David Jaeger composer
Olivia Esther French horn
Sara Schabas soprano
Victor Prado French horn
Stephanie Chua piano
Joyce Lai violin
David Jaeger: The Horn Speaks
Release date: October 9, 2026
What if a horn could speak? What stories would it tell?
On THE HORN SPEAKS, the French horn becomes a singular voice, inviting listeners into an immersive world where music and poetry meet in quiet conversation.
Inspired by poetry and shaped by deep artistic collaboration, composer David Jaeger has created a collection of evocative instrumental art songs that place the French horn at the center of the narrative. Each work is tailored to the artistry of Olivia Esther, whose expressive performance brings these deeply personal compositions to life with sensitivity, warmth, and emotional depth.
Profoundly woven throughout the album are the poems that inspired the music. Spoken recitations are interspersed with the horn’s wistful and contemplative meditations, allowing words and music to illuminate one another. The result is an experience that feels less like listening to a traditional recording and more like attending an intimate live performance, where poetry resonates in sound and melody gives voice to reflection.
By turns pensive, lyrical, and deeply moving, THE HORN SPEAKS invites listeners to slow down, listen closely, and enter a rich artistic landscape, which lingers long after the final note has faded.
Credits
Catalog #: NV6903
Recorded February 22 & 28, 2026 at Imagine Sound Studio in Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Session Producer David Jaeger
Session Engineer Dennis Patterson
Editing & Mixing, Mastering Dennis Patterson
THE HORN SPEAKS is a co-production of David Jaeger & Olivia Esther Music © ℗ 2026 by David Jaeger
Executive Producer Bob Lord
VP of A&R Brandon MacNeil
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming
Publicity Manager Brett Iannucci
Distribution Manager Nick Pappert
Tracks
1.
Three Miniatures for Solo Horn: Follow it Home
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:18
2.
Three Miniatures for Solo Horn: The Back of Your Ear
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:33
3.
Three Miniatures for Solo Horn: The Explanation
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:04
4.
The Sun
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn; Sara Schabas, soprano
2:21
5.
Three Pieces for Two Horns: Echo
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn; Victor Prado, French horn
1:09
6.
Three Pieces for Two Horns: Blackbird
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn; Victor Prado, French horn
2:50
7.
Three Pieces for Two Horns: Berserk
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn; Victor Prado, French horn
1:15
8.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: For Winter – recitation
David Jaeger, composer; Poem by David Cameron; Olivia Esther, spoken word
0:22
9.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: For Winter – setting for solo horn
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:05
10.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: Sometimes The Summer – recitation
David Jaeger, composer; Poem by David Cameron; Olivia Esther, spoken word
0:51
11.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: Sometimes The Summer – setting for solo horn
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:17
12.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: A Blessing – recitation
David Jaeger, composer; Poem by David Cameron; Olivia Esther, spoken word
0:34
13.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: A Blessing – setting for solo horn
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:08
14.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: The Red Deer – recitation
David Jaeger, composer; Poem by David Cameron; Olivia Esther, spoken word
0:34
15.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: The Red Deer – setting for solo horn
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:30
16.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: Gifts – recitation
David Jaeger, composer; Poem by David Cameron; Olivia Esther, spoken word
0:33
17.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn: Gifts – setting for solo horn
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
1:20
18.
Night Calls: I. Vesper
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn; Joyce Lai, violin; Stephanie Chua, piano
2:20
19.
Night Calls: II. Umbra
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn; Joyce Lai, violin; Stephanie Chua, piano
2:07
20.
Night Calls: III. The Witching Hour
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn; Joyce Lai, violin; Stephanie Chua, piano
2:15
21.
Home at Teatime
David Jaeger, composer; Olivia Esther, French horn
2:36
Artist Information
David Jaeger
David Jaeger is a music producer, composer, and broadcaster, who created “Two New Hours,” an important contemporary music series in Canada, which was heard on the national CBC Radio Two network from 1978–2007. During that time he commissioned over 350 original musical works for presentation on air, and broadcast more that 3,000 world premiere performances.
