six poems specially written by Alexander McCall Smith,
set for SATB
a cappella with divisi, a mixture of sentiment and humour, duration 15 minutes.
"a deliciously humorous group of songs",
Highlands
& Islands Arts, December 2009
Alexander McCall Smith writes:
A Time of Gifts is my third collaboration with the composer, Tom Cunningham.
Some years ago I was invited to write a series of short pieces about giving
for a concert in St Paul’s Cathedral in London. For that I wrote a number
of very short stories – a few lines long in each case. This work
represents a development of that idea, in which I have tried to say
something in verse about what it is to give to others. Giving brings people
into a relationship with one another that recognizes shared humanity and
vulnerability. But one should not be too solemn about giving: sometimes
gifts are unwanted, or awkward, or, as in one of these poems, they insist
on coming back.
The six
songs are published and sold by Goodmusic/Roberton. You can see the whole score and hear it played on your computer on their
website.
If you'd like to listen to an individual song, you can follow these links:
1. Thoughts that come to mind play
2. The only gift
play
3. My love gave me a cat play
4. A gift of time play
5. Fitting gifts play
6. His and hers play
This set was
written for Cappella Nova and first performed in December
2009. You can purchase the score here.
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