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From Payplay:
Songs of Solomons CD
From eMusic:
David W Solomons: Songs performed by Stephen Taylor and Jonathan Leonard:
Songs of Solomons
From iTunes (iPod):
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David W Solomons: Songs performed by Stephen Taylor and Jonathan Leonard:
Songs of Solomons
(Click here for 10 Songs for alto and guitar)
"Songs of Solomons"
10 Songs for alto and piano
Composed by David W Solomons,
performed by Stephen Taylor and Jonathan Leonard
Ludhe sing tishu
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Ludhe sing tishu is a spoof of the old English round "Sumer is i-cumen in" and is dedicated to all hay fever sufferers everywhere. The words are by the composer.The force of the scored sneezes is all part of the fun.
Greek Wassail
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Story behind the piece:
A Wassail in fast 7/4 rhythm, like a slightly drunk Greek dance.The words are by the composer and very tongue in cheek, but with an overlay suggesting a critique of the less "culturally inclined"" holidaymaker!
Christmas Haikus
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This is a setting of four haikus by Canon Radcliffe, former canon of Manchester Cathedral, where the composer used to sing. The views of Christmas in these haikus are theologically and poetically sophisticated and far removed from the usual "Xmas" celebrations in which many of us indulge. The symbols of nature (and the final symbol of sacrifice) take on a meaning reminding us of the true message behind the Christian story. The mode of this song is octatonic.
Dawn in the room
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In this song the bereaved lover gains some brief consolation at dawn when the blond light penetrates his room and reminds him of the hair of his beloved. He (or she) imagines the spirit of the beloved speaking to him and giving him strength, perhaps, to face another day.The poem itself is a family production involving mother, father and composer. The title is deliberately ambiguous, because Dawn could also be the name of the departed lover.
The mode of this song is Dorian, the composer's favourite mode.
The Swallows
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The Swallows is based on an Armenian poem by the late Gourgen Mahari translated by J R Russell. The flight and fate of the swallows represents the diaspora of the Armenian people after the 1915 massacre. The limping 7/4 accompaniment emphasises the fatigue of these long-flying birds.
Haiku No Haviranosan
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This is a setting of four Haikus by a University friend called Mark Haviland. Mark's poems, in their natural beauty and simplicity, have inspired David to write many pieces over the years, but this one is his favourite. It uses various Japanese modes in its short span, not exactly an "authentic" approach but nevertheless effective.
The Quiet Way you move me
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Poem by Nevil Frenkiel. This is a lullaby for the baby Jesus, from a play by the poet entitled "Barabbas". The original intention is for the song to be sung by an unaccompanied soprano soloist, but various versions have emerged as inspiration blossomed. This version for piano and alto is a particular favourite of mine.
Lookin' just lookin' in the personal ads
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Story behind the piece:
Lookin' just lookin' is a humorous look at the personal lonely hearts ads, although the composer invented the actual adverts in this song, to avoid possible late night phone calls! The personalities advertising for the loves of their lives in this song range in age from 24 to 92, they are all very genuine people, please don't hurt their feelings as you snigger!
Click here for the words
Rose
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Story behind the piece:
Rose is a setting of a poem by a Kurdish prisoner of conscience in Turkey (Iskan Acikca) translated into English specially for this song.The story is long and complicated and can be found on the www.akakurdistan.com website if you would like to know the details.The poet longs to be free so he can rejoin his love and simply cultivate his garden.This, in its effective simplicity, is the composer's favourite composition.
Invitation to the journey
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Invitation to the journey is a setting of the composer's father's translation of a poem by Baudelaire. It endeavours to evoke the rocking peaceful boat on the inland waters and the wild imagination of the poet tamed to restfulness. The final line, which is always the same in French, is transmuted very effectively into three different angles of meaning in the translation.