He supported the creation of important new music festivals, such as the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra’s long running new music festival, broadcasting hundreds of live concerts. From 1974–2002 he served as the CBC Radio coordinator of the CBC/Radio-Canada National Radio Competition for Young Composers, encouraging the establishment of a new wave of Canadian composers.
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In the early 1970s Jaeger established a digital sound synthesis facility at the University of Toronto, one of the first in Canada. In 1971 he co-founded the Canadian Electronic Ensemble (CEE), the longest running live electronic ensemble in the world. With the CEE he commissioned dozens of new works for live electronic performance. In 2002 Jaeger was elected President of the International Rostrum of Composers (IRC), and was the only non-European ever to be named to this post. He served as IRC President for six years.
Jaeger’s compositions range from chamber music to vocal and choral works and opera, as well as orchestral and electronic music. His works for string instruments, and particularly lower register strings (viola and cello), form a large portion of his canon. His affinity for these instruments comes, in part, from the fact that his mother played viola. But the influence of several contemporary violists and cellists, such as violists Rivka Golani and Liz Reid, and cellists Noemie Raymond-Friset, Rachel Mercer, and Winona Zelenka, have been even more of an influence.
Two albums of his viola music were released in 2023. DAVID JAEGER — CHAMBER WORKS FOR VIOLA on Navona Records features American violist Carol Gimbel with chamber partners Cullan Bryant, piano and mezzo-soprano Marina Poplavskaya. Conjuring on Red Shift Records features Canadian/American violist Elizabeth Reid with pianist Alison Bruce Cerutti, and includes both acoustic chamber repertoire, but also electronic works with amplified viola.
Since his retirement from CBC in 2013, Jaeger has concentrated increasingly on compositions for solo instruments and voices. Many of these works have been inspired by literature, especially contemporary poetry. Jaeger has collaborated with several well-known contemporary poets, such as the Canadian Bruce Whiteman, the Bengali-Canadian Ayesha Chatterjee, and the Scotsman David Cameron. THE HORN SPEAKS on Navona Records is entirely made up of his literary inspired works for the French horn, composed for the distinguished Canadian hornist, Olivia Esther.
Another recent release is GAMES OF THE NIGHT WIND, also on Navona Records, with pianist Christina Petrowska Quilico. The album includes Jaeger’s complete Nocturnes for piano.
Jaeger was named a member of the Order of Canada in 2018.
Olivia Esther
Canadian-Portuguese horn player, Olivia Esther has been praised for “…playing with fearless conviction.” (Winnipeg Free Press). Esther is sought after as a performer, recording artist, producer, composer, and educator having worked with many of Canada’s finest arts organisations, orchestras, and presenters including Canadian Opera Company, National Ballet Orchestra, Winnipeg Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, Festival of the Sound, Toronto Jazz Festival, and Mirvish Productions. She has also performed with award-winning artists such as Adele, to legendary performers like Barbra Streisand and Herbie Hancock.
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Esther holds a Master of Education in Curriculum Development with a Focus in Music Education (2018) and a Bachelor of Music in Horn Performance (2003) from Acadia University. Esther is an alumna of the National Youth Orchestra of Canada (2002) where she worked with renowned conductor Kazuyoshi Akiama and toured Japan, Hong Kong, and Western and Central Canada. From 2004–2005 Esther was invited to be a fellow in the prestigious orchestral training program at Chautauqua Institute in upstate New York. While studying, she was one of two students chosen to perform with the Chautauqua Symphony Orchestra horn section lead by Music Director, Uri Segal, as an extra allowing her to work with some of the finest musicians from the world’s leading symphony orchestras and conservatories including, the Indiana University, Rice University, Eastman School of Music, the Houston Symphony Orchestra, Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Buffalo Philharmonic, and the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Her teachers and mentors include Joan Watson, John Zirbel, Denis Derome, Roger Kaza, and Mary Lee.
