Folksong Snapshots (flute and guitar)

”..and the wall came down” (an orchestral celebration on the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin wall)

N’allez pas au bois d’Ormonde (a choral piece by Ravel)

“Gaudete” arranged for SAB (with optional piano not in video)

Three little maids from school (from the Mikado)

Spem in alium - Thomas Tallis (40 voices) - improved stereo remix

Thule, the period of Cosmography (Weelkes - 6 voices)

Drift (song for alto and guitar)

Bring us in good ale (neo-mediaeval choral piece)

Christmas Haikus (alto and piano)

Ubi Caritas (Duruflé) (choral)

Chanson des escargots qui vont à l’enterrement d’une feuille morte (2 unaccompanied altos)

Rooftops (2 unaccompanied altos)

Heureux qui comme Ulysse (alto and guitar)

Sei Lob und Preis mit Ehren (a Lutheran chorale arrangement by Erlebach with added violins - choral)

Das Geläut zu Speyer (bell ringing at the great Cathedral of Speyer - Choral)

Chantez à Dieu (Sweelinck - choral)

The chief defect of Henry King (alto and guitar)

Not time to get up yet (string quartet)

The Bellringing

Ding Dong Merrily on High (for 6 part choir)

Les Cloches by Debussy - arranged for soloist and choir

Süsser die Glocken nie klingen (arrangement for ATTB or SATB)

The 12 days of Christmas - a conductor’s nightmare (higher resolution version)

Mandoline and Colloque Sentimental - for alto and guitar

Colloque Sentimental - for three altos a cappella

Palindromic Cat Processor

The Face of Love (alto and guitar - with scrolling score)

Hans Dampf in allen Possen (Jack of all tricks)

A Gentle Calypso (guitar solo)

Sweet Kate (guitar solo)

The goodtempered guitars (guitar duet)

Spider’s Web (guitar solo)

Bifocal rag (guitar duet)

Song of the childless (alto and guitar)

A la Valse (guitar solo)

In the still of the night (Cole Porter - choral arrangement)

Let’s Do it (Cole Porter - choral arrangement)

Killing me softly (Cahn & Styne - choral arrangement)

Souvenir of St Valentine’s Day 1975 (guitar solo)

Night and Day (Cole Porter - choral arrangement)

Order of the Day (choral)

Wine and Water (after G K Chesterton) (alto and guitar)

Lament for a Cherry Tree (improvisation)

Erste Begegnung (Robert Schumann) (choral)

La Folia Bossa Nova

Extravaganza on Wagner’s Tristan chord (ensemble)

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Independent Musicians page updated with new recordings

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Delian Society suite “Variations concertantes sur le nom de Paul Verlaine”.

This is the third section of this suite, my “alcoholic moment” being the second piece in this section.

To hear the whole suite, visit Matthew Weiss’ Youtube page.

The theme that pervades the whole suite, based on a formulaic musical identification of the letters of Paul Verlaine’s name has been merged in my piece with my original setting of Gavin Ewart’s poem “Alcohol”, to represent the Green Fairy (La fée verte” - ie absinthe) which was the downfall of many French artists musicians and poets in the late 19th century.

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NEW: Ringtones site

Singles on eMusic

Singles on iTunes

iTunes page (other composers - 6 virtual CDs)

New Publications

Invitation to the journey (alto and guitar - composed by D W Solomons)

Sunset [Solnedgång] - by Grieg - arranged for flute or recorder and guitar)

Solveig’s Song - by Grieg - arranged for flute or recorder and guitar)

Nobody’s Jigg - duo version for oboe (or flute or recorder) and guitar

Simple Chinese canon (guitar solo)

Incantation for Pamela (2 altos with guitar ostinato)

Robin Adair - arranged for SATB choir

The Elves (after Leconte de Lisle)

Coming soon:

Alfons Diepenbrock - Invitation au voyage - arrangement for guitar and voice, guitar and clarinet, guitar and flute, and guitar and cello

Dansons mais sans oublier - a lively movement for flute and guitar forming part of a suite by various composers of the Delian Society in aid of the Haiti earthquake appeal, based on the Haitian lullaby Dodo titite (this will be published as part of the whole suite later this year and will be premiered by the Serenade Duo).

New Appearances

Tant que vivray by Sermisy (with me singing, accompanied by the lutenist Bob Glover) is now being used as the background music for a mini-documentary film about Diane de Poitiers, called:

Fatal Alchemy

I performed my song “Rose” and Sonntag by Brahms at a presentation given by the opera singer Dorothy Townson at the Sale U3A on Friday 5 February 2010.

On 13th February 2010 at 7.15 pm Martin Godden, Richard McHale and I (“Sound Company”) will be singing at St Martin’s Ashton on Mersey. Works will include Sound the trumpet, Pastime with good company, Dawn in the Room, The Goslings, Vilia and many more.

The second half of the concert will feature music for wind quintet.

Tickets (£5) at the door, including food and drink at the end.

New Videos

Invitation to the Journey (alto and guitar)

Nobody’s Jigg (duo version: oboe and guitar (with Elaine Alexander on oboe)

Simple Chinese Canon (simple guitar solo)

First song for guitar (simple guitar solo)

Second song for guitar (simple guitar solo)

Third song for guitar (simple guitar solo)

Fourth song for guitar (simple guitar solo)

Nobody's jigg (trio version: recorder, violin and guitar)

Here in nomansland (2 voices and guitar)