Notes

On this page there are details and relevant information about the music which can be downloaded from the music section.

Hello Francis

“Hello Francis”  is a tribute to Francis Bebey - singer, composer, guitarist, musicologist, writer and dear friend who was born in Douala, Cameroon in 1929 and died in Paris, France in 2001.

The piece is based on the Makossa, a popular dance rhythm from Cameroon often used by Francis, and includes a quote from his piece The Magic Box and a hidden bit of J.S. Bach.

Song Without Words

The tempo marked for this (quarter note = 80) is only an approximate guide. I like it to be very flexible, sometimes almost like speaking and sometimes with an “in tempo” feel - for example at letters D and E. In general I like all notes to ring on naturally. As mentioned in the editorial section I want the pages to look as clear as possible, so I have not been pedantic about rests, etc. The rests which are put in are either for the musical sense or because it looks better - they should be ignored!