Miscellaneous

Recordings

Some recordings (simply done, on a mobile phone!) of myself accompanied by a guitar or keyboard. Mostly old folk or roots songs, but occasionally dipping into other things. The full list can be found here. Some examples are the following (in chronological order of my recording them!):

• Lock the door, Lariston (old Scottish song written by James Hogg)
• That lucky old sun (Tin Pan Alley classic)
• La marche nuptiale (George Brassens)
• Hughie the Graeme (ancient Scottish ballad)
• Who's the fool now? (English folk song)
• Western hobo (Carter family roots song)
• Lord Marlborough (English broadside)
• Jock o' Braidislee (another ancient Scottish ballad)
• Fola, fola blakken (Norwegian children's song)
• O come, o come, Emmanuel (Christmas carol)
• Roving blade (American/Irish/British folk song)
• Hört, ihr Leut', und lasst euch sagen... (from Wagner's opera Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg)
• Days of '49 (American folk song)
• Three hours (Nick Drake)
• Muleskinner blues (Blue Yodel #8) (Jimmie Rodgers roots song)
• Moon river (Tin Pan Alley classic)
• On every street (Dire Straits)
• Eileen Aroon (Irish folk song)

Stories

A few stories, the first two of which were originally intended to be children's stories:

1. The giant, the little girl, and the butterfly

2. The forest clock

3. The kind tree and the nuthatch

A longer, episodic tale: An advent fable.

Poetry

A few little poems of my own, the first two of which I've set to music:

1. At midnight, and still light

2. Wildflowers here

3. Out of kilter

A setting of two poems by W.B.Yeats to music: A coat and The host of the air.

Some translations from Norwegian to English of poems by Kolbein Falkeid, in the order in which I translated them:

1. On the night sea (På natthavet)

2. I envy (Jeg misunner)

3. Your poem (Diktet ditt)

4. Wavelength (Bølgelengde)

5. It all (Alt)

6. Or this maybe (Eller dette kanskje)

7. Morning (Morgen)

8. Night plane over townlet (Nattfly over småby)

9. Established facts (Kjensgjerninger)

10. On edge (Anspent)

11. A different sun (part X) (En annen sol)

12. Yarrow (Ryllik)

13. The first (Den første)

14. The seamen (Sjøfolkene)

I have also translated a few extracts from the long poem «Ho» ("Her") by Christine Kjellstrøm Melby:

1. the earth-leakage circuit breaker is broken... (jordfeilbrytaren feilar...)
2. you fill your coat-pockets... (du fyller jakkelommene...)
3. the saltwater lies up against the forest... (havet ligg inntil skogen...)
4. you stand for a long time in front of the mirror in the hallway... (du står lenge framfor spegelen i gangen...)
5. every day the forest is darker... (kvar dag er skogen mørkare...)

Transcendental moments

Now and again, I experience moments which I can best describe as transcendent: a deep sense of beauty, of happiness, of awe, of empathy. A sense of profundity, of being at one with the mysterious essence of life. Whilst these moments cannot truly be expressed in words, there is an art in trying to do so, as well as their being a pleasant and useful aid to the memory!

1. A deer in the grass and the mist

2. Innerbergsalen

Last updated: 00:07 (GMT+1), 11th January 2023