We are adding a new item to the various pieces of "work in progress" on computer-setting Brian scores. His songs may not be what brought most of us to his music, but they certainly have merit, are readily performable and accordingly a relatively attractive prospect for a publisher. At present there is just a miscellany of manuscripts and ad hoc publications by different publishers with differing styles, sizes and notation conventions. We think that UMP may be attracted by the idea of a collection of the Brian songs, as comprehensive as we can make it, properly and expertly edited and suitable for publication as sets - perhaps four sets: high voice, medium voice, low voice and partsongs.
A necessary first step is to see how many of the songs we can lay hands on. Already we know where to find the following:
SOLO VOICE: The birds; The blossom; Care charmer sleep; The chimney sweeper; Day and night; Dear Adonis (Handel, arr. HB); The defiled sanctuary; A faery song; The fly; Gretchens Stube (from Faust); If I could speak; Lady Ellayne; The land of dreams; Farewell; Love is a merry game; The mad maid‘s song; The message; On parting; Piping down the valleys wild; Renunciation; Since love is dead; Soliloquy on a dead child; Sorrow song; The soul of steel; Take O take those lips away; When icicles hang by the wall; When I lie ill; When the sun goes down; Why dost thou wound and break my heart?
PARTSONGS_: Blow blow thou winter wind; Come away come away death; Come o'er the sea; Daybreak; He was a rat; Lullaby of an infant chief; O happiness celestial fair; Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?; Soul star; Tell me thou soul of her I love_.
Would anyone with other songs (or knowing where others might be found) please notify the titles only at this stage to Dr Alan Marshall 5 Eastbury Road, Watford, WD19 4PT, UK; telephone +44 (0)1923 224607.
Newsletter