Community music and education has been central to Esther’s career and has led her to create and lead several grassroots projects. In 2010, she was invited to be “Musician-in-Residence” at the University of New Brunswick where she performed as recitalist on the Music on the Hill Concert Series. During the residency Esther initiated Viva Arts, a not for profit organisation that promotes and supports music and arts education in the public school system. Viva Arts established a dynamic and engaging curriculum in the Fredericton area which taught children ages 9–13 to play a band instrument from scratch. In In 2011, the camp was hailed as, “the best money ever spent on a camp.” Viva Arts has produced educational concerts in New Brunswick as well as brought internationally renowned composer, musician, and educator David Amram, to Toronto, Canada for a festival of lectures, workshops, and concerts. Esther also gave the Canadian premiere of Amram’s Concerto for Horn and Orchestra with the York Symphony Orchestra in 2012. In 2018, Esther was asked to develop a pilot music program for the Kawartha Youth Orchestra which would benefit under-served and marginalised children in Peterborough ON. Her work enabled the organisation to receive a three year seed grant from the Trillium Foundation.
A passionate champion of new music, Esther is dedicated to expanding the Canadian repertoire for French horn through commissioning, producing, recording, and performing the works of Canadian composers. Her artistic initiatives include an ongoing collaboration with composer David Jaeger; the founding of Canadian Horn Sound, a horn ensemble devoted to new Canadian works; leadership of her chamber jazz ensemble Oná; and Sonic Horn Revolution, a community-based horn ensemble that brings together amateur and professional musicians. A member of The Royal Conservatory of Music’s brass faculty since 2016, Esther is committed to creating meaningful musical opportunities through performance, education, and community engagement.
– Gaetz Photo
Sara Schabas
Praised for her “beautifully clear, light lyric soprano” (Ludwig Van), Canadian soprano Sara Schabas’ work reimagines the classical canon with playfulness, collaboration, deeply felt performances, and the centering of unheard voices of the past and present. An avid interpreter of new music, she collaborates regularly with composers including David Jaeger, James Rolfe, Amy Brandon, Alex Weiser, and Cecilia Livingston, for whom she premiered Singing Only Softly, garnering two Dora Award nominations; and Maxime Goulet, for whom she created the title role in The Flight of the Hummingbird for Pacific Opera Victoria
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Schabas has performed as a soloist in opera and concert with organizations including Théâtre Lyrichorégra for a nine-city tour of mainland China, Thirteen Strings, the Grand Philharmonic Choir, the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra, Tapestry Opera, the Little Opera Company of Winnipeg, the Bach-Elgar Choir, and Soundstreams. Her awards have included the Wirth Vocal Prize, the Hnatyshyn Award for Vocal Performance, District Winner with the Metropolitan Opera, Singing Stars of Tomorrow’s Career Blueprint, and the Eckhardt-Grammaté Competition. While maintaining an active singing career, she is also editor of Art Song Canada magazine, a doctoral candidate at McGill University, and an instructor at the Desautels School of Music at the University of Manitoba.
saraschabas.com
Victor Prado
Victor Prado is a horn player with over 16 years of experience in contemporary and popular music scenes, known for his versatility and innovative approach to the instrument. His work blends improvisation, jazz, and Brazilian influences, expanding the horn’s role beyond traditional boundaries.
He has collaborated extensively with rapper and singer Brisa Flow, exploring unconventional contexts where the horn takes a central expressive role. Prado has performed internationally across the Americas and Europe, appearing at major festivals such as the Toronto Jazz Festival and Lollapalooza, among others.
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As a composer, he writes for solo instruments as well as a variety of chamber and large ensembles, and has been commissioned by groups including the Brazilian Horn Ensemble, NuCorno Ensemble, and Oná Ensemble, with premieres presented at international festivals and symposiums. He contributes actively as a performer and creative collaborator in Brazil’s contemporary music scene.
