Summer Days

SATB and piano

A Summer Day (Mary Webb) (3’ 10”) 

The shades of eve are falling  (John Imlah) (2’ 45”) 

When the Thorn Blows  (Mary Webb) (5’ 30”) 

Total duration: 12 mins

The first and last movements are settings of poems by the Shropshire born poet Mary Webb (1881-1927) and sandwiched between them is a text by the Scottish poet John Imlah (1799-1846).

The shades of eve are falling was written first - commissioned by the Penarth Cavatina Singers in 2016 and first performed by them and Salem kyrkokor conducted by Jakob Grubbstrom at the Norwegian Church, Cardiff, 11th June 2016.

When the Thorn Blows followed in 2018 and was first performed by the Uttoxeter Choral Society and the Cavatina Singers conducted by Alex Thacker at Oldfields Hall, Uttoxeter, on June 3, that year.

I subsequently thought that these two items might work as part of a little suite and composed A Summer Day in 2021 to complete the set.