CTP Template: CD_DPS1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Double Page Spread CYAN MAGENTA Customer NMC YELLOW Catalogue No. D150 BLACK Job Title NMC Book Page Nos. 60 - 1 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.2

DEDICATED TO THE MEMORY OF BILL COLLERAN THE NMC SONGBOOK COMMISSIONED TO CELEBRATE THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY OF NMC RECORDINGS

Andrew Swait • Sam Harris treble Elizabeth Atherton • Claire Booth • Ailish Tynan soprano Susan Bickley • Loré Lixenberg • Jean Rigby mezzo-soprano James Bowman • • Andrew Watts counter-tenor Benjamin Hulett • Andrew Kennedy • Daniel Norman tenor Omar Ebrahim • Richard Jackson • Stephan Loges George Mosley • David Stout • with Gerald Barry • Errollyn Wallen

Andrew Ball • Iain Burnside • Michael Finnissy • Andrew Plant Jonathan Powell • Huw Watkins • Andrew West piano Lucy Wakeford harp Jane Chapman harpsichord Owen Gunnell percussion Antonis Hatzinikolaou guitar

2 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.3

DISC ONE 1 DAVID SAWER 9 NICOLA LEFANU 16 JOE DUDDELL 24 JOE CUTLER The Source 1’55 The Bourne 3’27 Cease Sorrows Now 3’11 Bands 2’31 Claire Booth, soprano Elizabeth Atherton, soprano George Mosley, baritone Daniel Norman, tenor Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano Lucy Wakeford, harp Iain Burnside, piano Andrew Ball, piano Owen Gunnell, tubular bells 10 NICHOLAS SACKMAN 17 ALISON BAULD 25 JAMES MACMILLAN 2 LUKE BEDFORD Maiden in the moor 2’40 Titania’s Song 3’34 Mouth of the Dumb 3’55 Upon St. George’s Hill 1’36 Benjamin Hulett, tenor Elizabeth Atherton, soprano Andrew Swait, treble Benjamin Hulett, tenor Owen Gunnell, percussion Andrew Ball, piano Sam Harris, treble Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Lucy Wakeford, harp 11 JOHN WHITE 18 DONNACHA DENNEHY 3 Houses and Gardens Swift’s Epitaph 2’49 26 JONATHAN POWELL Shining Plain 3’55 in the Heart of Andrew Watts, counter-tenor Stanzas 1814 2’34 Andrew Kennedy, tenor 2’31 Owen Gunnell, percussion Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Iain Burnside, piano Ailish Tynan, soprano Jonathan Powell, piano Iain Burnside, piano 19 HELEN GRIME 4 GARY CARPENTER Nobody Comes 3’26 27 Interlude 1’25 12 THOMAS MORLEY Jean Rigby, mezzo-soprano ARR. Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS Huw Watkins, piano Galliard: Version 4 1’33 Jane Chapman, harpsichord Galliard: Version 2 1’28 Lucy Wakeford, harp 20 Iain Burnside, piano JOHN McCABE Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar 5 JONATHAN COLE Andrew Ball, piano A Cat 2’59 Jane Chapman, harpsichord tss-k-haa 3’11 Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Owen Gunnell, marimba 13 HARRISON Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Roderick Williams, baritone 28 HUGH WOOD BIRTWISTLE 21 6 THOMAS MORLEY ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS THOMAS MORLEY Easter 2’06 ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS This Silence Andrew Kennedy, tenor Iain Burnside, piano Galliard: Version 1 1’04 before Light 2’39 Galliard: Version 3 1’46 Iain Burnside, piano Iain Burnside, piano Claire Booth, soprano Andrew Ball, piano Andrew Ball, piano Huw Watkins, piano Disc 1 total timing 1’14’36 7 ANTHONY GILBERT 14 JULIAN PHILIPS 22 MICHAEL FINNISSY Those Fenny Bells 3’56 Blist’s Hill 2’38 Outside Fort Tregantle 3’17 Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Stephan Loges, baritone Michael Chance, counter-tenor Iain Burnside, piano Richard Jackson, baritone Owen Gunnell, percussion Michael Finnissy, piano 15 ANNA MEREDITH 23 8 PHILIP CASHIAN Fin like a Flower 2’13 PHILLIP NEIL MARTIN Daisy’s Song 2’02 Michael Chance, counter-tenor Blaze of Noon 4’01 David Stout, baritone Lucy Wakeford, harp Claire Booth, soprano Iain Burnside, piano Andrew Ball, piano

3 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.4

DISC TWO 1 GORDON CROSSE 8 JULIAN ANDERSON 16 TARIK O’REGAN 23 RODERICK WILLIAMS Dirge from Cymbeline 3’19 Lucretius 3’14 Darkness Visible 3’46 A Coat 2’58 David Stout, baritone Claire Booth, soprano Andrew Watts, counter-tenor Roderick Williams, baritone Lucy Wakeford, harp Owen Gunnell, percussion Benjamin Hulett, tenor Iain Burnside, piano Lucy Wakeford, harp 2 DAVID HORNE 9 JAMES DILLON 24 JULIAN GRANT A curious thirsty fly 2’19 Upon the cloudy night 3’15 17 EMILY HALL Know Thy Kings and Daniel Norman, tenor Andrew Watts, counter-tenor A Simple Neo-Georgian Queens 2’13 Andrew Ball, piano Andrew Ball, piano Summer 1’43 Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano Stephan Loges, baritone Iain Burnside, piano 3 RACHEL LEACH 10 SADIE HARRISON Iain Burnside, piano Out of Town 3’21 Easter Zunday 3’49 25 ROBERT KEELEY Ailish Tynan, soprano Benjamin Hulett, tenor 18 PETER WIEGOLD Because I breathe Iain Burnside, piano Andrew Ball, piano A Cause for Wonder 3’43 not love to everyone 3’12 Andrew Watts, counter-tenor Daniel Norman, tenor 4 RICHARD CAUSTON 11 PETER MAXWELL Iain Burnside, piano Jane Chapman, harpsichord English DAVIES 26 Encouragement of Art 1’02 Labyrinth to Light 2’43 19 EMILY HOWARD TANSY DAVIES Claire Booth, soprano Andrew Swait, treble Wild Clematis Destroying Beauty 2’11 Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano Andrew Plant, piano in Winter 2’39 Claire Booth, soprano Owen Gunnell, percussion Jean Rigby, mezzo-soprano Andrew Ball, piano 12 EDWARD RUSHTON Huw Watkins, piano 27 5 With my Whip 2’43 A Swallow 2’58 George Mosley, baritone 20 BAYAN NORTHCOTT First Known When Lost 2’20 Jean Rigby, mezzo-soprano Iain Burnside, piano Poet and Star 2’41 George Mosley, baritone Huw Watkins, piano Claire Booth, soprano Iain Burnside, piano 13 SIMON HOLT Daniel Norman, tenor 28 THOMAS MORLEY 6 THOMAS MORLEY Raju Raghuvanshi Andrew Ball, piano ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS is a Ghost 3’40 21 THOMAS MORLEY Galliard: Version 8 1’25 Galliard: Version 5 1’42 Omar Ebrahim, baritone Lucy Wakeford, harp ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS Lucy Wakeford, harp Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar 14 THEA MUSGRAVE Galliard: Version 7 1’47 Jane Chapman, harpsichord Jane Chapman, harpsichord A Winter’s Morning 3’20 Lucy Wakeford, harp Owen Gunnell, marimba Ailish Tynan, soprano Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar 29 Jane Chapman, harpsichord BLÁAR KINDSDOTTIR 7 Iain Burnside, piano haiku 1’28 The beach in winter: 15 THOMAS MORLEY 22 RUPERT BAWDEN James Bowman, counter-tenor Andrew Plant, piano Scratby (For Tess) 2’30 ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS Vocalise – Loch Lurgainn in the Sunshine 2’15 Stephan Loges, baritone Galliard: Version 6 1’06 Iain Burnside, piano Jean Rigby, mezzo-soprano Lucy Wakeford, harp Disc 2 total timing 1’15’36 Huw Watkins, piano Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Jane Chapman, harpsichord

4 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.5

DISC THREE 1 BRIAN ELIAS 8 DANIEL BASFORD 16 STEPHEN MONTAGUE 23 CHRIS DENCH Meet Me in the Hour-glass 3’35 The Poison Tree 2’39 An Hypallage 3’17 Green Glen 3’12 Michael Chance, counter-tenor Stephan Loges, baritone Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano Lucy Wakeford, harp Iain Burnside, piano Omar Ebrahim, baritone Jonathan Powell, piano 2 LLOYD MOORE 9 THOMAS MORLEY 17 JUDITH BINGHAM Music, thou Queen ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS She walks in beauty 24 EDWIN ROXBURGH of Souls 1’44 Galliard: Version 9 1’07 like the night 3’33 A Dangerous Crossing 2’54 Ailish Tynan, soprano Lucy Wakeford, harp Andrew Kennedy, tenor Ailish Tynan, soprano Iain Burnside, piano Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Lucy Wakeford, harp Iain Burnside, piano Jane Chapman, harpsichord 3 DAVID MATTHEWS 18 THOMAS MORLEY 25 DAVID BEDFORD Plover’s Peak 3’11 10 HUW WATKINS ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS The Roman Benjamin Hulett, tenor Proud Maisie 1’42 Galliard: Version 10 1’48 Centurion’s Song 3’16 Andrew Ball, piano Claire Booth, soprano Lucy Wakeford, harp George Mosley, baritone Huw Watkins, piano Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Iain Burnside, piano 4 JEREMY DALE Jane Chapman, harpsichord ROBERTS 11 LYELL CRESSWELL 26 LUKE STONEHAM Spoken to a A Recipe for Whisky 3’28 19 CHRISTOPHER FOX 25 3’07 Bronze Head 4’06 Stephan Loges, baritone The True Standard Luke Stoneham, electronics Owen Gunnell, temple blocks Advanced 2’15 Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano 27 THOMAS MORLEY Iain Burnside, piano Daniel Norman, tenor 12 MICHAEL BERKELEY Owen Gunnell, drum ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS 5 JONATHAN LLOYD Echo: hommage à Galliard: Version 11 1’25 The Greenwood’s Francis Poulenc 3’30 20 ROXANNA PANUFNIK Lucy Wakeford, harp Lament 3’14 Ailish Tynan, soprano That Mighty Heart 2’51 Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Jane Chapman, harpsichord Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Iain Burnside, piano Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano Iain Burnside, piano David Stout, baritone 13 28 MARK-ANTHONY Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar ROGER MARSH Lullaby 2’46 21 CHRISTOPHER MAYO TURNAGE 6 DIANA BURRELL Claire Booth, soprano The Fitful Alternations Bellamy 1’14 Love Song (for yoga) 1’43 Owen Gunnell, marimba of the Rain 2’45 Andrew Watts, counter-tenor Andrew Kennedy, tenor Benjamin Hulett, tenor Elizabeth Atherton, soprano 14 Andrew Ball, piano DAI FUJIKURA Lucy Wakeford, harp Lucy Wakeford, harp Lake Side 2’37 7 JOHN CASKEN Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano 22 ERROLLYN WALLEN Night and Morning 3’17 Tree 4’08 Disc 3 total timing 1’17’23 15 Daniel Norman, tenor RICHARD BAKER Errollyn Wallen, Andrew Ball, piano English Lullaby 2’43 voice and piano Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano Iain Burnside, piano

5 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.6

DISC FOUR 1 JONATHAN HARVEY 8 GAVIN BRYARS 15 THOMAS MORLEY 22 MORGAN HAYES Ah! Sun-flower 1’56 Old Man and Sea 4’50 ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS A Dictionary of 3’10 Claire Booth, soprano Andrew Kennedy, tenor Galliard: Version 13 1’29 Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Huw Watkins, piano Lucy Wakeford, harp Iain Burnside, piano Jonathan Powell, piano Andrew Ball, piano 2 9 ALEXANDER GOEHR Lucy Wakeford, harp 23 BEN FOSKETT Blackbirds and Ulysses’ Admonition Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Driving 2’02 Thrushes 2’48 to Achilles 3’32 Jane Chapman, harpsichord Daniel Norman, tenor George Mosley, baritone Roderick Williams, baritone Owen Gunnell, marimba Andrew Ball, piano Iain Burnside, piano Andrew West, piano 16 JULIA SIMPSON 24 THOMAS MORLEY 3 STUART MACRAE 10 CLAUDIA MOLITOR Bees a-zwarmen 2’03 ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS The Lif of this World 3’42 My favourite sound 2’51 Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Jonathan Powell, piano Galliard: Michael Chance, counter-tenor Michael Chance, counter-tenor Complete Version 3’09 Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar George Mosley, baritone electronics 17 SIMON BAINBRIDGE Iain Burnside, piano 4 GERALD BARRY Sonnet XVIII 3’18 Andrew Ball, piano The Importance of 11 JOHN WOOLRICH Susan Bickley, mezzo-soprano Lucy Wakeford, harp Stendhal’s Andrew Watts, counter-tenor Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Being Earnest 2’05 Jane Chapman, harpsichord Observation 1’58 Gerald Barry, voice and piano 18 Owen Gunnell, marimba Claire Booth, soprano ROBIN HOLLOWAY 5 MARTIN BUTLER Huw Watkins, piano Go, lovely Rose 4’06 25 BRYN HARRISON London 3’37 Jean Rigby, mezzo-soprano An Oblique 3’45 12 HOWARD SKEMPTON Huw Watkins, piano Roderick Williams, baritone Loré Lixenberg, mezzo-soprano Silence on Ullswater 0’53 Iain Burnside, piano 19 Jonathan Powell, piano Benjamin Hulett, tenor JORDAN HUNT 6 COLIN MATTHEWS Lucy Wakeford, harp An Aesthetic of Lines 2’45 Out in the Dark 2’18 Claire Booth, soprano Disc 4 total timing 1’11’50’ Claire Booth, soprano 13 GEOFFREY POOLE Andrew Ball, piano Huw Watkins, piano Heynonnynonny Smallprint 4’17 20 GILES SWAYNE 7 THOMAS MORLEY David Stout, baritone I look into my glass 2’12 ARR. COLIN MATTHEWS Benjamin Hulett, tenor Galliard: Version 12 1’26 14 JOSEPH PHIBBS Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Iain Burnside, piano The Moon’s Funeral 3’20 21 Andrew Ball, piano James Bowman, counter-tenor Lucy Wakeford, harp Andrew Plant, piano Ghost Train 4’07 Antonis Hatzinikolaou, guitar Roderick Williams, baritone Jane Chapman, harpsichord Iain Burnside, piano Owen Gunnell, marimba

