Work

Programme Note

This works details the tragic end of Mr Macabre – a fisherman who starts out innocently enough, busily fishing:

Mr Macabre went fishing one day,
Out with his line, in his boat, in the bay.
So busy was he, pulling fish from the deep,
He even forgot to go home to sleep.

Unfortunately as it begins to get dark, a shark appears and bites him almost in half. The “awesomely tough” Mr Macabre is not content to let this small mishap spoil his life, so he proceeds to collect the various bits of his body until he is “almost complete”. Towards the end of the piece he is determined to get back in his boat and go out to catch that shark, in spite of his deformities.

Throughout, the chorus sections act as a commentary of the story contained in the verses, and at one point the choir quietly hums the sailor’s hymn “Eternal Father Strong to Save” behind Mr Macabre.

The text for That’s Macabre was especially written for this piece by New Zealand poet and writer Joy Watson.

That’s Macabre was written for the 40th anniversary of Auckland Boys’ Choir, and is dedicated to the choir and conductor Stuart Weightman.

Text Note:

Text by Joy Watson

Commissioned:

for Auckland Boys' Choir on the occasion of the choir's 40th anniversary

Difficulty:

Beginner