Paul Carr
HOLDING THE STARS for mixed voice choir
Goodmusic GM053

In November 2009 I attended a concert in the church of St. Mary Redcliffe in Bristol, given by the Bristol Bach Choir, conducted by my brother Gavin. It was an inspired programme of contemporary American music and included works by Morten Lauridsen, Eric Whitacre and Samuel Barber. Among the Barber pieces was his timeless setting of the James Agee poem "Sure on this shining night". I thought it beautiful and felt I wanted to set the words myself for unaccompanied choir and did so straight away. I assumed, foolishly, that the works of James Agee would be in the public domain, but I was wrong. As Eric Whitacre discovered with his now famous choral piece "Sleep" - which he originally set to words by Robert Frost, but was then denied publishing rights - obtaining permission from publishers to set words still under copyright can be painfully problematic, as I have now found out. In the end Whitacre commissioned a friend and poet to write new words to his already composed music and the piece went on to become a modern choral classic. So, I have followed suit, only in this case I found it cheaper to commission myself! I'm no poet, but anyone can write words, and mine are a simple reverie to the solitude of thoughts and feelings that we all feel from time to time. Lost in the beauty of a summer's night - in contemplation of oneself and the world. Paul Carr
Also available as part of "Three Motets" see GM128
Duration about 5½ minutes