More information about the artists, composers and songs on this disc can be found on www.nmcrec.co.uk

6 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.7

NMC AT 20 COLIN MATTHEWS

Like the Songbook itself, NMC came into setting up the label as a charitable organisation existence almost more by chance than by began, and in 1989 NMC D001 – Jonathan design. The idea of the Holst Foundation Harvey’s Bhakti – appeared. A piano recital by funding recordings of new music had surfaced Michael Finnissy soon followed; but early as early as 1984, while Imogen Holst was still progress was slow. Not until the early 1990s alive, and it was a project she actively was the label able to establish itself as a going encouraged. But nothing came of it at the concern, and the first catalogue did not appear time, and the eventual catalyst for the label’s until 1993, listing 15 CDs. origins was an orchestral concert at the 1987 Aldeburgh Festival, funded by the Foundation Originally administered through the Society for and consisting entirely of twentieth century the Promotion of New Music, NMC (which stood music. It played to a full house, but it was for ‘New Music Cassettes’ – hard to believe that not broadcast; and I was left wondering only 20 years ago cassette was still a primary again whether the Foundation’s resources format for recording) became independent in might be better applied to something more 1992. In the same year I invited Bill Colleran permanent than a one-off event that could (1929–2008), then still working for Universal only be enjoyed by 800 people. Edition, to join the Board, and he became its Chair from 1993 until 2004. Although most of Holst’s music had gone out of copyright in 1985, the income from his music, In the mid 1990s Holst’s music unexpectedly notably of course from The Planets, had been came back into copyright, as a result of EU substantial, and the Foundation – committed legislation which extended the copyright term from the outset to the music of today – was from 50 to 70 years. The unforeseen income able to guarantee the administrative costs of a that resulted allowed the Foundation small recording company, as well as funding its generously to increase its funding of NMC, and first releases. So during 1988 the work of the catalogue quickly grew: almost too

7 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.8

quickly, as the ambitious plans to record and we may increasingly add items of interest Birtwistle’s Mask of Orpheus and Anthony that will only be in that format: but it remains Payne’s realisation of Elgar’s Third , a guiding principle that no NMC recording will both in 1997, stretched the label to its limits. ever be deleted. For a company which had almost exclusively In approaching our twentieth anniversary it devoted itself to living British composers, Elgar was clear that we should mark it with a major might have seemed a surprising choice. But release. But although we have projects the label’s remit had already been extended enough in mind to keep us going for another to include other historic works – the first 20 years, this particular occasion called for performance of Britten’s Sinfonia da Requiem something that signalled a new direction. For in New York in 1941 had been released the some time we have thought that NMC might previous year – and this new area seemed become involved with commissioning, and both a natural expansion of what NMC was several schemes had been mooted. Then one already doing, as well as a way of drawing of our artistic panel meetings took as its focus attention to a label which was seen in some the need to have better representation of quarters as dealing only in a niche market. song, and singers, on the label. Iain Burnside was invited to join us, and in the course of The Mask of Orpheus was NMC’s 50th CD; just the meeting, which threw up other ideas yet over ten years later we have passed our 150th. to be realised, it seemed that one way to Alongside the growth of the main catalogue, encourage new song might be to commission with an increasing focus on young and a number of composers. previously unrecorded composers, the principle innovation of recent years has been the Suddenly the NMC Songbook became a solid development of the mid-price ‘Ancora’ series, proposition – at first merely an off the wall funded by Arts Council England and bringing suggestion, it quickly fleshed itself out and back recordings by other labels which have became something irresistible to us all. How long been absent from the catalogue, often – better to celebrate living composers than to with ‘Ancora Plus’ – adding new repertoire as invite as many as possible to take part in this well. Our recordings are available for download, crazy but exhilarating project? In the selection

8 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.9

of singers we had Iain’s unmatchable whom we approached to perform them. Then guidance; the task of choosing the composers Peter Millican, the remarkable figure behind was exceptionally daunting, and inevitably the development of Kings Place, astounded we could not include everyone we would us by responding to our tentative enquiries have wished to involve. As late as the with the offer of free use of his new concert beginning of 2008 we were still making hall over the month-long period of recording. invidious decisions, and we hope that those Everyone who worked there during this who have been left out will realise that they period was overwhelmed by the superb were not overlooked so much as subject to a acoustics and the environment in which we lottery, as our original expectation of a two- recorded, and the technical staff at Kings CD set expanded to four, but to our regret Place could not have been more helpful. could not become five. I can remember no happier sessions, as the The response to our request for songs was seemingly endless procession of composers exceptionally generous and positive, only and performers trouped through Hall One. matched by the willingness of everyone To all who took part we are deeply grateful.

This anniversary cannot be marked without without whose foresight and energy the profound thanks to the small but dedicated company could well have gone under after team who have sustained NMC over the years. the brief but provocative administration of The support of SPNM administrators, Rosemary Ronald Geurts. Hannah Vlc˘ek joined us in the Johnson and Richard Steele, together with turbulent year of 1997, since when her Jonathan Cooper, our first part-time technical resourcefulness and incredible administrator, was vital in establishing the industry have provided the label with its enterprise. Hannah Rogers (later Taylor) essential continuity: NMC owes to her and to moved from SPNM to become our first full- Jenny an especial debt. Hannah Teale became time employee, and proved indispensable to an invaluable assistant administrator in 2001 the emergence of NMC as an independent and stayed loyally with us for 5 years; her label. She was joined by Jenny Goodwin, successor, Eleanor Wilson (who, inexplicably,

9 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.10

refused to change her name to Hannah on period thereafter. On behalf of the Holst her move from Hyperion) has brought a Foundation Noel Periton and Peter Carter have whole new range of marketing skills. For most provided invaluable financial and legal advice of its existence, the look of the label has been respectively over many years. But above all we masterminded by our irreplaceable designer owe a debt to Bayan Northcott, whose two François Hall. In 2003 we were very fortunate decades of sage advice and critical input have in securing the incomparable recording industry given the label a musical range and coherence experience of Anne Rushton to guide, negotiate it might otherwise have lacked. Both Bayan and help fund-raise our way forward. and I are, in turn, deeply indebted for their support to the current Board, whose members We have been blessed with the expertise of are listed on page 58; and to its Chair, Steven many recording engineers and editors, but Foster, who took over from one of the hardest the establishment of our sound world owes acts to follow in the music profession, our more to Trygg Tryggvason than to anyone else, much missed Bill Colleran, to whose memory and he, together with Marian Freeman and The NMC Songbook is lovingly dedicated. Andrew Hallifax, contributed hugely to the label’s initial successes. Mike Clements has Colin Matthews been a constant pleasure to work with over many years, while at the BBC Symphony Orchestra we have enjoyed happy collaborations with Ann McKay and Neil Pemberton. More recently we have grown to rely on the remarkable skills of David Lefeber, Photo: Rosemary Johnson Rosemary Photo: in his multiple roles as engineer, editor, and increasingly producer as well. NMC could not have succeeded without a dedicated Board, always working voluntarily. David Bedford was a founder member in 1989, and Janis Susskind served for a productive Bill Colleran

10 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.11

THE GENTLE ART OF MATCHMAKING BY IAIN BURNSIDE

Is this what running a dating agency feels Honestly, apart from that really high one, I like? The thought comes to me as we sit round quite like my songs. Just wondering why I the big NMC table, energy levels low, coffee didn’t get any funny ones.” This is a prelude cups empty, unequal piles of scores towering to that familiar early stage in the new music accusingly over us. The more you look at process, where performers have to get angry them, the more Himalayan the piles become. with the composers. How does he expect me “So who would this suit?” Hannah asks to sing down there while you’re making all brightly, passing round the next photocopy. that racket? Do you think she’s ever heard a The score specifies mezzo, and yet the vocal tenor sing? Have you seen the metronome part lies high enough to terrify all but the mark? Look I’ve been into the House airiest of high sopranos. Everyone turns to me every day this week to work on it and Jesus, as I ponder the matchmaker’s dilemma: who when I open that first page it still feels like to please? Cast a soprano, and the composer I’ve never seen it before in my life. will sulk; cast a mezzo, and she’ll think we’re Fast forward two weeks through the rehearsal bonkers. And besides, which mezzo? No, not progress. Coffee mellows into peppermint tea, that one, she’s got too many already; and this and the mood softens. Mmmm, nice chord one, well, can we really expect her to pull there. Actually, I rather like that poem. Do this off in the same session as that fiendish you think this would fit with that Britten number with all the counting? “It doesn’t cycle? Inevitably not all our matchmakings seem all that tricky to me,” Colin chips in, work, and we tweak who sings what as we ever the optimist. I chicken out and suggest go along. But just as it needs time to work out we put the kettle on. how you feel about a new piece, so surprises We have more than the vocal range to emerge along the way in the fit of repertoire consider. Not long after the scores go out my to artist. Those gratifying moments when a phone starts ringing. “No, it’s OK, really. singer grows into a piece make the process

11 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.12

rewarding: when as performers we get enterprising singer. Guitarists, harpists and purchase on a composer’s imagination and percussionists with an eye to imaginative their response to a text. And as with dating programming can have a field day. We pianists agencies, I suspect it’s the unlikely pairings have even more to choose from and can only that often work best. marvel at the ways our instrument continues to be reinvented, from wide-eyed simplicity Speed dating was the order of the day when all the way through to migraine-inducing we met the composers at the Kings Place complexity. recording sessions. With some it was a blind date; with others a familiar, affectionate roll These CDs provide snapshots from various in the hay. Our draconian schedule meant different angles. More than just a collage of little time for foreplay, so both sides had to different composers, they are testimony to the knuckle down and get on with it. Looking breadth and depth of British singing, and the back at these sessions now, I realise quite wonderful diversity of emerging talent; to the how unique their dynamic was: 20 minutes to ensemble values in British music making, establish a relationship with a composer you with such daunting technical challenges being may have heard of but never met. overcome at speed; above all, to the open- mindedness within that music making, where Will any of us ever do this again – so many singers and instrumentalists rolled up their short pieces by so many different composers in sleeves and had a go, curious to see what such a short space of time? And in such a would come out the other end. I hope you bewildering array of styles? I will be fascinated are as surprised, stimulated and delighted by to see how many of these songs enter the the results as we have been. bloodstream of concert repertoire. There are rich pickings here, and not just for the Iain Burnside

12 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.13

TOWARDS AN ENGLISH SONGBOOK BY BAYAN NORTHCOTT

Rules to be Observed in Dittying ...it followeth to show you how to dispose your music according to the nature of the words which you are therein to express, as whatsoever matter it be which you have in hand such a kind of music must you frame to it. You must therefore, if you have a grave matter, apply a grave kind of music to it; if a merry subject you must make your music also merry, for it will be a great absurdity to use a sad harmony to a merry matter or a merry harmony to a sad, lamentable, or tragical ditty. Thomas Morley, A Plaine and Easie Introduction to Practicall Musicke, 1597

Times change, of course, and doubtless the invoke. Morley’s treatise remains a landmark, first instinct of a properly modern composer nonetheless, not only for what it tells us would be, precisely to set a tragical text to a about the many genres of vocal music merry harmony – so much more ironic, practised in his own time, but because its critical, significant! When NMC’s Business and appearance coincided with a publication that Development manager, Anne Rushton, has come to be recognized as marking the suggested celebrating the Label’s 20th emergence of a distinctively English tradition anniversary by commissioning a collective of solo song: ’s First Booke of songbook from a range of British composers, Songes or Ayres. neither she, nor any of the Board had much Of course, long before Dowland, there must idea of how vastly varied and, at times, have been hundreds of years of solo songs – positively contrary a response this would sacred, courtly, popular, urban and folk –

13 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.14

that were passed down by rote. And a reached England around 1610, the scattering of notated items survive from as far contrapuntal, fantasia-like accompaniments of back as the doleful little monodies attributed the lutesong school tended to be supplanted to the Northumbrian hermit, St. Godric (d. by more chordal and -like continuo 1170), or the anonymous 13th century lament backing, as in the settings of Milton’s friend ‘Worldes blis ne last no throwe’. The lutesong Henry Lawes. And when these evolving itself was probably cultivated from the elements re-emerged from the enforced moment the instrument was imported from privacy of the Commonwealth years into the Moorish Spain, during the reign of Henry VIII public world of the Restoration theatre, the (‘My , awake!’ cried Sir Thomas Wyatt), English song tradition was carried forward though few lutesongs survive from before with a florid Italianate rhetoric by Henry Dowland. The more favoured form in the Purcell and such contemporaries as John Blow. years immediately preceding his first So why did this stream of English song seem publication was the so-called consort-song, to run into the ground more or less with the for solo voice and instrumental ensemble, as death of Purcell in 1695? In part, it had practised by . Indeed, the First depended upon the flair of poets from Book of Ayres itself was published in an ‘open Shakespeare, Jonson, and Herrick, to Waller, score’ form, enabling its items to be Lovelace and Dryden for providing settable performed either as solo songs with lute, or lyric verses, whereas the 18th century ran by a mixture of voices and instruments. more to didactic poetry, verse satire and mock All the same, Dowland’s well-attested epic. Charming theatre songs were still written wizardry on the lute, and the success of his on occasion by Thomas Arne and William three further songbooks were to inspire a Boyce and an unexpected model for solo whole school of British composers in the early settings with piano was provided by the years of the 17th century: most notably Philip English Canzonets (1795) of Haydn - who also Rosseter, John Danyel and ; involved himself in the new fashion of and whether or not Dowland wrote any of his arranging Scottish folksongs for the drawing own lyrics, Campion certainly did. After the room. And in the resurgence of song-like new Italian fashion for declamatory monody verse forms – Blake’s Songs of Innocence and

