"an intriguing yet strange work, and somewhat disturbing"
-- Planet Hugill
Summer 2019 I recorded my phone calls with my parents and wrote music around their voices. The result was a 7 minute piece for string quartet, recorded voices, and field recordings made around my London and Hartlepool homes.
Mixing personal phone calls, real-world sounds and composed music, Be nice to see you is a portrait of nostalgia and family, playing out through the voices of my parents.
Originally intended as a more general look at Hartlepuddlian speech and story-telling, Be Nice To See You gradually became a more personal project as it developed, concentrating just on the phone calls with my parents. Revealing only the parents’ side of the conversation, and fragmenting that speech, the listener is left to concentrate on the creative turns of phrase, and the musicality of the voices as they interact with the instrumental music.
Be nice to see you celebrates the skill and creativity to be found in day-to-day speech, expressing homesickness, and the desire to renew connections with where you’re from.
The string quartet was Ligeti Quartet, and the piece was written for New Creatives North. New Creatives is supported by Arts Council England and BBC Arts. Listen to it on BBC Sounds.
The piece has also been recorded by The Solem Quartet on their debut disc. Listen here.
Recordings
The Four Quarters The Four Quarters
17 Sep 2022 • Solem Quartet
Using Thomas Adès’ The Four Quarters as a framework – and featuring several arrangements by the ensemble – this album explores composers’ depictions of night and day and all the moments in between; from the melodious dawn chorus of Cassandra Miller’s Warblework, via Bartok’s earthly and touching portrayal of An Evening in the Village to Kate Bush’s ethereal And Dream Of Sheep.
PDF sales
PDFs will be automatically prepared and you will receive a download link within an hour after purchase, sent to the email associated with your paypal account.
PDFs are for personal use only. Do not distribute them to others or print out extra copies for friends or students.
If you'd like to perform or distribute the work please contact me at [email protected].
Physical sheet music sales
Sheet music is posted within 4 working days of receipt of payment.
Postage
Physical goods are sent by standard 2nd class post.
Performances
• BBC Sounds
This short piece, made under the New Creatives / Arts Council Scheme, is available online.
• BMS, Berwick Watchtower
The Frankland Quartet plays 'Be nice to see you' at Berwick Music Series.
• The Globe, Newcastle
The Frankland Quartet are playing Be nice to see you, live and on livestream. Tickets here.
• Tung Auditorium, Liverpool
A new work for Solem Quartet, based on chorales and psalm chants, and on a theme of Industry -- more details released soon.