My God in Whom I Trust

For Clarinet and String Quartet.Published in 2011.Parts.This work was commissioned by Linda Merrick and the Kreutzer Quartet to whom it is dedicated as a project involving commission performance recording and  educational and outreach work. It was supported by funds provided by the PRS for  Music Foundation RVW Trust The Holst Foundation the Royal Northern College of Music and the Ida Carroll Trust. The first performance was given at the Royal Northern  College of Music Manchester on June 15th 2011.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

'The Alchymist's Journal' gets its title from the book of the same name by American author Evan S. Connell. The book fictionalises a number of famous Alchemist’s writings each one developing another's thoughts thus continuing one idea but changing it subtly to provide a new view point or way of thinking. This process is in fact alchemical as one idea transmutes into another. This idea is parallel to the processes at work within these variants. The whole work is constructed from 6 notes (C A B flat E flat F sharp E) and is presented in nine different sections each individual in mood but still based upon the original pitches. This is not a thematic set ofvariations as the themes are developed one at a time from small segments of the six notes. For example the opening theme is the complete number of pitches the second theme uses three notes transposed then repeated at the original level and so on. Harmonically the six notes can be divided into two triads A minor and E flat minor – each key beginning and ending the piece respectively. Whilst this is essentially abstract music with no programme there is an introduction menacing scherzo slow reflective section followed by a recap of the scherzo and final coda. 'The Alchymist’s Journal' was commissioned by the Brass Band Heritage Trust at the suggestion of Paul Hindmarsh to whom the work is dedicated.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.

There exists already and abundant supply of original compositions and arrangements suitable for performance on large and comprehensive organs but many organists who have only a small instrument at their disposal in country churches often have some difficulty in finding short and easy voluntaries suitable for their own use and the instruction of their pupils. It is hoped that The Village Organist may supply this want so much felt by that valuable and zealous class of church-workers to whom the work is inscribed. The editors have endeavoured to bring together a collection of pieces which they trust will prove to be at once simple without being uninteresting and effective where the instrumental resources are limited.