14 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.15

Experience, the Lyrical Ballads of Wordsworth Villiers Stanford, , John , and Coleridge, the romantic lyrics of Byron Roger Quilter, E J Moeran and ; and Shelley – one might have hoped for a with Vaughan Williams, comparable revival of English solo song to and the poet-composer drawing match the emergent German Lied. upon folk inflections and , But alas, early 19th-century English music reanimating the spirit of the Elizabethan harboured no composer remotely as gifted as lutesongs he spent so much of his brief career Schubert, and Victorian song unfolded more transcribing and getting back into print. on the level of genteel sheet-balladry from The arrival in the 1940s of Britten and Tippett, Henry Bishop’s ‘Home Sweet Home’ to ‘The newly inspired by their rediscovery of Purcell, Lost Chord’ of . The most marked the climax of this resurgence of influential poet-tunesmith in this tradition English song, which subsequent generations was, in fact, an Irishman, Thomas Moore, of composers – Hugh Wood, Robin Holloway, who while charming English society with his Judith Weir, Julian Philips – have striven to light tenor voice, contrived to insinuate not a sustain. For all the latter-day appearance of a few thrusts on behalf of his oppressed brilliant succession of young singers, however, compatriots. If any one composer can be it would be idle to pretend that lyric song- credited with instigating a new development writing has remained a central concern of th of English art-song in the later 19 century, it composers since the death of Britten. Part of is , whose vast output may be the aim of The NMC Songbook has been to little visited today but which encompassed provide an outlet for those who still like to settings of many of the most famous lyrics in compose songs and, more ambitiously, perhaps, English literature, including a number of to kick-start a new interest in the genre. Shakespeare sonnets – that intricate verse form so generally evaded by British The idea of an anthology of songs is hardly songwriters. Parry’s example seems to have new, of course. John Dowland’s son Robert re-established the idea of song as an gathered a selection of lutesongs by a number essential part of a serious output, as of composers under the title A Musicall exemplified in the catalogues of Charles Banquet as early as 1610; while 18 composers

15 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.16

were specifically commissioned to set poems composers were requested to keep their of James Joyce for The Joyce Book (1933) – of contributions to within three minutes duration. which Joyce himself apparently liked the Then there was the copyright problem if settings by and best. composers chose to set texts written within And NMC early released a selection from Mary the last 70 years; since NMC had neither the Wiegold’s Songbook (NMC D003) – a collection time nor the resources to negotiate and clear of over 100 songs requested in the late 1980s copyrights with a whole succession of living by John Woolrich from an international array writers or writers’ estates, it was required that of composers for the soprano Mary Wiegold. composers or their publishers must do this. Nor But whereas The Joyce Book was a published had NMC the wherewithal to commission songs tribute to a single author and Mary Wiegold’s for the going rate – only enough to offer the Songbook an archive for a single performer honorarium of a bottle of bubbly per song. and a prescribed accompanying ensemble, Given these various limitations, it was The NMC Songbook was conceived from the envisaged, when the invitations went out in start as a recording project encompassing not November 2007, that maybe only half or two only a variety of composers, but of singers and thirds of those asked might accept – perhaps accompanists as well. sufficient to fill two CDs. In fact the response Some constraints seemed unavoidable if the proved so overwhelmingly positive that the thing was to be manageable. It was decided scope of the project seem to expand of its from the start that songs should be for solo own accord. The initial invitation list had voice, or two voices in duet, and just one been based upon composers who had already accompanist on either piano, harp, guitar, been recorded by NMC, but it was unthinkable harpsichord or percussion. Since NMC is a not also to ask certain established figures, charity for the recording of contemporary such as Sir , who had British music, it also seemed reasonable to not appeared on the label, plus a number of ask that composers set English texts, rising younger talents who had yet to achieve preferably with some bearing on British life, recording. A handful of composers NMC would history, landscape, or whatever. And, in order very much have liked to include – amongst to accommodate as many songs as possible, them Brian Ferneyhough, ,

16 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.17

Dominic Muldowney, Steve Martland, Richard accompany their own items; the remainder Barrett, George Benjamin – were reluctantly being shared between the tireless Iain obliged to decline owing to pressure of work; Burnside, Andrew Ball and Huw Watkins, while 's circumstances only along with contributions from Andrew Plant allowed for the arrangement of a pre-existing and Andrew West. Happily, the virtuoso song. One or two promised songs also failed, harpist Lucy Wakeford was available to in the event, to turn up – including, alas, a undertake all eleven of the songs with harp setting by Sir that and the dexterous Owen Gunnell the nine vanished somewhere between his desk and with various percussion accompaniments. The his publisher’s office. But of the 100-plus rising young Greek artist Antonis Hatzinikolaou composers to receive an invitation, only one took on the five songs with guitar and the failed ever to answer. versatile Jane Chapman the two with harpsichord – these players also adding their As the scores poured in, the focus shifted to layers to the variable version of a Thomas getting them recorded. Clearly with almost Morley galliard arranged by Colin Matthews as 100 songs, there were more for soprano, more a periodic interlude between the songs. for tenor, and so on, than any one singer of each voice type could be reasonably expected The logistical challenge of matching the to learn. Iain Burnside had been advising the various schedules of all these busy artists, project from the start, but here his unrivalled piano tuners, and so on, to the varying knowledge of current singers proved crucial in demands of the songs and the durations finding NMC the right voices for the right deemed necessary to their recording, over songs. Of course, there were complications; many days of sessions – a particularly tricky several composers expressed strong matter where the twelve duet settings were preferences for particular singers, while Gerald concerned – fell to NMC’s indispensable Barry, Errollyn Wallen and Roderick Williams Hannah Vlc˘ek, ably assisted by Eleanor preferred to sing their own songs. With so Wilson, who carried it through with awesome many songs scored for piano, it was helpful to attention to detail. The availability of the have those distinguished composer-pianists, lustrous acoustic of the brand new concert Michael Finnissy and Jonathan Powell to hall of the Kings Place arts centre in the

17 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.18

weeks before its official opening was, of the expressive opening-out of actual course, a bonus – though as the hall’s own performance, to run appreciably longer. It was recording suite was not yet operational, NMC’s felt however that their artistic quality overrode producer Colin Matthews and recording a strict insistence on the three-minute rule in engineer David Lefeber had to communicate every case, except for one so long that its between a desk set up in the stalls and a van composer was asked to shorten it – which he outside the hall; and this operation had, at proved happy to do. Another composer chose times, to contend with noises of work still to disregard the English text requirement by going on around the building. Nevertheless, setting Latin; but since this comprised the self- virtually all the songs had been successfully composed epitaph of an English poet, it was recorded by mid-September 2008, with only decided once more to follow the spirit rather one session postponed, owing to the than the letter. indisposition of a singer, to the Cadogan Hall So what does The NMC Songbook reveal about at the end of the month. David Lefeber was British music now? Certain simple things; left to edit the hundreds of takes into finished certain more complex implications. Evidently, tracks; Colin Matthews and the present writer if regrettably, the deep bass voice is currently to face the jigsaw task of deciding the most unpopular, since not a single composer chose effective order of the songs across four CDs. to write for it. Evidently, if perhaps more The NMC Songbook, is not, and was never surprisingly, the piano seems to hold much of intended to be a comprehensive survey of its traditional dominance as accompanying contemporary British song writing. There must instrument, where one might have expected be several hundred professional composers more hard-line modernists to prefer a mix of currently working in what is loosely called the percussion, and composers with more ‘classical’ field in this country. Every member folkloristic or populist leanings to gravitate to of NMC’s artistic committee was acutely aware the guitar. Where choices of texts from pre- of additional candidates they would like to copyright days are concerned, many of the have invited, if a halt had not had to be called more favoured old poets still appeal: there are somewhere. Again, several songs submitted in highly contrasted Shakespeare settings by good faith as lasting three minutes proved, in Simon Bainbridge, Alison Bauld, Gordon

18 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.19

Crosse and Alexander Goehr, for instance; Phibbs’s setting of Belloc and Jeremy Dale Blake is tackled by Martin Butler, Richard Roberts’s of Ursula Vaughan Williams. Others, Causton, James Dillon, Jonathan Harvey and such as Richard Baker, David Blake, Diana Stephen Montague; Shelley by Christopher Burrell, Gary Carpenter, Ben Foskett, Emily Mayo and Jonathan Powell; John Clare by Hall, Emily Howard, David Matthews and Tansy Davies, Brian Elias and Anthony Gilbert. Anna Meredith managed to induce living writers to waive rights or write specially for Yet the fashion for Medieval verse established them – including members of their own by Holst and Britten decades back seems to families in the instances of Joe Cutler and have declined somewhat, apart from settings Edwin Roxburgh. Quite a few decided to by Stuart MacRae, Nicholas Sackman and Peter emulate Campion, Tom Moore and Ivor Wiegold. And the pre-Romantic 18th century Gurney by writing their own texts: from is, as ever, neglected, aside from Donnacha Michael Berkeley, Bryn Harrison, Simon Holt, Dennehy’s defiant setting of Swift’s ‘Epitaph’ Jordan Hunt and Jonathan Lloyd, to Claudia and Chris Dench’s intricate treatment of lines Molitor, Anthony Payne, Geoffrey Poole, from Sterne’s Tristram Shandy. That most Robert Saxton and Errollyn Wallen. And three musical of Victorian poets, Tennyson, is, sadly, composers evaded the text problem avoided altogether, while A E Housman, the altogether: Jonathan Cole by setting a pattern poet of choice 80 or 90 years ago, is set solely of abstract phonemes, Luke Stoneham by by Anthony Powers. Evidently the Shropshire electronically treating virtually inaudible lad has since lost ground to Thomas Hardy, voices, and Rupert Bawden by composing a tackled by Helen Grime, Giles Swayne and the textless vocalise. present writer; and, especially, to Edward Thomas, variously set by Philip Grange, John As for the musical approaches encompassed by The NMC Songbook, these would seem almost McCabe, Colin Matthews and David Sawer. beyond summary: ranging from the Fortunately the copyright problem dissuaded labyrinthine convolutions of James Dillon’s fewer composers from setting more up-to-date Blake song to a haunting Jonathan Lloyd writing than was feared. Some persuaded number that would mesmerize any folk club. poets’ estates to permit use, as with Joseph Yet in his setting of Horatio Brown, Michael

19 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.20

Finnissy somehow contrives to suggest a Wilde scena. Still others – Nicola LeFanu, strange meeting of the New Complexity with Judith Weir, Stuart MacRae – seem, more or Gerald Finzi. Quite a few contributions, indeed, less directly, to echo folk tradition. There are sound like conscious attempts to carry forward some particularly resourceful items for the central 20th-century English song tradition unaccompanied voice: Brian Elias’s sinuous of Bridge, Ireland, Warlock, Tippett and Britten: Clare setting; Simon Holt’s flamboyantly from Hugh Wood’s ecstatic George Herbert rhetorical character-monologue; Geoffrey setting to Helen Grime’s darkly troubled Poole’s outrageous send-up of folksiness. Yet response to Thomas Hardy; from David scattered through the Songbook are equally Matthews’s lightsome setting of words by the striking one-offs: Nicholas Sackman’s fusion of contemporary poet Robin Leanse, to Robert Medieval hocketting with Afro-Caribbean Keeley’s finely balanced response to a sonnet percussion; Dai Fujikura’s startling treatment of Sir Philip Sidney – indeed, Robin Holloway of demotic English by Harry Ross; a bleak has described his setting of Edmund Waller’s haiku from the reclusive Bláar Kindsdottir. And ‘Go, lovely Rose’ as sounding like “cubist still half the composers in the Songbook – Quilter”. In the same way one may sense the some eminent, some fast-rising – have gone spirit of Warlock somewhere behind Sadie unmentioned. How generally representative of Harrison’s uproarious William Barnes setting or the current scene the songs as a body may be, the unquiet ghost of Britten behind Martin and how many of them have the potential to Butler’s ominous response to Blake’s ‘London’. endure in the repertoire, is for performers and listeners to judge. But, as it attains its 20th A number of other composers seem to have anniversary, NMC at least feels it has earned taken more from the permutational games the right to ask in its turn: would any other and (apparent) naiveté of the Anglo-American company or media outlet today even attempt experimental tradition, as John White’s Lord such a project? Berners-esque tribute to the National Trust; Howard Skempton’s patterned setting of Libby Bayan Northcott Travassos Valdez; Gerald Barry’s deadpan Oscar October 2008

