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This sonnet, by Sir Philip Sidney (1554-1586), is part of a long sequence of poems titled “Astrophel and Stella”, which tracks the development of a love affair between the narrator (Astrophel) and the virtuous, intelligent, idealized Stella. Stella had a real-life counterpart who Sidney loved, yet eventually saw marry another man.

The thirty-ninth sonnet is “Come sleep. Oh sleep, the certain knot of peace” in which the narrator personifies Sleep. He prays that Sleep will come and release him from his current state of misery – only through sleep will he be able to be free from the war raging between his head and his heart, between reason and love. All he seeks is “…smooth pillows, a sweetest bed, a chamber deaf of noise and blind of light”. He rationalizes that he can entice Sleep by promising that the image of Stella will appear in his dreams, and Sleep will be able to watch. This would be the greatest tribute he could pay. The narrator prefers Stella to appear in his dreams, because he then need not face the reality that she is not his own.

“Come sleep. Oh sleep” was commissioned by Euphony (Kristin School, Auckland) and conductor David Squire.

• David Hamilton: Come sleep. Oh sleep. - hardcopy score 

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• Hamilton: Computer, Computer; computer set 

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• Hamilton: Computer, Computer; computer set 

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This short work for treble-voice choir and guitar sets a poem by Australian poet Kylie Johnson. Kylie is a visual artist as well as a published poet. Her website www.paperboatpress.com says:
During her study of Visual Arts and Film at QUT in Brisbane (1990-1993) Kylie met a group of artists and potters and became part of the group known as Amfora. Amfora held many group shows throughout its 12-year run, of which Kylie was a part of all.

It was through these years that Kylie also published three books of her poetry: Distant Shoes (1992), forty-eight minus one (1997) and the ivory birds (2000), the poetry book launches also coincided with solo exhibitions of her painting and collage work. In 1996 Kylie set up her business paper boat press, in its early stages creating a boutique greeting card range featuring her own whimsical one or two line poems. This has now grown to include ceramic ornaments, ceramic jewelry, original illustrations and functional ceramic vessels.

In recent years Kylie has joined forces with a group of Brisbane artists to form the Umbrella Collective. The six women work together towards group shows and sales of their work as well as creating a dialogue and support network for all aspects of their work and creative business.

Count Me the Stars sets a text taken from her most recent poetry collection of the same name. The poem is untitled, so I used the first line as a title for my setting.

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• David Hamilton: Count Me the Stars; audio 

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• The Treble Voice Choral Music of David Hamilton Vol. 4  Year: 2013 

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• Gordon: Creator Spirit, Strengthen Us; computer-set 

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This version of the folk song Darling Johnny O is based on the unaccompanied mixed-voice choir arrangement found in my Four New Zealand Folk Songs arranged in 1999. The original version is found in Neil Colquhon’s collection Song of a Young Country: New Zealand Folksongs published by A.H. and A.W. Reed. Both the words and music are by ‘Anon.’! New Zealand is too young a country to have a true ‘folk’ tradition and much folk music is really variants of earlier British songs, often with local names and places substituted for the originals.

This version was made at the request of conductor Kieth Stubley who was seeking a folk song arrangement for a competition. Specifically he was keen to have something using a slower tempo.

In this version the choral parts have been simplified and a piano accompaniment added (often taking the role of the lower voices in the original arrangement).

Darling Johnny O is in the tradition of love ballads. A young woman sings of her love who, having signed onto a ship, has not been heard from for a long time. She sings proudly of her lost love and vows to travel wherever necessary to find him.


The song begins:
My Johnny signed on board the Dragon,
Bound for some place I don’t know,
But true it is I have had no letter,
From my darling Johnny O.

• Hamilton: Darling Johnny O; computer-set 

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This short lively piece was originally the final movement of “A Little Easter Cycle” written in 2007 for 3-part mixed-voice choir.

The text is from the Afro-American tradition of spirituals, and tells of the angel rolling the stone away and releasing the risen Christ on Easter Day. It also refers in passing to other characters from the biblical story – Mary arriving at the tomb, the soldiers not knowing what to do, and Pilate with his wise men not knowing what to say.

This re-working of the piece for SSA choir with piano was made early in 2008 for the choir at St Mary’s College, Auckland.

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• David Hamilton: De Angel Roll De Stone Away; audio 

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• The Treble Voice Choral Music of David Hamilton Vol. 4  Year: 2013 

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Deep in the forest is No. 3 of the ‘Five Carols for 3 and 4 Parts’, which were written so as to be performable in more than one choral combination, for example, for women’s voices only with an optional part for men. Along with No. 4, A baby lying, those two carols are the darker pair of the set. However the numbering is no indication of performance order, where the five carols are being sung together as a group. In this case the following order is suggested: Nos. 2, 3, 5, 4, 1.

• McLeod: Five Carols for 3 and 4 Parts; computer-set 

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• McLeod: Deep in the forest; computer-set 

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• Norman: Does No-one Care?; facsimile 

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This short spiritual sets a traditional text. It speaks of staying on the ‘straight and narrow way’ and includes references to several typical topics of spirituals: the river Jordan, John the Baptist, and getting to heaven. The music is in a style which suggests the Afro-American spiritual tradition. The 1st altos are given a chance to take the lead through the chorus and the 2nd sopranos in the verse..

• Hamilton: Don't You Let Nobody Turn You Roun'; computer-set 

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• Hamilton: Don't You Let Nobody Turn You Roun'; computer-set 

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• Hamilton: Don't You Let Nobody Turn You Roun'; computer-set  Year: 2008 

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A setting of a poem by Canadian poet Dennis Lee. “Dopey” comes from the 2007 poetry collection “Yesno”, evoking – in the author’s words – “a world in which the demolition derby and the possibility of living more constructively in the natural order are both real. And at once. So, not just no; not just yes; but yesno.”

• Palmer: Dopey; computer set 

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• Palmer: Dopey; computer set 

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