On New Zealand’s classical music radio station one day I heard a hauntingly beautiful vocal from the previously unknown to me, THE RELIEF OF DERRY SYMPHONY, composed by Shaun Davey. I bought and downloaded the symphony from iTunes.
I like the symphony, much of which is martial. The siege of Derry in 1689 was part of a Protestant/Catholic war upon the replacement of the Catholic James II with the Protestant William and Mary. It lasted 105 days during which 8,000 people died of a population of 30,000.
I like the symphony, much of which is martial. The siege of Derry in 1689 was part of a Protestant/Catholic war upon the replacement of the Catholic James II with the Protestant William and Mary. It lasted 105 days during which 8,000 people died of a population of 30,000.
Although I loved the vocal, I could not understand the words, so with a good Internet connection and time here in Evanston, I googled and learned that they are from a song, “The White Horse” which brought comfort to the besieged.
Above and below
by land and water
a white horse
a snow white horse
our hope and comfort
the city thus encompasses
Men swim the sea
my own children suffer
an angel
a snow white horse
our hope and comfort
the city thus encompasses
And where is the help
so often promised
and when will the wind serve?
For its is hard to wait
and death to so many
Aid far away
no more food for hunger
at midnight
an angel
a snow white horse
this city doth encompass
Here is a link to a video of the third movement. All the symphony is worth listening to, but the vocal begins at 5 minutes 55 seconds in.
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I had ocassion to recommend one of my books to someone recently and suggested that A SINGLE WAVE, which is something of a ‘greatest hits’, or in this case, ‘greatest survival stories’, might be the best introduction. I told him a Kindle edition is available and went to Amazon to see what the price is of a used hard cover copy. I found that you can buy A SINGLE WAVE for $0.01. That puts my life in perspective.