20 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.21

KINGS PLACE

Kings Place opened its doors to the public on halls – Hall One with a seating capacity of 1st October 2008 with a five-day celebration 420, and Hall Two, a more flexible space for featuring over one hundred musical events between 200 - 350 people – were designed comprising an eclectic range of music from by Arup Acoustics; all the oak veneer inside contemporary classical to vocal recitals, jazz to Hall One has come from the same 500-year- opera, world music to family concerts. Home old German oak. to the first new concert halls in London for Kings Place is home to the Orchestra of the over 25 years, Kings Place is a completely new Age of Enlightenment (OAE) and London concept for London – an office building with Sinfonietta, both committed to building links music, painting and sculpture built into its and working with the local community and foundations. schools in the area. In addition, two art Designed by architects Dixon Jones for the galleries are housed within the building: developers Parabola Land Limited, Kings Place Pangolin London, owned by the renowned is partly a public and cultural building and Gloucestershire-based sculpture foundry, runs partly an office building. It consists of a public both a sculpture gallery and a sculpture ground-floor area on the waterfront, two residency, while Kings Place Gallery present a lower levels devoted to the arts, and seven a continuous programme of painting and floors of offices above. sculpture by international artists. The acoustics of its two state-of-the-art concert www.kingsplace.co.uk

21 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.22

DISC ONE 3 ANTHONY POWERS Shining Plain 1 DAVID SAWER In memory of Wilfrid Mellers The Source For tenor and piano For two voices and tubular bells Text by A. E. Housman Text by Edward Thomas Into my heart an air that kills All day the air triumphs with its two voices From yon far country blows: Of wind and rain: What are those blue remembered hills, As loud as if in anger it rejoices, What spires, what farms are those? Drowning the sound of earth That gulps and gulps in choked endeavour vain That is the land of lost content, To swallow the rain. I see it shining plain, The happy highways where I went Half the night, too, only the wild air speaks And cannot come again. With wind and rain, Till forth the dumb source of the river breaks 4 GARY CARPENTER And drowns the rain and wind, Bellows like a giant bathing in mighty mirth Interlude The triumph of earth. For mezzo-soprano and harpsichord Text by Eva Salzman 2 LUKE BEDFORD Thalia and Melpomene Upon St. George’s Hill Meet at the Queen’s Head by pure chance. For tenor and guitar Both dressed in second-hand suits, They light each others’ fat cigars. Text from The True Levellers Standard Then after, Advanced (1649) They stagger home, strip off, We begin to Digge upon George Hill, pose on the bed in a pantomime of It was shewed us by Vision in Dreams, and out of woman/man pursuits. Dreams, Unable to make it, they dissolve in tears and laughter. That that should be the Place we should begin upon. © Eva Salzman From Double Crossing: New and Selected Poems (Bloodaxe, 2004)

22 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.23

5 JONATHAN COLE -lingborough Glooston Bulby Twywell tss-k-haa A love that rudest moods would melt Noseley Lowesby Bur- For baritone When those sweet sounds were heard -ton Pedwardine Shoby Scrane End 6 THOMAS MORLEY A melancholy joy at rest, ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS and Threddlethorpe All Saints Galliard: Version 1 A pleasurable pain, Aby Dogdyke Stragglethorpe Edith Wes- 7 ANTHONY GILBERT A love, a rapture of the breast Those Fenny Bells -ton Collyweston Scrane For mezzo-soprano, counter-tenor and That nothing will explain. vibraphone Eye Green Ab Kettleby Hanby Gra- Text by John Clare (with Fenny names) A dream of beauty that displays -by Wrangle Warboys High Quadring Corby Stragglethorpe Gra- Imaginary joys I’ve often on a Sabbath day Ab Dalby Goadby Gaulby Ais- -by Pipewell Twywell Where pastoral quiet dwells That all the world in all its ways Teigh Hundle Houses New York Aisby -by Hop Pole Teigh Wymes- Lay down among the new-mown hay Finds not to realize. To Whisby Spital Beels- -wold Oadby Treddlethorpe All Saints To listen to distant bells All idly stretched upon the hay -by Bleasby Gunby Hundle Hou- Irthlingborough Stainby Eye That beautifully flung the sound The wind-flirt fanning bye, -ses Quorn Lee Eye Green Pode Hole Lowesby Pidley Fen Twy- Upon the quiet wind How soft how sweetly swept away High Weekley Glooston Brerehouse Bar -well Humby Hoby Guy’s While beans in blossom breathed around The music of the sky. Hagworthingham Redmile Head Whissendine Wasps Nest Hundle Hou- A fragrance o’er the mind The ear it lost and caught the sound. and Pipewell Sibsey Bilsby Teigh -ses Busby Bunny Quorn And I have listened till I felt Swelled beautifully on Great Gidding Gaulby Irth- Teigh Spital-in-the-Street a Wran- A feeling not in words A fitful melody, a round

23 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.24

-gle Weekley Burton-le-Coggles 9 NICOLA LEFANU Of sweetness heard and gone. Pipewell Scots Hole Eye Green Great Gidding The Bourne I felt such thoughts I yearned to sing For soprano and harp Old Quadring Irthlingbo- Text by Christina Rossetti The humming air’s delight Underneath the growing grass, -rough Deene to Bushby Warboys Wing Underneath the living flowers, That seemed to move the swallows wing Deeper than the sound of showers: Tydd Glooston Twywell Dyke There we shall not count the hours Into a wilder flight. By the shadows as they pass. 8 PHILIP CASHIAN Youth and health will be but vain, Beauty reckoned of no worth: Daisy’s Song There a very little girth For everybody at NMC Can hold round what once the earth For baritone and piano Seemed too narrow to contain. Text by John Keats Underneath the growing grass, The sun, with his great eye, Underneath the living flowers, Sees not as much as I; Deeper than the sound of showers: And the moon, all silver proud, There we shall not count the hours Might as well be in a cloud. By the shadows as they pass. And O the spring – the spring! I lead the life of a king! Couch’d in the teeming grass, I spy each pretty lass. Luke Bedford, composer I look where no one dares, And I stare where no one stares, “It’s a real honour to take part in this And when the night is nigh, project with so many other composers Lambs bleat my lullaby. and it’s a very good discipline to write such a small-scale piece. I think it’s quite good as a composer, you have to really nail an idea in a very short space of time.”

24 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.25

10 NICHOLAS SACKMAN Good was her bower. What was her bower? Maiden in the moor The red rose and the... For tenor and percussion The red red rose and the... Anonymous medieval text Good was her bower. Maiden in the moor lay, lay, What was her bower? Maiden in the moor lay, lay, The red rose Seven nights full, The red rose and the lily flower. Seven full. Maiden in the moor lay, lay, Maiden in the moor lay, lay, Maiden in the moor lay, lay, Seven nights lay, full, Seven nights full, And a day, Seven full. And a day Maiden in the moor lay, lay, Seven nights full and a day. Seven nights lay, full, Good was her meat. And a day, What... was her meat? And a day What was her meat? Seven nights full and a day. The primrose and the... The primrose and the... 11 JOHN WHITE Good was her meat. Houses and Gardens in the Heart What was her...? of England What was her...? For soprano and piano The primrose and the violet. Text by Christine Doyle for The National Trust Good was her drink What was her drink? Houses and Gardens in the Heart of England The chilled water of the... Welcome! Special Places to Visit: The chilled water of the... Shropshire: Good was her drink. Out and about in this beautiful county (mm—): What was her drink? from rolling hills to magnificent country houses, The chilled water, Shropshire has a wealth of beautiful places to visit. The cold water, Herefordshire: The cold water of the well-spring. Out and about in this beautiful county:

25 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.26

from the Iron Age hill fort at Croft Ambrey 13 HARRISON BIRTWISTLE to the nineteen-twenties Weir Garden, ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS visitors can discover over twenty-five hundred years of history. This Silence before Light (from Songs by Myself) Worcestershire... Out and about in this beautiful county: For soprano and piano Worcestershire is a county of diverse properties, Text by Harrison Birtwistle from Rosedene the Chartist Cottage to Hanbury Hall This silence before light cuts a knot there is plenty of choice to inspire and delight visitors. of dreams Warwickshire... 1 – 2 2 – 1 1 – 2 2 – 1 ... Out and about in this beautiful county (mm—): glass framed shadows from blue enjoy a day out at historic homes and glorious gardens circles cared for by the National Trust in Warwickshire. stops my breath. Et cetera. © 1986 Universal Edition (London) Ltd This arrangement © 2008 by Universal Edition (London) Ltd. Houses and Gardens in the Heart of England. Reproduced by permission. © The National Trust By kind persission 14 JULIAN PHILIPS Blist’s Hill 12 THOMAS MORLEY To Jennie McGregor-Smith ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS For baritone and piano Galliard: Version 2 Text by Simon Christmas This boy’s all earth, scratching the dust with a stick Alison Bauld, composer he picked up by the mine-shaft. “An absolutely brilliant way of collecting Water, once hemmed in by ice, music by composers of different styles … cut cliffs from mountains it’s the tantalising thought that the here. listener at home is inadvertently going to Fire, happen upon such different and exciting unbound by titans, soundworlds.” leapt from flank to wooded flank

26 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.27

and forged a revolution 16 JOE DUDDELL here. Cease Sorrows Now But now clay-boy is master, For baritone and piano killing time beside the car Text by Thomas Weelkes while dad goes for a pee. Cease, sorrows, now, for you have done the deed, Industry and nature are Lo, care hath now consumed my carcase quite. his heritage. No hope is left, nor help can stand instead, He’ll write about them in a project For doleful death doth cut off pleasure quite. much as he scrawls bored shapes on ground Yet whilst I hear the knolling of the bell, which history has passed. Before I die, I’ll sing my faint farewell. © 2008 Simon Christmas 17 ALISON BAULD 15 ANNA MEREDITH Titania’s Song Fin like a Flower For Philip Thomas For counter-tenor and harp For soprano and piano Text by Philip Ridley Text by , You wore your fin from A Midsummer Night’s Dream Like a flower What angel wakes me from my flowery bed? And by petal I pray thee, gentle mortal, sing again: And perfume Mine ear is much enamour’d of thy note; Enticed me So is mine eye enthralled to thy shape; beyond And thy fair virtue’s force perforce doth move me Land’s On the first view to say, I swear, I love thee. End to your Out of this wood do not desire to go: teeth Thou shalt remain here, whether thou wilt or no. oh, consume me I’ll give thee fairies to attend on thee, Piece by piece And they shall fetch thee jewels from the deep, Oh, no release And sing while thou on pressed flowers dost sleep; I’m in your power And I will purge thy mortal grossness so My fin like a flower. That thou shalt like an airy spirit go. © 2008 Philip Ridley Peaseblossom! Cobweb! Moth! and Mustardseed! Be kind and courteous to this gentleman;

27 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.28

And pluck the wings from painted butterflies 19 HELEN GRIME To fan the moonbeams from his sleeping eyes: Nod to him, elves, and do him courtesies. Nobody Comes For low voice and piano The moon, methinks, looks with a watery eye; And when she weeps, weeps every little flower, Text by Thomas Hardy Lamenting some enforced chastity. Tree-leaves labour up and down, Tie up my love’s tongue, bring him silently. And through them the fainting light Succumbs to the crawl of night. 18 DONNACHA DENNEHY Outside in the road the telegraph wire Swift’s Epitaph To the town from the darkening land Intones to travellers like a spectral lyre For counter-tenor and percussion Swept by a spectral hand. Text by Jonathan Swift A car comes up, with lamps full-glare, Ubi Sæva Indignatio That flash upon a tree: Ulterius It has nothing to do with me, Cor Lacerare Nequit, And whangs along in a world of its own, Abi Viator Leaving a blacker air; Et Imitare, Si Poteris, And mute by the gate I stand again alone, Strenuum Pro Virili And nobody pulls up there. Libertatis Vindicatorem. Swift has sailed into his rest. 20 JOHN MCCABE Savage indignation there cannot lacerate his breast. ACat Imitate him if you dare, For mezzo-soprano and guitar world-besotted traveller. Text by Edward Thomas He served human liberty. She had a name among the children; Translation © W.B. Yeats But no one loved though someone owned Reprinted by permission of A P Watt Ltd on behalf of Gráinne Yeats Her, locked her out of doors at bedtime And had her kittens duly drowned. In Spring, nevertheless, this cat Ate blackbirds, thrushes, nightingales, And birds of bright voice and plume and flight, As well as scraps from neighbours’ pails.

28 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.29

I loathed and hated her for this; 23 PHILLIP NEIL MARTIN One speckle on a thrush’s breast Was worth a million such; and yet Blaze of Noon She lived long, till God gave her rest. For soprano and piano Text by John Milton (from Samson Agonistes) 21 THOMAS MORLEY O dark, dark, dark, amid the blaze of noon, ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS Irrecoverably dark, total eclipse, Galliard: Version 3 Without all hope of day.

22 MICHAEL FINNISSY 24 JOE CUTLER Outside Fort Tregantle Bands For baritone and piano For tenor and piano Text by Horatio Brown (from A ‘Kodak’: Tregantle) Text by Richard Cutler Where the fort Tregantle frowns not a band of sisters brothers brigands Over cliffs that curb the ocean in its glee; not a band to hold our sandwiches together Where the gorse and heather quicken, with the bottles of cherryade in our satchels What a vision took the splendour not a band to bind onto our backs out of down and distant lea! last minute additions to our packs For with comely, capless head, a sort of band a sorrow of evacuees Came a trooper of some summers twenty-three; the whistling of our engine steaming hissing His jacket all unlaced, the green-flagged guard waving us away His belt about his waist, to some unknown place a six-year stay And a ruddy golden colour from his bathing home schools and friends dismissed forever in the sea. each with our silver bands wrists and hands We shall never meet again, engraved with names should we forget Yet he seemed the sum and glory of the whole world, where we were born from whence we came And I thanked the God that made him and the land and sea and me. © 2008 Richard Cutler

Bayan Northcott, NMC “It slightly got out of hand and we’ve ended up with over 90 songs.”

