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When
I was 16 (picture was much later, but it's the earliest I
have) I played piano every night in a cabaret/casino
night-club (I actually left school before my fifteenth
birthday) and lived in a room above the club. We were a
piano jazz trio (Eddie Cavanagh (drums) Ian Hatch (bass) and
were employed to play cool music for listening and dancing
and also to accompany the nightly cabaret show. There was
also a resident host and singer (Peter Adrian). Peter sang
big songs from musicals ("Tonight", ''If I Loved You'') and
standards ('Lady is a Tramp' 'Moon River' etc.) even the
occasional light-opera. One night in the green room (green
rooms didn't actually exist back then) Peter purred his
delight of my piano cadenza during the codetta of Moon River
before his big ending note - "Ooohh, Melvyn, I just love
your watery bits...." Peter had a gift for coining
camp-style phrases. Anyway, many, many years later after
writing ''Water under the Bridge'' , the memory of this
early time of my life returned and even though I spent
years playing all kinds of jazz and rock music, when I
listened to music for pure relaxation, it would be either
classical (Mozart, Haydn) or romantic (Chopin, Liszt etc.)
and impressionistic works of composers such as Debussy
(getting more watery by the minute) Then there is my literal
love for water: waterfalls; rivers; becks; lakes; rain;
snow; rainbows, even cloud formations and water related
phenomena. Anyway, it figures that I started trying to write
this kind of music although I never realised how incredibly
unpopular it is with virtually everyone. I have even failed
miserably to entice any of my piano pupils (several are
beyond grade eight) to perform any of my music even though
it would be a world premiere) I have now promised myself at
least never to write any more piano music (in fact I haven't
written anything for over a year). So here is the last
couple of tunes I wrote before I retired. (please understand
this is just for me and my archives, you are warned not to
actually listen)
PUBLIC HEALTH: This music could seriously damage your street
credibility:
Definitely
NOT for public consumption:
Dancing in the Rain
Here's
a really twinkly bunch of notes...
I can't remember whether our copy of Jack Vetriano's picture inspired the music or maybe I like the association anyway. Not too romantic for the butler and maid though.
I vaguely recall dreaming about being fishing on a boat in the pouring rain while a ghostly figure of a lady danced alone on the shore.
Ah yes, that sounds more like it. Water, water everywhere...
Water Under The Bridge
My
wife and I used to take our dog Doris to Aira Force waterfalls
in the Lake District. This music is a reminder of those happy
times.
I tend to write tunes (rather than compositions) and then decorate and extemporise the melody like a fantasie. I almost always have lyrics in mind and on this occasion I was feeling a little sorry for myself for some reason and the opening line went something like, "all my dreams are drifting away" (the one on the fishing boat probably) Anyway there yuh go...
Angelique
Another of my very French sounding melodies. I read an tragic story of a pretty young girl called Angelique who was brutally murdered for no apparent reason. I sometimes try not to detach myself from other people's misfortune and imagine we are all family. Pity I can't swap tunes for peoples lives.
Bon Voyage
This begins with a simple folk
melody (I've no idea if I wrote it or heard something
similar somewhere before) It then winds its way through
different moods, key changes and developments before
arriving back at the simple opening melody.
I have always been fascinated by travel, forms of transportation, the idea of a quest etc. I send myself to sleep at night imagining myself on 'Hobbit' style journeys through woods, mountains, ocean voyages and all kinds of wild adventures. (Maybe I should get out more). Anyway I often wake up in the morning with my tunes in my head and rush to the piano to try and make sense of it all.
Very irritating for my wife though...
The Water Wheel
Originally
called 'Life Keeps Turning' the inspiration came from an old Water Mill
not too far away -
A nice (secret) place to spend time. The music churns away
joyously with sloshy abandon and doubles as a great study
for right-hand arpeggios. Arpeggios naturally rise and fall
on the piano and the right-hand examples in this piece work
quite well (for me) in depicting the water as it surges over the
wheel.
There's a bit more to this story and I maybe will try to get round to publishing more details another time.
The Things I Loved
This sweet and dreamy little tune
celebrates the joys and simple pleasures of life. It is very
French and a trifle melancholic.
The piece has spoonfuls of nostalgia running throughout and all the usual dynamic and tempo variations that quirky sentimental (and theatrical) music needs.
Many of my piano solos are really songs that I develop into romantic piano works using modulations and improvisational devices. I do not, however always publish the words - either because I don't rate them very highly or I prefer the listener to visualise their own storyline or imagery - which is often the whole point of instrumental music.
Remission
I have sadly lost many friends and family
over the years and several well before their time.
