Northern Song

I wrote this short duo for my cousin's daughter, Elizabeth, who has recently started studying trombone at Manchester's Chetham's School of Music, with the idea she would have something special of her own to play there.

The title makes reference to the North of the UK, specifically to one of my favourite cities, Manchester, where I spent a lot of time hanging out in the 1980s.

The harmonic style of the work (lots of open major 7ths and movement in 3rds) is taken from that city's most famous band The Smiths, who were a massive musical influence on me as a teenager - and truth be told still are - they are my folk music.

The work is essentially a very tuneful and slightly haunting evocation of melancholy optimism.