29 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.30

25 JAMES MACMILLAN For the heavy minds are silent, or the moon is in the deep; Mouth of the Dumb Some respite to its turbulence unresting ocean knows; For two sopranos and harp Whatever moves or toils or gives hath its appointed Text by James MacMillan, after Latin from the sleep. Inchcolm Antiphoner 27 Mouth of the dumb THOMAS MORLEY light of the blind, ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS foot of the lame, Galliard: Version 4 stretch out a hand to the fallen. 28 Shelter the vain and the insane. HUGH WOOD Succour them. Easter O Columba, For Susanna hope of Scotland, For tenor and piano by thy standing, by thy healing intervention, Text by George Herbert make us join now with God’s own holy angels: I got me flowers to straw thy way, alleluia. I got me boughs off many a tree; But thou wast up by break of day, © 2008 Boosey & Hawkes Music Publishers Ltd And brought’st thy sweets along with thee. 26 JONATHAN POWELL The sun arising in the East, Though he give light, and the East perfume; Stanzas 1814 If they should offer to contest To Galina Nikiforova With thy arising, they presume. For mezzo-soprano and piano Can there be any day but this, Text by Though many suns to shine endeavour? Away! the moor is dark beneath the moon, We count three hundred, but we miss: Rapid clouds have drunk the last pale beam of even: There is but one, and that one ever. Away! the gath’ring winds will call the darkness soon, And profoundest midnight shroud the serene lights Ailish Tynan, mezzo-soprano of heaven. The cloud shadows of midnight possess their own “It’s been challenging but a very repose, rewarding project working on the pieces”

30 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.31

DISC TWO 2 DAVID HORNE A curious thirsty fly 1 GORDON CROSSE For tenor and piano Dirge from Cymbeline Text by William Oldys For baritone and harp Busy, curious, thirsty fly! Text by William Shakespeare Freely welcome to my cup, Fear no more the heat o’ the sun, Could’st thou sip, and sip it up: Nor the furious winter’s rages; Make the most of life you may, Thou thy worldly task hath done, Life is short and wears away. Home art gone, and ta’en thy wages; Both alike are mine and thine, Golden lads and girls all must, Hastening quick to their decline; As chimney sweepers, come to dust. Thine’s a summer, mine’s no more, Fear no more the frown o’ the great; Though repeated to three-score; Thou art past the tyrant’s stroke: Three-score summers, when they’re gone, Care no more to clothe and eat; Will appear as short as one. To thee the reed is as the oak. The Sceptre, Learning, Physic, must 3 RACHEL LEACH All follow this, and come to dust. Out of Town Fear no more the lightning-flash, For soprano and piano Nor th’all-dreadful thunder-stone; Fear not slander, censure rash; Text by Amy Levy Thou hast finished joy and moan; Out of town the sky was bright and blue, All lovers young, all lovers must Never fog-cloud, low’ring, thick, was seen to frown; Consign to thee, and come to dust. Nature dons a garb of gayer hue, Out of town. No exorciser harm thee Nor no witchcraft charm thee Spotless lay the snow on field and down, Ghost unlaid forbear thee Pure and keen the air above it blew; Nothing ill come near thee. All wore peace and beauty for a crown. Quiet contemplation have London sky, marred by smoke, veiled from view, And renowned be thy grave. London snow, trodden thin, dingy brown, Whence that strange unrest at thoughts of you Out of town?

31 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.32

4 RICHARD CAUSTON 5 DAVID BLAKE English Encouragement of Art A Swallow For soprano, mezzo-soprano and percussion For mezzo-soprano and piano Text by Text by John Birtwhistle First reading Year after year a swallow tries to nest If you mean to please everybody, you will on the self-same balcony Set to work both ignorance and skill. Year after year the housewife clears it out For a great multitude are ignorant only to find that spot of lime And skill to them seems raving and rant, Like putting oil and water in a lamp: How can the swallow remember a time ‘Twill make a great splutter with smoke and damp. when it was not unwelcome For there is no use, as it seems to me, Of lighting a lamp when you don’t wish to see. on that balcony facing south where year after year it still tries to nest? Final reading Cromek’s Opinions put into Rhyme © 2008 John Birtwhistle If you mean to please everybody, you will 6 THOMAS MORLEY Menny wouver both bunglishness and skill. ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS For a great conquest are bunglery And jenous looks to ham like mad rantery, Galliard: Version 5 Like displaying oil and water into a lamp – ‘Twill hold forth a huge splutter with smoke and 7 ROBERT SAXTON damp. The beach in winter: Scratby (For Tess) For it’s all sheer loss, as it seems to me, For the 20th anniversary of NMC Of displaying up a light when we want not to see. For baritone and piano Text by Robert Saxton James Bowman, counter-tenor The sea-wind curls round your face, “For me it’s rather exciting to do A caress that cuts. I see you, alone, something totally new…the calibre of Between dunes and shore, the songs is obviously incredibly high Outside Time. and all new music, nothing that has As a child, I too was here, been done or recorded before.” Singing my private song;

32 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.33

Inward praise uplifted me 10 SADIE HARRISON Towards the widened sky. There was no response, Easter Zunday Only silence in the moving stillness. For Clive Andrew Garnett, Dorset born and bred For tenor and piano Now, you stand here the circle’s complete. Seas, sand, stones do not comfort. Text by William Barnes The hollow wave-thud does not speak, Last Easter Jim put on his blue But you laugh. Frock cwoat, the vu’st time-vier new; © 2008 Robert Saxton Wi’ yollow buttons all o’ brass, That glitter’d in the zun lik’ glass; 8 JULIAN ANDERSON An’ pok’d ‘ithin the button-hole A tutty he’d a-begg’d or stole. Lucretius A span-new wes-co’t, too, he wore, For Colin Matthews Wi’ yellow stripes all down avore; For soprano and percussion An’ tied his breeches’ lags below The knee, wi’ ribbon in a bow; Text by Lucretius (trans. John Nott, 1799) An’ drow’d his kitty-boots azide, Then to this maxim let us be agreed; An’ put his laggens on, an’ tied NOTHING of NOTHING can be form’d; His shoes wi’ strings two vingers wide, But in such space immense, such vast of time, Because ‘twer Easter Zunday. If aught renew’d this Universe sublime, ‘Twas something surely that’s Immortal born; An’ after mornen church wer out For to a Nothing things cannot return. He come back hwome, an’ stroll’d about All down the vields, an’ drough the leane, 9 Wi’ sister Kit an’ cousin Jeane ... JAMES DILLON The lambs did play, the grounds wer green, Upon the cloudy night The trees did bud, the zun did sheen; For counter-tenor and piano The lark did zing below the sky, Text by William Blake (from America) An’ roads wer all a-blown so dry, As if the zummer wer begun; Solemn heave the Atlantic waves between the An’ he had sich a bit o’ fun! gloomy nations, He meade the maidens squeal an’ run, Belching [...] deeps red clouds and raging fires Because ‘twer Easter Zunday. Albion is sick. America faints! enrag’d the Zenith grew Red rose the clouds

33 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.34

11 PETER MAXWELL DAVIES 12 EDWARD RUSHTON Labyrinth to Light With my Whip For boy treble and piano For baritone and piano Anonymous text Text by Samuel Pepys There was a man of double deed, (from his diary of 21st June 1662) Sowed his garden full of seed. I having from my wife and the maids complaints When the seed began to grow, made of the boy, I called him up and with my whip ’Twas like a garden full of snow; did whip him till I was not able to stir, and yet I When the snow began to melt, could not make him confess any of the lies that they ’Twas like a ship without a belt; tax him with. At last, not willing to let him go away When the ship began to sail, a conqueror, I took him in task again and pulled off ’Twas like a bird without a tail. his frock to his shirt, and whipped him till he did When the bird began to fly confess that he did drink the whay, which he hath ’Twas like an eagle in the sky; denied. And pulled a pinke, and above all, did lay And when the sky began to roar, the candlesticke upon the ground in his chamber, ’Twas like a lion at the door; which he hath denied this quarter of this year. I When the door began tro crack, confess it is one of the greatest wonders that I ever ’Twas like a stick upon my back; met with, that such a little boy as he could be able When my back began to smart, to suffer half so much as he did to maintain a lie. ’Twas like a penknife in my heart; But I think I must be forced to put him away. So to bed, with my arme very weary. When my heart began to bleed, ’Twas death, and death, and death indeed. 13 SIMON HOLT From The Oxford Dictionary of Nursery Rhymes, ed. Iona and Raju Raghuvanshi is a Ghost Peter Opie, published by © 1951 For baritone Text by Simon Holt Julian Anderson, composer Raju Raghuvanshi is unmarried; he’s forty five; his “I think it’s a unique venture which will parents are dead; no siblings. He’s had to move to in future be a very interesting cross Bamni nearby. For here in Katra where he lived, section of what was being written in they rush into their houses, locking all the doors, locking all the windows, crying “Ghost! Ghost! Britain in 2007-8. As a cultural document Ghost! Ghost! Ghost!” at the sight of him. He was in I think it will be very important.” prison, you see, where he was hospitalized.

34 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.35

Rumours were rife: he’s fallen ill; he’s been moved Up in the morning’s no for me, to another town; he’s dead; cremated. Ganeshi, his Up in the morning early; cousin’s wife, performed the last rites so his spirit When a’ the hill s are cover’d wi’ snaw, could rest. “Imagine our surprise when he turned I’m sure it’s winter fairly. up alive,” she said,”We thought he was dead.” Poor Raju. Poor Raju, Raju Raghuvanshi; he’s technically 15 THOMAS MORLEY a ghost. “Now I have to prove I’m alive. N.V. ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS Vayangankar, Chief of Police, will help me. I have property, you see, a few acres of land. I know their Galliard: Version 6 game. They shall not beat me. I say to them: ‘But, can’t you see that my feet are the right way round? 16 TARIK O’REGAN If I was a spirit or a ghost, they’d turn backwards’. Darkness Visible I was not gone long, now I don’t exist.” For counter-tenor, tenor and harp © 2008 Chester Music Text by John Milton and Henry Vaughan

14 ...yet from those flames THEA MUSGRAVE No light; but rather darkness visible A Winter’s Morning Served only to discover sights of woe, To Dennis Stevenson Regions of sorrow, doleful shades, where peace For soprano and piano And rest can never dwell... Paradise Lost, Book I Text by Robert Burns (Up in the Morning Early) John Milton Cauld blaws the wind frae East tae West, The drift is driving sairly; A nest of nights, a gloomy sphere, Sae loud and shrill’s I hear the blast Where shadows thicken, and the cloud I’m sure it’s winter fairly. Sits on the sun’s brow all the year, And nothing moves without a shroud. Up in the morning’s no for me, Death: A Dialogue Up in the morning early; from Silex Scintillans, Part I When a’ the hills are cover’d wi’ snaw, Henry Vaughan I’m sure it’s winter fairly. ...yet from those flames The birds sit chittering on the thorn, No light; but rather darkness visible. A’ day they fare but sparely; Paradise Lost And long’s the night frae e’en tae morn, I’m sure it’s winter fairly.

35 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.36

17 EMILY HALL Goddis sonne is borne His moder is a maid A Simple Neo-Georgian Summer Both after and before For baritone and piano as the prophecy said Text by Toby Litt with ay The day is warm and calm A wonder thing it is to see, Summer sends its gifts How maiden and moder one may be to sparrow and to worm. Was there never nonne but she, One rises in the earth Maid mother Maid mother Mary the other lifts the air The Great Lord of heav’n till craft and song burst forth Our servant is become The winter was so long Thorow Gabriel’s steven I’d almost forgotten Our kind hath benome how unnaturally strong with ay nature’s colours can be A wonder thing it is to see, how intricate in pattern How lord and servant all may be, how disciplined, how free Was there never nonne but he Born of maid Mary But now that I recall Born of maid Mary all previous rebirths I know that now until Two sons together prophetic Autumn’s come Ought to shine bright the whole unfolding earth’s So did that fayer lady my comfortable home. With Jesus in her light with ay © 2008 Toby Litt A wonder thing is fall The Lord that bought free and thrall 18 PETER WIEGOLD is found in a ass’s stall, A Cause for Wonder By his mother Maid, For counter-tenor and piano mother Mary Maid. Anonymous medieval text Blessed be that lady bright, That bare a child of great might Withouten peine as it was right Maid, mother Mary, Maid

36 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.37

19 EMILY HOWARD Till my change come.” – “Just so,” The star says: “So mean I,– Wild Clematis in Winter So mean I.” To John Casken For mezzo-soprano and piano 21 THOMAS MORLEY Text by Geoffrey Hill ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS Old traveller’s joy appears like naked thorn blossom Galliard: Version 7 as we speed citywards through blurry detail – wild clematis’ springing false bloom of seed pods, 22 RUPERT BAWDEN the earth lying shotten, the sun shrouded off-white, Vocalise – Loch Lurgainn in the Sunshine wet ferns ripped bare, flat as fishes’ backbones, For my friends at NMC – congratulations on your 20th! with the embankment grass frost-hacked and hackled, For mezzo-soprano and piano wastage, seepage, showing up everywhere, 23 in this blanched apparition. RODERICK WILLIAMS © 2006 Geoffrey Hill A Coat From Without Title For Adrian in his 70th year Reproduced by kind permission from Penguin and For baritone and piano Yale University Press Text by W.B. Yeats 20 BAYAN NORTHCOTT I made my song a coat Poet and Star Covered with embroideries Out of old mythologies To mark the 100th birthday of , who From heel to throat; really has done what he meant to do But the fools caught it, For soprano, tenor and piano Wore it in the world’s eyes Text by Thomas Hardy (Waiting Both) As though they’d wrought it. Song, let them take it A star looks down at me For there’s more enterprise And says: “Here I and you In walking naked. Stand, each in our degree: What do you mean to do,– © W B Yeats Mean to do?” Reprinted and set to music by permission of A P Watt Ltd on behalf of Gráinne Yeats I say: “For all I know Wait, and let Time go by

37 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.38

24 JULIAN GRANT 25 ROBERT KEELEY Know Thy Kings And Queens Because I breathe not love to everyone For mezzo-soprano and piano For tenor and harpsichord Anonymous text Text by Sir Philip Sidney Willie, Willie, Harry, Ste Because I breathe not love to ev’ryone, Harry, Dick, John, Harry three; Nor do not use set colours for to wear, One two three Neds, Richard two, Nor nourish special locks of vowèd hair, Harrys four five six... then who? Nor give each speech a full point of a groan, Edwards four five, Dick the bad, The courtly nymphs, acquainted with the moan Harrys (twain), Ned (the lad); Of them who in their lips Love’s standard bear, Mary, Bessie, James the vain, What, he? they say of me; now do I swear Charlie, Charlie, James again He cannot love; no, no, let him alone. Will and Mary, Anna Gloria, And think so still, so Stella know my mind! Georges four, then Will, Victoria; But you, fair maids, at length this true shall find, Then came Edward, late in life, That his right badge is worn in the heart. Stiff George and Eddie with THAT wife Dumb swans, not chatt’ring pies, do lovers prove: Gentle George and Lillibet, They love indeed who quake to say they love. Good old Charlie, but not just yet. 26 TANSY DAVIES Destroying Beauty For soprano and piano Text by John Clare (from By Himself ) Benjamin Hulett, tenor troubling the corn fields with destroying beauty “I’m thrilled to work on the project, it’s the different greens of the woodland trees important to show what’s coming up in the dark oak the paler ash the mellow Lime the white poplars peeping above the rest like leafy the world of contemporary music and steeples to also leave a legacy. Recording so the grey willow shining chilly in the sun many songs by so many different as if the morning mist still lingered in its cool green composers with so many different ideas is a real exercise for the brain, for the voice and for the spirit.”

