Displaying items by tag: Timothy Doyle

What was I looking for in my 'choir tour' of England, Scotland and Ireland in April and May this year? I heard over 30 choirs, the most illuminating experience being 3 days of the Cork International Choir Festival. I wanted to study the words these unique groups of people were singing and to discover, if I could, what moved them and made them want to sing each set of lyrics. What was it about the particular words and music together that brought them the greatest satisfaction and commitment, and formed the closest rapport with the audience?

The simplest answer is to give you the lyrics of the song "Points and Lines"--a poem by Aldous Huxley. Set to mesmerising music by much awarded composer Timothy Doyle (b. 1991) and sung with tender sensitivity by Chamber Choir Ireland in the Cathedral of St Mary an St Anne on 2 May 2026, this stood out for me because of three elements: aurally it is a beautiful poem in itself; it explores one clear idea; its power comes from an extended metaphor. One could feel that the composer, the choir and the choir master Gabriel Crouch were profoundly moved by this contemplative piece. So was I. And that's the main thing I learned on the choir tour--there needs to be a unity of feeling and purpose for a choir to really reach their audience.

POINTS AND LINES 

Instants in the quiet, small sharp stars,
Pierce my spirit with a thrust whose speed
Baffles even the grasp of time.
Oh that I might reflect them
As swiftly, as keenly as they shine.
But I am a pool of waters, summer-still,
And the stars are mirrored across me;
Those stabbing points of the sky
Turned to a thread of shaken silver,
A long fine thread.

Aldous Huxley

At present I'm working on a series of 6 tone poems entitled Ocean Australis, with composer Nicholas Gentile.