Strange Tracks – form and content

Often a composer conceives of a project which is then developed according to a plan or structure.  But in this case a few  ideas came and then seemed to develop themselves. Nevertheless, I found that the project chimed with elements of myself which first appeared after a holiday in Cornwall at the age of 14. At that time I wrote a magical short story set in Tintagel, which was then published in the school magazine – my first and only sortie in print as a fiction writer!

Here the ideas have resulted in what I see as landscapes. As the shape of the works emerged, it occurred to me that they would be a very good expression of an interest, returning intermittently over the years, in what is often  is called the Celtic fringe.

Most recently this has been stimulated by my friend and neighbour Nigel Homer, himself a musician and songwriter, who has always encouraged me.  In his fifties he developed a passionate interest in Wales and the Welsh language (which he hs taken far enough to be interviewed in Welsh Radio)

I decided to restrict myself to the British mainland and not venture into Ireland. It has a special interest for me, my grandmother coming from Dublin, but I felt that it  is a culture so rich and complex that it would need a work in itself.

So I have confined myself to sections for  Cornwall, Wales, the Isle of Man and the Isle of Lewis, all of which I have visited and where I have walked (strange ) tracks.

I am fully aware that what I am trying to evoke in music is not those areas as they historically have been and certainly not what they are now, when their nature has been so greatly affected by the dominant power of England. Instead, I am thinking of lands of myth – some elements of which are given below.

1 Kernow

To praise the homeland in the Cornish language (Kernewek), the traditional phrase is “Hayl dh’agan Mammvro!” (Hail to our Motherland!). Or you can refer to Cornwall simply as “Kernow, an tir ker” (Cornwall, the dear land).

One fascinating legend concerns the village of Zennor. In the church there is a carving  of a mermaid.  The power of ancient beliefs is shown by is existence –  such a “heather graven image “ would have bene totally unwelcome to the Catholic Church.

The legend is that a beautiful lady – as stranger – occasionally attended the church.  She also had a lovely voice.

A local young man,  Mathew Trewella, was  handsome and had the best singing voice in the village. After a service one Sunday, the lady smiled at him, so he followed her as she went towards the cliffs. He never returned to Zennor.

Years passed and then one Sunday morning a ship cast anchor off Pendower Cove , near Zennor. The  captain then heard and saw a beautiful mermaid, with long, blonde hair. She asked him to raise his anchor, as it was resting upon the doorway of her house. She was anxious to get back to her husband, Mathew, and her children. And she was in fact one of the daughters of Llyr, king of the ocean, a mermaid named Morveren.

2 Cymru

Yr Wyddfa is the Welsh place name for what the English Call Mount Snowdon.  It means “tomb” or cairn.  As with many such sites the legend has it that Yr Wyddfa is the final resting place of Rhita Gawr. He  was a terrifying  giant – not surprising because he wore a cloak made of men’s beards. He was fearless but made the mistake of challenging King Arthur . Arthur won the fight, killed  him and cut off his head. The legend continues that the cairn on the summit is where Rhita Gawr’s head is buried

3 Mannin

 Mannin veg veen (Dear little Isle of Man )is the most famous and universally loved affectionate title for the homeland, frequently used in traditional Manx poetry and folklore.

Legend has it that there was a giant named Manannan, who was called “The  Three-Legged Man” (Manx: Yn Doinney Troor Cassgh) and all the inhabitants were three-legged when St. Patrick arrived from Ireland  to convert them.

4 Leodhas

Known as Eilean nan daoine coibhneil (Island of the kindly people), which is a common line from traditional Lewis folk music.

Legend has it that the mystical stone circle of Callanish, which dates back over 5,000 years, are giants who refused to convert to Christianity and so   were turned into stone as punishment. To this day, locals believe that on certain nights, the stones come alive and walk down to the loch for a midnight swim.

The Minch, the strait separating the Isle of Lewis from mainland Scotland, is said to be home to the Blue Men. They have  blue-tinted skin and long green hair, and are said to lure sailors to disaster with haunting songs.

In Loch Roag, it is mermaids who lure fishermen to a tragic fate in the depths of the sea.