38 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.39

27 PHILIP GRANGE DISC THREE First Known When Lost 1 BRIAN ELIAS For baritone and piano Meet Me in the Green Glen Text by Edward Thomas (adapted from First For solo voice Known When Lost and I Never Saw That Land Before) Text by John Clare I never noticed it until Love, meet me in the green glen It was gone, – the narrow copse Beside the tall Elm tree Where now the woodman lops Where the sweet-briar smells so sweet agen The last of the willows with his bill. There come wi me Meet me in the green glen It was not more than One meadow’s breadth away Meet me at the sunset I passed it day by day. Down in the green glen Now the soil is bare as a bone Where we’ve often met By hawthorn tree and foxes den, And black. Meet me in the green glen Strange it could have hidden so near! Meet me by the sheep pen I never knew that land before, Where briers smell at een And now may never see it again. Meet me i the green glen Where white thorn shades are green 28 THOMAS MORLEY Meet me in the green glen ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS Meet me in the green glen Galliard: Version 8 By sweet-briar bushes there Meet me by your own sen Where the wild thyme blossoms fair 29 BLÁAR KINDSDOTTIR Meet me in the green glen haiku Meet me by the sweet-briar For alto voice and piano By the mole hill swelling there the snow has fallen When the west glows like a fire all is hidden except for God’s crimson bed is there the lonely blue sheep Meet me in the green glen. © 2008 Bláar Kindsdottir

39 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.40

2 LLOYD MOORE The mint in the air, the song of breathing... The hawk’s mouth is open against this twilight Music, thou Queen of Souls But too much heart alive to fill it. For soprano and piano © 2008 Robin Leanse Text by Thomas Randolph Music, thou queen of souls, get up and string 4 JEREMY DALE ROBERTS Thy pow’rful lute and some sad requiem sing, Spoken to a Bronze Head Till rocks requite thy echo with a groan, And the dull cliffs repeat the duller tone. For mezzo-soprano and piano Then on a sudden with a nimble hand Text by Ursula Vaughan Williams Run gently o’er the chords and so command Bronze, where my curious fingers run The pine to dance, the oak his roots forgo, matching each muscle and each metal feature The holm and aged elm to foot it too. with life’s austerer structure of the bone, Myrtles shall caper, lofty cedars run, each living plane and contour so well known, And call the courtly palm to make up one. you will endure beyond the span of nature, Then, in the midst of all their jolly train, be as you are now when our lives are done. Strike a sad note, and fix ‘em trees again. On unborn generations you will stare 3 with the same hollow eyes I touch and see, DAVID MATTHEWS look on a world in which no memories share Plover’s Peak the living likeness of the face you wear, For Robin and Kate keep, in unchanged serenity For tenor and piano all that time gave him in your guardian care. Text by Robin Leanse His name is yours to keep, so will his glory be, who are his only, his inheriting son: I love this sunlight calming the evening and when the hand that writes so ardently But raking the coming night with a longing the sound of unknown sound reaches finality, As the shadows lengthen I long; the music captured, all the work well done, They lengthen beside the hay bales and soften stand in his place and bravely wear his immortality. And in them are rabbits adding their fur to them... This sweet hay hurts like song. © Ursula Vaughan Williams Reprinted by kind permission of the Vaughan Williams Where can we stop in this slipping of evening? Charitable Trust The fields in the last of it are not complaining. The evening primrose folds with no pain; There is no end to the cooling and softening

40 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.41

5 JONATHAN LLOYD 6 DIANA BURRELL The Greenwood’s Lament Love Song (for Yoga) For mezzo-soprano, baritone and guitar For soprano and piano Text by Jonathan Lloyd Text by Adey Grummet Baritone: I sing. remember when I launch a clarion filament into the air. my beautiful wife I sing. a man came by I fling the ribbons of my voice into the air. and offered you life I sing to seek the man grew old and breathe with hope and you grew hungry that the air-borne twine of my love song remember will settle lightly across your palm remember will puff softly across your cheek Mezzo-soprano: will spin in joy around you remember when a spiral, a string my beautiful man and that you will take up my thread our boughs they soared and you will follow this chord our limbs they ran back here to the spinner the boughs grew bent the fisherman, the singer the limbs grew weary I sing. remember I do not know who you are. remember © 2001 Adey Grummet Both: remember when 7 my beautiful daughter JOHN CASKEN a boy came by Night and Morning and offered you water For tenor and piano the boy grew up Text by Robert Browning and you grew thirsty remember Night remember The gray sea and the long black land; And the yellow half-moon large and low; © 2008 Jonathan Lloyd And the startled little waves that leap

41 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.42

In fiery ringlets from their sleep, 10 HUW WATKINS As I gain the cove with pushing prow, And quench its speed in the slushy sand. Proud Maisie For soprano and piano Then a mile of warm sea-scented beach; Three fields to cross till a farm appears; Text by Sir Walter Scott A tap at the pane, the quick sharp scratch Proud Maisie is in the wood, And blue spurt of a lighted match, Walking so early; And a voice less loud, through its joys and fears, Sweet Robin sits on the bush, Than the two hearts beating each to each! Singing so rarely. Morning ’Tell me, thou bonny bird, Round the cape of a sudden came the sea, When shall I marry me?’ And the sun looked over the mountain’s rim – ’When six braw gentlemen And straight was the path of gold for him, Kirkward shall carry ye.’ And the need of a world of men for me. ’Who makes the bridal bed, Birdie, say truly?’ 8 DANIEL BASFORD ’The grey-headed sexton Hour-glass That delves the grave duly. For alto voice and harp ‘The glow-worm o’er grave and stone Text by Ben Jonson Shall light thee steady; Consider this small dust, here in the glass, The owl from the steeple sing By atoms moved: Welcome, proud lady.’ Could you believe that this the body was Of one that loved; 11 LYELL CRESSWELL And in his mistress’ flame playing like a fly, A Recipe for Whisky Was turned to cinders by her eye: For baritone and temple blocks Yes; and in death, as life unblest, Text by Ron Butlin To have’t exprest, Take sleet, the driving snow, take winter twilight, Even ashes of lovers find no rest. Take the summer’s sun slowed down to pearl-sheen dusk, 9 THOMAS MORLEY Wring the Scottish rainclouds dry, ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS Take mist, some haar, some hail on hillsides, Galliard: Version 9 on city roofs, on lochs at midnight.

42 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.43

All this, distil. 13 ROGER MARSH And cask. And wait. Lullaby Let’s taste, let’s savour and enjoy. For high voice and marimba Pour until the bottle’s done. Text by Thomas Dekker Here’s life! Golden slumbers kiss your eyes, Here’s courage to go on! Smiles awake you when you rise. © 2008 Ron Butlin Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby; 12 MICHAEL BERKELEY Rock them, rock them, lullaby. Echo: hommage à Francis Poulenc Care is heavy, therefore sleep you; For soprano and piano You are care, and care must keep you. Text by Michael Berkeley Sleep, pretty wantons, do not cry, And I will sing a lullaby; I hear your silent voice caress my every thought, Rock them, rock them, lullaby. Your shadow steals across each step I take And any move I make 14 You’re there, you’re there. DAI FUJIKURA Lake Side I hear your shadow, see your echo, For Matt Prescott with thanks to Deborah Dukes I feel your limb-less touch, Sense your searching, sightless eyes, For two voices I am lost but found . Text by Harry Ross Your weeping hair falls Thurrock Lakeside Thurrock Lake Upon my undried tears Bluewater Bluewater Thurrock Lakeside Thurrock Lake I hear your silent voice caress my every thought, Your shadow steals across each step I take The water side And every move I make Lakeside Lakeside You’re there and I am here. Thurrock Lakeside © 2008 Michael Berkeley Tesco Tesco go to Tesco go go to Tesco go to Tesco go go to Tesco Tesco go In my car I go it is a Ford Mondeo Mondeo it’s a Mondeo

43 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.44

Mondeo it’s a Mondeo Mondeo a 15 RICHARD BAKER Mondeo Ford Mondeo yeah in my Mondeo I love my Ford Mondeo it is a sexy Ghia English Lullaby goer it is my car For the directors and staff (past and present) of NMC Recordings love it love it For mezzo-soprano and piano I drive around with my balls in my hand and and Text by Lavinia Greenlaw for Richard Baker and and I drive around the I have filled the day with dreams M25 and now must sleep. M2 It’s hard to find the dark when darkness A2 has no keep. Holiday Monday yeah I live the world too fast, too far M25 virtual, residual. M2 The world is versions, fast and far, A2 secondary, several. Slowed down in traffic My island of sky pillock git git git pillock pillock pillock pillock pillock is filled with signs and arrows. git git git pillock pillock Each glance in the mirror pillock git git git pillock pillock pillock pillock pillock opens a window. git git git pillock pillock pillock git git git pillock pillock pillock pillock pillock I take a pill to cure me of git git git pillock pillock the speed of light. pillock git git git pillock pillock pillock pillock pillock I take a drink to fix myself inside git git git pillock pillock what’s left of night. pillock git git git pillock pillock pillock pillock pillock git git git pillock pillock © 2008 Lavinia Greenlaw YOU YOU Andrew Ball, piano YOU “An amazingly ambitious project - the © 2008 G Ricordi & Co. Ltd London thing that interests me most in the long run will be how many of the individual songs turn out to spawn song cycles”

44 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.45

16 STEPHEN MONTAGUE 18 THOMAS MORLEY The Poison Tree ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS For baritone, bell and piano Galliard: Version 10 Text by William Blake 19 CHRISTOPHER FOX I was angry with my friend: I told my wrath, my wrath did end. The True Standard Advanced I was angry with my foe: The True Standard Advanced was written to celebrate I told it not, my wrath did grow. 20 years of NMC’s life. It is dedicated to Colin Matthews, Bayan Northcott and Hannah Vlcek. And I water’d it with fears, For voice and drum Night and morning with my tears; And I sunned it with my smiles Text from The True Levellers’ Standard Advanced: And with soft deceitful wiles. or The State of Community Opened, and Presented to the Sons of Men by William Everard, And it grew both day and night, John Taylor, Gerrard Winstanley and others (1649) Till it bore an apple bright; And my foe beheld it shine, In the beginning of time, the great Creator, Reason, And he knew that it was mine, made the earth to be a common treasury. Not one word was spoken in the beginning, that one branch And into my garden stole of mankind should rule over another. For the earth When the night had veil’d the pole: is man’s, who is lord of all creation, in ev’ry branch In the morning glad I see of mankind; so that man need not run abroad after My foe outstretch’d beneath the tree. any teacher or ruler. 17 JUDITH BINGHAM That every one that is born in the land may be fed by the earth. We have peace in our hearts, and She walks in beauty like the night quiet rejoicing in our work, that we make the earth For tenor and harp a common treasury for all both rich and poor, and Text by Lord Byron are filled with sweet content. She walks in beauty, like the night Of cloudless climes and starry skies, And all that’s best of dark and bright Andrew Plant, piano Meet in her aspect and her eyes. “It’s a great project to be involved in – an enormous impetus for composers to keep this wonderful art form going.”

