Home My Works Publishers News CDs Videos Personal Others YouTube Search Email Links

Oxford Days 1975

A series of 8 guitar solos illustrating some of the moods and discoveries of the composer when he was at college back in the 70s.

Now published by Musik Fabrik

Christianity

- Innocence Asleep - a gentle tune depicting the baby Jesus, making great use of guitar harmonics  (sample page)

 - Lamento (Gethsemane) - part of a long lost Easter Suite, reflecting the sorrow in the Garden

(sample page)

Holidays

- Hyde Park Rag - a quasi ragtime composed on the composer's first outing from Oxford to London.

(sample page)

Sexuality

- Fantasia from the other bank - the downward sweep of the strangely augmented chord represents the composer's initial feeling of surprise when he realises he is "from the other bank" ("vom anderen Ufer" is German slang for gay)

(sample page)

Musical discoveries

- Prelude in Dorian mode (Dorian Serendipity) - the beginning of a long love affair with this mode, in which the major 6th and minor third give a special flavour

(sample page)

- The Princess's Tune - a curiously atonal piece based on a short theme given to the composer by a "very shy" fellow student known as the Princess.

 (sample page)

- Quelques minutes espagnoles -  first venture into the Spanish flavours of guitar music

 (sample page)

- Sketch in Blue - an early experiment making use of blues harmonies

(sample page)