Paul Carr

Autumn Song

Text by Emily Bronte:
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night's decay
Ushers in a drearier day.

When working in London I often stay with my dear friend Nic Howard in his beautifully designed cottage in Outwood, Surrey. Nic is an award-winning garden designer, so this seasonal poem feels particularly apt as a thank-you in dedication to him. Nic was the owner of a very good Yamaha Clavinova which sat in his design office, but was rarely played and took up space, so when I was staying the Summer before Coronavirus hit, he offered it to me. Not having had access to a piano for years, I said I'd happily take it if it would fit in the boot of my car, and as luck would have it, it did, with mere centimetres to spare. Having spent most of my adult years composing straight on computer as is my norm, having a piano at my disposal has been significant in starting me on a course of song-writing, and this is just one of many solo and choral songs I have now composed using the somewhat old-fashioned method of pencil and manuscript paper, seated at Nic's piano. Paul Carr
Duration about 4 minutes