45 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.46

20 ROXANNA PANUFNIK 22 ERROLLYN WALLEN That Mighty Heart Tree For mezzo-soprano and piano For voice and piano Text by Text by Errollyn Wallen Earth has not anything to show more fair: Does the tree own me? Dull would he be of soul who could pass by Does the tree own the moon, the impassive moon? A sight so touching in its majesty: Do the leaves seem to sing in the dark? This City now doth, like a garment, wear Does the tree own my heart? The beauty of the morning: silent, bare, Do I lie, Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie Do I lie, Open unto the fields, and to the sky; In the arms of his art, confounding art? All bright and glittering in the smokeless air. Never did sun more beautifully steep I’m perplexed by the rune In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill; I’m perplexed by rooted trees, Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep! By rooted trees. The river glideth at his own sweet will: © 2008 Errollyn Wallen Dear God! the very houses seem asleep; And all that mighty heart is lying still! 23 CHRIS DENCH An Hypallage 21 CHRISTOPHER MAYO for Kate Sullivan, and Marshall McGuire, harpist The Fitful Alternations of the Rain For mezzo-soprano, baritone, and piano or harp For tenor and harp Text by Lawrence Sterne (from Tristram Shandy ) Text by Percy Bysshe Shelley Love is certainly, at least alphabetically, one of the most The fitful alternations of the rain, A gitating When the chill wind, languid as with pain Bewitching Of its own heavy moisture, here and there C onfounded Drives through the gray and beamless atmosphere. D evilish affairs of life—the most E xtravagant F utilitous Michael Chance, counter-tenor G alligaskinish H andy-dandyish “It’s daring and it’s wacky and it’s mad I racundulous (there is no K to it) and and it’s wonderful.” L yrical of all human passions: at the same time,

46 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.47

the most 25 DAVID BEDFORD M isgiving N innyhammering The Roman Centurion’s Song O bstipating For baritone and piano P ragmatical Text by Rudyard Kipling S tridulous R idiculous—though bye the bye the R should Legate, I had the news last night – my cohort have gone first—But in short ‘tis of such a nature, as ordered home my father once told my Uncle Toby upon the close of By ships to Portus Itius and thence by road to Rome. a long dissertation upon the subject—’You can I’ve marched the companies aboard, the arms are scarce’ said he, ‘combine two ideas together upon it, stowed below: brother Toby, without an hypallage’—’What’s that?’ Now let another take my sword. Command me not cried my Uncle Toby. to go! The cart before the horse, replied my father— I’ve served in Britain forty years, from Vectis to the Wall. 24 EDWIN ROXBURGH I have none other home than this, nor any life at all. A Dangerous Crossing Last night I did not understand, but, now the hour draws near For soprano and piano That calls me to my native land, I feel that land is here. Text by Julie Roxburgh For me this land, that sea, these airs, those folk and Softly and sweetly the waters are flowing, fields suffice. Dark and deep, What purple Southern pomp can match our Dark and deep, changeful Northern skies, Lapping the shore with a gentle not knowing Black with December snows unshed or pearled with Smooth and steep August haze – Smooth and steep The clanging arch of steel-grey March, or June’s Are the shores of the music of moonlight. long-lighted days? Swiftly the clouds cross the face of the moon, Legate, I come to you in tears – my cohort ordered Dark the way, home! Dark the way, I’ve served in Britain forty years. What should I do in And the path that was glittering fades all too soon, Rome? Come the day, Here is my heart, my soul, my mind – the only life I Come the day know. When the false trail will end in the moonlight. I cannot leave it all behind. Command me not to go! © 2008 Julie Roxburgh

47 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.48

26 LUKE STONEHAM CD FOUR 25 1 JONATHAN HARVEY Voices and electronics Ah! Sun-flower 27 THOMAS MORLEY To Claire Booth ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS For soprano and piano Galliard: Version 11 Text by William Blake Ah, Sun-flower! weary of time, 28 MARK-ANTHONY TURNAGE Who countest the steps of the Sun; Bellamy Seeking after that sweet golden clime For Colin and Dan Matthews Where the traveller’s journey is done. For , football hooligan and harp Where the Youth pined away with desire, A Leyton Orient football chant And the pale Virgin shrouded in snow: Arise from their graves, and aspire, Bellamy, Bellamy Where my Sun-flower wishes to go. Gary Bellamy He looks so flash with his Northern tash 2 Gary Bellamy JUDITH WEIR Bellamy, Bellamy Blackbirds and Thrushes Gary Bellamy For bass-baritone and piano He looks so hard cos he eats his lard Text adapted from an English folk-song Gary Bellamy As I was a-walking Bellamy, Bellamy for my recreation Gary Bellamy as down by the gardens He flexed his pecs for The Joy of Sex I silently strayed Gary Bellamy I heard a young maid making great lamentation, crying, Jimmy will be slain in the wars I’m afraid, Giles Swayne, composer Jimmy will be slain in the wars I’m afraid. “I hope it will inspire composers to The blackbirds and thrushes make cycles of the songs that they sang in the green bushes, have written.” the wood-doves and larks

48 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.49

seemed to mourn for the maid; with weepinge we passen; and this is the song with steryinge we beginnen, that they sang all around her, with steryinge we enden; they sang: with drede we dwellen, Jimmy will be slain in the wars I’m afraid, with drede we wenden. Jimmy will be slain in the wars I’m afraid. When Jimmy returned 4 GERALD BARRY with a flag on his coffin, The Importance of Being Earnest they laid his poor body For two voices and piano all dead in his grave; she cried, I’m forsaken, Text by Oscar Wilde my poor heart is broken, Lady Bracknell: I feel bound to tell you that you are would that he had never left his fair maid, not down on my list of eligible young men, would that he had never left his fair maid. although I have the same list as the dear Duchess of Bolton has. We work together, in fact. Do you smoke? The blackbirds and thrushes sang in the green bushes, Jack: Well, yes, I must admit I smoke. the wood-doves and larks seemed to mourn for her: Lady Bracknell: I am glad to hear it. A man should ’O would that he had never left! always have an occupation of some kind. There are Would that he had never left...’ far too many idle men in London as it is. How old are you? © 2008 Chester Music Ltd Jack: Twenty-nine. 3 STUART MAcRAE Lady Bracknell: A very good age to be married at. I The Lif of this World have always been of opinion that a man who desires to get married should know either everything For voice and guitar or nothing. What do you know? Anonymous medieval text Jack: I know nothing, Lady Bracknell. The lif of this world is ruled with wind, Lady Bracknell: I am pleased to hear it. I do not weepinge, drede, approve of anything that tampers with natural and steryinge: ignorance. Ignorance is like a delicate exotic fruit; with wind we blowen, touch it and the bloom is gone. The whole theory of with wind we lassen, modern education is radically unsound. Fortunately with weepinge we comen, in England, at any rate, education produces no

49 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.50

effect whatsoever. If it did, it would prove a serious 6 COLIN MATTHEWS danger to the upper classes, and probably lead to Out in the Dark acts of violence in Grosvenor Square. You have a town house, I hope? For Hannah, Ellie and Anne For soprano and piano Jack: Well, I own a house in Belgrave Square. Text by Edward Thomas Lady Bracknell: What number in Belgrave Square? Out in the dark over the snow Jack: 149. The fallow fawns invisible go With the fallow doe; Lady Bracknell: The unfashionable side. I thought And the winds blow there was something. Fast as the stars are slow. 5 MARTIN BUTLER Stealthily the dark haunts round London And, when a lamp goes, without sound At a swifter bound For baritone and piano Than the swiftest hound, Text by William Blake Arrives, and all else is drowned; I wander thro’ each charter’d street, And I and star and wind and deer Near where the charter’d Thames does flow, Are in the dark together, near, And mark in every face I meet Yet far, and fear Marks of weakness, marks of woe. Drums on my ear... In every cry of every Man, How weak and little is the light, In every Infant’s cry of fear, All the universe of sight, In every voice, in every ban, Love and delight, The mind-forg’d manacles I hear. Before the might, How the Chimney-sweeper’s cry If you love it not, of night. Every black’ning Church appals, And the hapless Soldier’s sigh Runs in blood down Palace walls. Elizabeth Atherton, soprano But most, thro’ midnight streets I hear “I was very lucky with the three songs I How the youthful Harlot’s curse was asked to do – they are wonderful, Blasts the new-born Infant’s tear, And blights with plagues the Marriage hearse. fantastic, little miniatures that have really grown on me and which I love singing.”

50 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.51

7 THOMAS MORLEY 9 ALEXANDER GOEHR ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS Ulysses’ Admonition to Achilles Galliard: Version 12 For Gunther, on his 80th birthday in admiration and with affection 8 GAVIN BRYARS For baritone and piano Old Man and Sea Text by William Shakespeare To David Bruce and Ian McNab Time hath, my lord, a wallet at his back, For tenor and harp Wherein he puts alms for oblivion, Text by George Bruce A great-sized monster of ingratitudes: Those scraps are good deeds past; which are devour’d Nightfall – was it still out there? As fast as they are made, forgot as soon The rusty, white iron gate trembled As done: perseverance, dear my lord, as it opened to the path to the sea Keeps honour bright: to have done is to hang down by the ramblers, unseen, Quite out of fashion, like a rusty nail no scent, for the salt had taken over. In monumental mockery. With all my fearing childhood in it Take the instant way; For honour travels in a strait so narrow, I hear it growling in the dark. Ahead Where one but goes abreast: keep then the path; from where the marram grass meets sand, For emulation hath a thousand sons between me and the slapping water – a figure: That one by one pursue: if you give way, he stands square-shouldered staring Or hedge aside from the direct forthright, into that nothing. Like to an enter’d tide, they all rush by How many mornings And leave you hindmost; when the silvered horizon promised, Or like a gallant horse fall’n in first rank, giving hope for that day Lie there for pavement to the abject rear, or when the mist stood impenetrable, O’er-run and trampled on: then what they do in or when the sky burst and the sea met it, present, I thought, he waited, thought I knew him, Though less than yours in past, must o’ertop yours; might approach, touch him, claim him for kin, For time is like a fashionable host he who stood his ground for us all, That slightly shakes his parting guest by the hand, but there is no reckoning in this matter. And with his outstretch’d hand, Square-shouldered I stood looking into that nothing. And with his arms outstretch’d, as he would fly, © George Bruce Grasps in the comer: welcome ever smiles, Reprinted by permission from Today Tomorrow: The Collected And farewell goes out sighing. O, let not virtue seek Poems of George Bruce 1933–2000 (Renaissance Press, 2001) Remuneration for the thing it was.

51 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.52

10 CLAUDIA MOLITOR Architect of silences Listening to the slow stroke My favourite sound Of the gulls whitening For countertenor, baritone and electronics Raised waves of fire Text by Claudia Molitor To ring the scorch of autumn Through rose mists my favourite sound is the one that lives in this city Tipped the new moon © 2008 Claudia Molitor Spilt lake-wide. © 2008 Libby Travassos Valdez 11 JOHN WOOLRICH Stendhal’s Observation 13 GEOFFREY POOLE For soprano and piano Heynonnynonny Smallprint Text by Stendhal (from De l’amour) For baritone In long rooms dark and cool, Italian women pass Text by Geoffrey Poole their lives reclining languidly on low divans. They As I strode out of a morn one day hear talk of love or music for six hours a day. In the ‘Twas in the pretty month of May evenings, hidden in their boxes at the theatre for A fair young maiden did I descry (far away...) hours, they hear talk of music or love. So besides the In a blink, she was gone, an’ I sang unto misen, climate, the very pattern of life in Italy and Spain is o yea... conducive to love and to music, as it is discouraging to them in England. I neither approve nor Now I be a carpenter, that’s my trade, disapprove; I just observe. And single, but she was such a pretty maid I swore right then she’d become my bride (one day...) 12 HOWARD SKEMPTON Jus’ wait as I can get ‘er to misen, inside. Silence on Ullswater So ups I steps in my Sunday best, The sun was rising in the West, To Malcolm and Libby The doves they were a-cooing from a lofty nest For tenor and harp (whoo-whey...) Text by Libby Travassos Valdez And there she be! in her pink lycro vest, Sleek as a fish And her purple plastic shoes; On her cap a Macdonalds crest. Dusk lies on Ullswater Overhead, birthday bright Now folks say this and folks say that Place Fell burns. But never have I felt such a twat Mountain, grandfather As calling and shouting at her over her [tch-ts ch-

52 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.53

ts-ts] full-volume walkman like you do, [ts ch jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of implied ts ts] my arms flailing [tch-ts] “Oi! You!” warranties or limitations on applicable statutory like she was far away rights so the foregoing limitation may not apply to One day... [tch-ts] me like With a whey [tch-ts ch-ts] What it Do to You! Too! With a nonny nonny no, falalala, [ts] boo-di-boo!” With a whey hey! [ts] hey! [ts tch ts ts ts] And so them lovers had their way, “What you on about?” (quoth she) [ts ts] For-law-law for-law-law yiddi-yi-yae “What are you like!” (quoth she) [ts ts] And a Hey nonny nonney (or whatever) each day (as they may....). I’m like: And nothing remains for me to “Here’s my workshop stacked so high Report With caskets and carvings to feast your eye to you Alas there’s no-one wants to buy. this evening I tell you, I must surely die If we b’aint married, you and I Thankyou. meaning, of course, © 2008 Geoffrey Poole We apply, in joint name, to the Ministry of Heritage, Handbags, Arts and Football for a Licence permitting 14 JOSEPH PHIBBS us to lawfully legally sing Controlled Heritage The Moon’s Funeral Materials, to whit, “Hey Nonny Nonny No”, “Fa la la la la”, “With a Whey”—— For James Bowman and Andrew Plant No Actual Songs Were Harmed in the manufacture or For counter-tenor and piano rendition of “With a Whey”. Text by Hilaire Belloc Usage of my software hardware intellectual underwear, is at your sole risk and the entire risk, as The Moon is dead. to satisfactory quality performance accuracy and I saw her die. effort is with You!” She in a drifting cloud was drest, She lay a-long th’uncertain west., “Wha’ever” quoth she: A dream to see. “’xcept No Way Am I gonna get done for injury And very low she spake to me: personal any incidential indirect special damage ‘I go where none may understand, consequential wha’ever! Without limitation Related I fade into the nameless land to your inability to make full usage of my software And there must lie perpetually.’ hardware intellectual underwear. Wha’ever! And therefore I, expressly acknowledging however that some And therefore loudly, loudly I,

