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Beneath an Evening Moon

An evocative piece for piano and cello.

Sally Whitham-Shaw
Sally Whitham-Shaw

The title is a reference to one of the Lucy Poems by William Wordsworth. It is a sad poem, full of thoughts and worries. With that emotion in mind, I originally composed this for string quartet and am happy to say it reached the semi-finals of the instrumental category of the UK Songwriting Contest in 2020. It has been admired by many, and I was then asked to transcribe it for piano and cello. With a little re-working, this was the result. It has an emotional cello line which is picked up by the piano and the piano also has a melancholic melody of its own which intertwines with the cello creating an evocative piece of music.

" Strange fits of passion have I known and I will dare to tell,
But in the lover's ear alone what once to me befell.
When she I loved looked everyday fresh as a rose in June
I to her cottage bent my way, beneath an evening moon."

InstrumentalAll music