Words: based on a quote by Arundhati Roy from ‘Capitalism: A Ghost Story’ ‘Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day I can hear her breathing.’ Used with permission. Music: Jane Lewis Another world is not only possible, She is on her way. On a quiet day I […]
Real Change Happens
Words from a quote by Ruth Bader Ginsberg: Real change, enduring change happens one step at a time Music: Jane Lewis Tune Real change enduring change happens one step at a time, Real change enduring change happens one step at a time. Low One step one step one step at a time, one step one […]
Portobello Lockdown Blues Wassail 2021
Music: Jane Lewis; Words: Jane Garven, Cath Norman, Mary Jane Elton, Tessa Haring, Roz Mackenzie, Diana Cairns, Franny and Peter Wraith, Jane Lewis, For 2021 When the mould of loneliness has blackened your walls and your bricks are crumbling with grief When your door is rubbed raw by absent friends, and you can’t see how […]
What is the history of apple wassailing?
The word wassail comes from the Anglo-Saxon toast Wæs þu hæl, meaning “be thou hale” — “be in good health”. There are two different types of wassail – the house-visiting wassail and the orchard-visiting or apple wassail. The house-visiting wassail, also known as caroling, is the practice of going door-to-door singing Christmas carols. Apple wassailing […]
Coventry Wassail
Trad, arr. Jane Lewis Oh apple, apple tree, We have come to wassail thee Will you bear some fruit for me When the season changes?
Snowflake Round
Sculpted by the fingers of a winter’s night, Dancing with delight, needle column, plate and rime, Each flake a different shape Shine on at the solstice time, Shine on Needle, colum, plate and rime are names of different types of snowflakes Muisc score: snowflake round Round: Tune:
With No Extraordinary power
Music score: With No Extraordinary Power Thanks to Penny Stone for this beautiful rendition of the inspiring Adrienne Rich quote that I set to music a few years ago. As I post this today (3/11/20) voters are casting their ballots in the US and we have to now rest in hope. I cast my lot […]
The Wild Ones
Music score: The Wild Ones All parts: Tune: High: Low and swimhats bob: Low:
I Gotta Pocketful O’ Solstice Magic 2019
I wrote this song for summer Solstice event at the Salisbury Centre in Edinburgh in 2019. About 50 of us sang it round the fire on a beautiful summer evening in the garden. It works well to start with tune A (I got a pocketful o’ solstice magic) to establish a strong beat. Try bringing […]
Donkey field Community Orchard Canon 2011
The idea of setting Tallis Canon to names of apples grown in an orchard came from my friend Camilla Cancantata – a great community musician and prolific song writer living in Knighton. Apples have beautiful and evocative names and I enjoyed playing about with the varieties grown at The Donkeyfield Community Orchard in Portobello, Edinburgh, […]