53 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.54

And high All up amost so big’s a plum; And very piteously make cry: An’ zome, a-vleèn on, ‘The Moon is dead. I saw her die.’ Got all roun’ Liz, an meäde her hop Excerpt from The Moon’s Funeral (© Hilaire Belloc) is An’ scream, a-twirlèn lik’ a top, reproduced by permission of PFD (www.pfd.co.uk) on behalf An’ spring away right backward, flop of Hilaire Belloc. Down into barken pon’: An’ Nan’ gi’ed Tom a roguish twitch 15 THOMAS MORLEY Upon a bank, an meäde en pitch ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS Right down, head-voremost, into a ditch, Galliard: Version 13 Tom coulden zee a wink. An’ when the zwarm wer seäfe an’ sound 16 JULIA SIMPSON In mother’s bit o’ bee-pot ground, She meade us up a treat all round Bees a-zwarmen O’ sillibub to drink. For mezzo-soprano and piano Text by William Barnes 17 SIMON BAINBRIDGE Avore we went a-milkèn, vive Sonnet XVIII Or six o’s here wer all alive For mezzo-soprano and counter-tenor A-teäkèn bees that zwarm’d vrom hive; An’ we’d sich work to catch Text by William Shakespeare The hummèn rogues, they led us sich Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day? A dance all over hedge an’ ditch; Thou art more lovely and more temperate: An’ then at last where should they pitch, Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, But up in uncle’s thatch? And summer’s lease hath all too short a date: Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, Dick rung a sheep-bell in his han’, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d, Liz beät a cannister, an’ Nan Did bang the little fryèn-pan And ev’ry fair from fair sometime declines, Wi’ thick an’ thumpèn blows; By chance, or nature’s changing course untrimm’d: An’ Tom went on, a carren roun’ But thy eternal summer shall not fade, A bee-pot upon his crown, Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st, Wi’ all his edge a-reachèn down Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, Avore his eyes an’ nose. When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st, So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, An’ woone girt bee, wi’ spitevul hum, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee. Stung Dicky’s lip, an meäde it come

54 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.55

18 ROBIN HOLLOWAY 20 GILES SWAYNE Go, lovely Rose I look into my glass To Jill White in part-payment of an old promise For tenor and guitar For mezzo-soprano and piano Text by Thomas Hardy Text by Edmund Waller I look into my glass, Go, lovely Rose! And view my wasting skin, Tell her that wastes her time and me, And say, “Would God it came to pass That now she knows, My heart had shrunk as thin!” When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be. For then, I, undistrest Tell her that’s young, By hearts grown cold to me, And shuns to have her graces spied, Could lonely wait my endless rest That had’st thou sprung With equanimity. In deserts where no men abide, Thou must have uncommended died. But Time, to make me grieve, Part steals, lets part abide; Small is the worth And shakes this fragile frame at eve Of beauty from the light retired: With throbbings of noontide. Bid her come forth, Suffer herself to be desired, 21 And not blush so to be admired. ANTHONY PAYNE Ghost Train Then die: that she The common fate of all things rare For baritone and piano May read in thee; Text by Anthony Payne, after an idea of How small a part of time they share Lagerkvist That are so wondrous sweet and fair! We strolled in the woods, me and my father the 19 railway man, strolling happy in the dark. Then JORDAN HUNT suddenly we came upon the rail-track, mounted the An Aesthetic of Lines bank and set out along the sleepers, secure in For soprano and piano knowing no train was due at this late hour. On and Text by Jordan Hunt on we tramped through the night, unworried under star-lit night. But what was this: the line was He is the only one who sees them anymore. humming, track shaking under our feet. Surely no Everyone else who built them has already died. train at this hour? And then it was upon us. We © 2008 Jordan Hunt leapt for our lives. Roaring past, and on into the

55 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.56

night, the locomotive flew. We glimpsed the driver 23 BEN FOSKETT white-faced in the fire-box glow, gazing fixedly into the limitless darkness. What was this train, where Driving was it going, what doing? Father had no answer, For tenor and piano could not allay the terror of its flying sparks or Text by George Szirtes relentless speed. The terrible truth dawned: like this low Norfolk hills ‘Ghost Train’ I was bound for an unknowable almost flat country, far, far in the limitless night. I returned to vast sky myself and was alone. black and dry © 2008 Anthony Payne but blinded with stars 22 MORGAN HAYES on clear nights A Dictionary of London distant lights on solid mass For soprano and piano © 2008 George Szirtes Text by Charles Dickens (from A Dictionary of London) 24 THOMAS MORLEY Among the many thieves who infest the streets of ARRANGED BY COLIN MATTHEWS London none are more active or more artful than the carriage thieves. No vehicle should ever be left with Galliard: Complete Version open windows. 25 BRYN HARRISON The Lord Mayor’s Show. The dull monotony, which is one of the saddest features of the life of the lower An Oblique working orders of London, is eased by so little in the For mezzo-soprano and piano way of Pageant or show, that it is no wonder that Text by Bryn Harrison the most insignificant mercies are greeted with Course of change too small to see disproportionate gratitude. © 2008 Bryn Harrison Oriental Club, 18 Hanover Square, is “composed of noblemen, Members of Parliament and gentlemen of the first distinction and character.” Entrance fee, £31 John McCabe, composer “It marks a particularly significant milestone in the history of a very important record company.”

56 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.57

NMC FRIENDS

As a step towards placing This disc has been released with the generous support of NMC Friends: NMC Recordings on a FOUNDER MEMBERS sustainable long-term Anthony Bolton • Richard Fries • Luke Gardiner • Jeremy Marchant financial footing, we have Belinda Matthews • Colin Matthews • Edward Smith launched NMC Friends. We BENEFACTORS very much hope that you will Robin Chapman • Graham Elliott • Mr & Mrs S Foster • Jonathan Goldstein Elaine Gould • Mr TM Holmes • Mrs AM Holmes • Andrew Lockyer • Jane Manning want to join us, and take this & Anthony Payne • Jackie Newbould • Stephen Newbould • Dominic Nudd opportunity to support our Stephen Plaistow • Imogen Robertson • Martin Staniforth

continuing and central role in FRIENDS the future of British David Aldous • Raymond Ayriss • Sir Alan Bowness • Martyn Brabbins contemporary music. Simon Collings • Jonathan Cross • Rebecca Dawson • David Mark Evans • David Ellis Anthony Gilbert • Jenny Goodwin • Ian Gordon • Cathy Graham • David Gutman Matthew Harris • Dr Trevor Jarvis • Prof. Stephen McHanwell • Dr Kieron O’Hara By becoming a Friend of Andrew Porter • Keith Purser • James Rodley • Clark Rundell • Bernard Samuels NMC, your donation will help Howard Skempton • Ian Smith • Roger Stevens • Owen Toller • Jeff Tollerman us to record new and recent Roberto Ugarte • Janet Waterhouse • Keith Whittock • Richard J Wildash Graham Williams works by primarily British composers, giving you the DONATIONS W T L Farwell • K J Salway • Anonymous donations opportunity to play a vital role in contributing to the If you would like to help NMC to release more of the best of British contemporary development and realisation music, please contact us for details at: of our future activities. For NMC Friends, NMC Recordings Ltd 18-20 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TJ • Tel 020 7403 9445 more details, please contact E-mail [email protected] • Web www.nmcrec.co.uk us at the address opposite. Reg. Charity No. 328052

57 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.58

NMC would like to thank: Production credits Julian Anderson, Tansy Davies, Jonathan Harvey, Colin Matthews, David Matthews and All the works on this disc were recorded in All the composers, singers and John Woolrich are published by Faber Music. accompanists involved in The NMC Hall One, Kings Place, London between 21 August and 17 September 2008 – except for Gerald Barry, Michael Berkeley, Martin Butler, Songbook for their readiness to take Alexander Goehr, recorded on 10 November; Richard Causton, Gordon Crosse, Michael part in such a complicated project; and Rupert Bawden, David Blake, Helen Finnissy, Anthony Powers and Howard Peter Millican for the use of Kings Grime, Robin Holloway, Emily Howard, Morgan Skempton are published by Oxford University Hayes and Jonathan Powell, recorded at Press. Place; technical staff at Kings Place, Cadogan Hall, London on 30 September 2008; Judith Bingham, James Dillon, Philip Grange, especially Scott Myers, Bruno Silva and the songs by Gerald Barry and Luke Stoneham Nicola LeFanu, Roger Marsh, Geoffrey Poole Jacob Zwart; and staff of Kings Place were recorded by their composers. and Errollyn Wallen are published by Peters Music Foundation, particularly Zoe Recording engineer DAVID LEFEBER Edition. Jeyes, Jen Mitchell and Gaia Saccomano; Producer COLIN MATTHEWS Jonathan Cole and Dai Fujikura are published Co-producer BAYAN NORTHCOTT by Ricordi (London). Jonathan Cole, for guesting on balloon Production co-ordinator HANNAH VLC˘EK on tss-k-haa; Digital editing & mastering DAVID LEFEBER Gavin Bryars, John Casken, Joe Duddell, Alexander Goehr and Huw Watkins are John Casken for volunteer page-turning; Executive Producer COLIN MATTHEWS published by Schott & Co. Sam Harrop and Greg McKernon for Additional production credits Morgan Hayes and Bayan Northcott are typesetting manuscripts; Claudia Molitor, my favourite sound published by Stainer & Bell. Christine Doyle of The National Trust, backing track created by CLAUDIA MOLITOR Diana Burrell, Stephen Montague and Edwin Roxburgh are published by United Music West Midlands Region for Houses and Dai Fujikura, Lake Side Publishers. Gardens in the Heart of England; Katie Engineer PAUL FRETWELL University of Kent; Honey and Ross Cole, interns, for Producer and digital editor DAI FUJIKURA Luke Bedford, Harrison Birtwistle, Roxanna Preparation RICHARD BLACK Panufnik and David Sawer are published by general help and interviewing; and Iain Universal Edition (London) Ltd. Gerald Barry, The Importance of Being Earnest Burnside, for inspiration and advice. recorded at RTÉ Studios, Dublin David Blake, Anthony Gilbert, Sadie Harrison, Engineer RICHARD McCULLOUGH Jeremy Dale Roberts and Robert Saxton are published by Music Press. Luke Stoneham, 25 recorded and edited by LUKE STONEHAM Richard Baker, Philip Cashian, Joe Cutler, Helen Grime, Bryn Harrison, Phillip Neil Martin, Anna Meredith, Joseph Phibbs, Jonathan Powell and Luke Stoneham are Publication of The NMC Songbook represented by BMIC. Robin Holloway, David Horne, James Photography and design FRANCOIS HALL To download sheet music for many of MacMillan, Mark-Anthony Turnage are NMC Trustees: published by Boosey & Hawkes. the songs contained in the NMC Steven Foster (Chair), Graham Elliott, Brian Elias, Simon Holt, Peter Maxwell Davies, Richard Fries, Cathy Graham, Soheila Keyani, Songbook, visit Judith Weir and Hugh Wood are published by Bayan Northcott, Christopher Potts. www.sheetmusicdirect.com Chester Music Ltd. NMC Patrons: the leading site for digital sheet music. Simon Bainbridge, Stuart MacRae, John Alfred Brendel Hon KBE, Vladimir Jurowski, McCabe, Thea Musgrave and Tarik O’Regan Lady Panufnik, Sir Simon Rattle CBE, are published by Novello & Co. Ltd. Lord Stevenson CBE, Mitsuko Uchida

58 CTP Template: CD_1PD1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Single Page CYAN MAGENTA Customer - NMC Recordings YELLOW Catalogue No. - D0150 BLACK Job Title - The NMC Songbook Page Nos.59

NMC Recordings is a charitable company established for the recording of contemporary music by the Holst Foundation; it is grateful for NYETIMBER – THE funding from the Britten-Pears Foundation and Arts Council England. QUINTESSENTIAL EXPRESSION OF Registered Charity No. 328052 ENGLISH QUALITY IN A WORLD HANNAH VLC˘EK Label Manager ELEANOR WILSON Sales and Marketing Manager CLASS SPARKLING WINE ANNE RUSHTON Business & Development DISTRIBUTION From the initial vintage produced in 1992 NMC recordings are distributed in Australia, at Nyetimber’s beautiful medieval manor Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, estate, it was clear that the far-sighted Denmark, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Italy, Japan, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, ambitions of Stuart and Sandy Moss could , Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United become a reality; to make sparkling Kingdom and the United States, and are also wines that were comparable to those available through our website www.nmcrec.co.uk produced in Champagne. Positioned on the edge of the South Downs, the chalk NMC recordings are available to download as MP3s from our website. and greensand soils combine with the FOR FURTHER DETAILS PLEASE CONTACT: microclimate to form the ideal terroir for NMC Recordings Ltd. sparkling wine production. at 18-20 Southwark Street, London SE1 1TJ, UK. At Nyetimber we follow the great Tel: +44 (0)20 7403 9445 traditions of wine making to ensure we Fax: +44 (0)20 7403 9446 E-mail: [email protected] get the perfect expression of the grapes Website: www.nmcrec.co.uk from our vineyards in the wine. All rights of the manufacturer and owner of the Nyetimber’s quality, achieved by recorded material reserved. Unauthorised public meticulous attention to detail throughout performance, broadcasting and copying of this the wine-making process, is defined by recording prohibited. the fundamentals of tradition, elegance ® 2009 NMC Recordings Ltd © 2009 NMC Recordings Ltd and beauty. NMC D150 The NMC Songbook is supported by Nyetimber. www.nyetimber.com

59 CTP Template: CD_DPS1 COLOURS Compact Disc Booklet: Double Page Spread CYAN MAGENTA Customer NMC YELLOW Catalogue No. D150 BLACK Job Title NMC Song Book Page Nos. 60 - 1