Rheumatoid Arthritis has severely restricted my piano
playing ability in the last year or so but occasionally I
get a day or two's remission. This (unusual for me)
joyful and optimistic piece was
composed during one of those days. It also reminds me of old
friends whose chances of remission are now gone...
We all need to try and make our short time on Earth as meaningful as we can. If we knew we were to die tomorrow how would we behave? How would we want to be remembered? These things would reveal our heart. Maybe we would not need to behave any differently, but in my experience most people only really grow up when they become aware of their mortality ( even young children).
After the final two (arpeggiated) chords there is a sense to the listener that the piece is unfinished. I wrote a question mark on the sheet music (where the final chord should be) in some form of explanation...
I really should write something called Resurrection...
Stay till the end of the world
A piano arrangement of a song I wrote
to the lyrics of David Tremaine (called Stay with me till
the end).
I added a Moog Synthesiser sound to create a slightly more Sci-Fi feeling and mood and there is also a 'voice pad' to thicken the backdrop a little. I may re-arrange this piece when I get a little more time, maybe think about new orchestrations etc.
This version was probably a bit rushed!
N.B. I believe our planet was designed to last forever and imperfect humans only have a limited period in which to rape and plunder it's wealth and resources. One day we may all have to account for the things we have done.
I'll Remember You
How could I forget...The Fairy Cupboards
Here is a magical little place I have spent some happy moments
in quiet contemplation. My previous post relates the amazing
tale of the Lord of Romaldkirk and Elspeth and this little spot
is close to that fateful crag overlooking the meeting of the
rivers Balder and Tees. I wrote the music with this lovely
little spot in mind and added my usual large dollup of fantasy.
The footpath leads on the the old Shaw Bowes Academy where
Charles Dickens was inspired to write Nicholas Nickleby and his
tales of Wackford Squeers and Dotheboys Hall. My story however
is not to be told today, but it doth reside in the music.
Yo todavía sueño de España
"I Still Dream of Spain" Composed 17th October 2002 and published in '10 Character Studies
for Piano’
I spent six months playing piano in Majorca in 1971 and
this study has a flavour of those hazy distant days. The
‘B’ section is’ jazzy’ rather than’ latin’ and the LH
reminds me of a double bass part I once heard. The
improvisational development follows a dream I once had.
The D major melody at the end (originally B minor at the
beginning) simply represents the sun coming out, or
maybe me waking up, or ‘cos it sounded nice…
From the Cradle
Cradle Song's (Berceuse) are usually written in triple time but my tune lulls along in common time. I wrote it when I was about 18 months. (from retirement). The simple song form (ABA) is followed by my usual middle section development returning to ABA a semitone higher. Not much else to add... (hope you like it)
For Julie
This is a piece I wrote as a commission. It tells of a lovely lady called Julie and features a donkey called ''Gorbachev'' and a horse called ''Sox''. It is written in my now traditional ''Pistachio'' style. The ''watery'' rating is around 9/10
To Julie (and John) Richardson
The Girl with a Teardrop in her Eye
This was intended to be a song (Broadway Ballad) The words are not yet quite complete at the time of typing this...
Beyond the Rain
The piano solo 'Beyond the Rain' probably goes back to around
1982 when the tune was
written to fit Jane Carol's famous lyrics
'You will Never Know How Much It Hurt' also became included in
”The Angel of Derry” (from 'The Angel of Derry' lyrics Jane Caroll)
And now the threads of time
Run through my broken dreams again
Too hurt to feel, to know what’s really true
Why do I hear the things my heart would never listen to.
To lose is not to die
But now I’m on my own again I miss you so,
but pride won’t let me show
How much it hurt to hide the pain inside and let you go.
To lose is not to die
And life would take my hand again
I’ll touch the stars that shine beyond the rain
And you will never know how much it hurt to let you go
And you will never know how much it hurt to let you go…
I try to understand
And watch you walk away
from all we planned
But if you came back to me
Night would show the day to me Oh no…
River of Peace
River
of Peace was originally written for my Irish Suite (Angel of
Derry) and was called ''Your Peace will flow like a river...
The arrangement was for Flute and Harp with string
orchestra. I love the Bible and many of my tunes have
scriptural inspiration. This tune is no exception - Rev.22:1
Isa.66:12 (part a)
The 'Irish Suite' and subsequently the 'Angel of Derry' unfortunately never materialized. It was rearranged in 2007 and included in the CD ‘Valley of the Ice Flowers’
The first section written in C minor was not included in the original.
Angel's Music Box
Composed 1981 and published in ’10 Character Studies
for Piano’
Originally written to the words of my wife’s (Jane) poem
‘Suffer the Little Children’
