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Programme Note

Written for a concert to celebrate birthdays of two of my oldest and closest friends, David Ellis (80 in 2013) and John Turner (a mere youth at 70), Meditation is based on phrases of one of the most beautiful folksongs known to me, The Captain’s Apprentice (collected by Vaughan Williams in King’s Lynn in the early 20th century). David Ellis and I are both from Merseyside, and therefore the maritime connection is very strong, and this is a sea-based song, though a tragic one. I make no apology for choosing it – at a time of celebration it still does no harm to pause and think for a moment, especially in an age which is essentially trivial.

© Copyright 2013 by John McCabe