He has also been invited as a teacher and featured artist at international festivals and educational events. He holds a Master’s degree in Music from the Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte (UFRN), Brazil.
victorpradomusic.com
Stephanie Chua
Stephanie Chua is an expressive and versatile Canadian pianist devoted to presenting and performing contemporary works through musical insight and innovative programming. She has performed in solo and chamber recitals across Canada, Europe, and Asia. Recent highlights include being a featured performer in Soundstreams’ sold-out 2018 season opener Six Pianos at Koerner Hall (Toronto), a solo recital at SOUL Live Music Project in Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam) in partnership with Saigon Classical, and Music Toronto’s Discovery Series, and performances at Shanghai New Music Festival and the 21C Festival (Toronto).
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In 2009, Stephanie co-founded junctQín keyboard collective with Elaine Lau and Joseph Ferretti. junctQín is a trio of pianists committed to performances of contemporary music and commissioning new works for their unique instrumentation. Since its inception, the group has commissioned and premiered over 40 new works from emerging to internationally established living composers.
Upcoming projects include a large-scale creation and recording collaboration with the Bozzini String Quartet and Canadian composers Rebecca Bruton and Jason Doell, and the award of a Digital Now grant from the Canada Council for Arts to commission three new interactive digital works.
stephaniechua.com
Photography
Joyce Lai
Joyce Lai enjoys a career as a violin soloist, chamber musician, and educator. She has been featured as guest artist with orchestras including the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Szeged Symphony Orchestra of Hungary, the Canadian Chamber Academy, and the City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong. Locally, Lai has been guest soloist with the Stratford Symphony Orchestra, Etobicoke Philharmonic, York Chamber Ensemble, Scarborough Philharmonic, as well as the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. As an avid chamber musician, Lai performs regularly in chamber settings and has participated in festivals both in Canada and abroad.
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Joyce has been greatly influenced by her musician parents — father Tak Ng Lai (with whom she started the violin as a child) and mother Aster Lai, a prominent piano pedagogue. In addition, she was a student of concert violinists Lucie Robert and Nelli Shkolnikova and credits her mentors with both her growth as a violinist and teacher. Lai holds a Bachelor of Music Degree from the Manhattan School of Music and a Masters of Music and Performer Diploma from the Indiana University, Jacobs School of Music. As artistic director and concertmaster of the Canadian Sinfonietta, Lai co-produced and recorded on their album Canadian Mosaic. It can be heard on all the streaming services.
canadiansinfonietta.com
Notes
THE HORN SPEAKS marks the first recording in an ongoing creative collaboration that has evolved beyond traditional performer–composer roles into a genuine artistic partnership between horn soloist Olivia Esther and composer David Jaeger. Each work on the recording was composed specifically for Esther, reflecting her unique interpretive approach.
Jaeger’s compositions are all based on poetry. The melodic shapes, rhythm and harmonies, as well as articulations and tempi, all emerge directly from poems by Scottish author David Cameron, the late English-Canadian author Seán Haldane and Canadian author Bruce Whiteman. Esther’s interpretations are likewise inspired by the poems behind the music, which is shaped by her concept of “Artistic Crosstraining,” a methodology she developed during her Master’s studies that integrates practices from dance, acting, singing, and the literary and visual arts to enhance expression and performance.
Composed over a six-year period, the works place the horn in contrasting contexts, at times unaccompanied, in duos with soprano or another horn, and in a trio with violin and piano. In each case, the horn is the chief protagonist, setting the tone, the mood, and ultimately conveying the message of each piece.
THE HORN SPEAKS represents the culmination of a collaboration grounded in mutual trust and artistic respect. Together, Esther and Jaeger have created a body of work that both redefines and affirms the horn as a deeply expressive voice, transforming poetry into melody that resonates profoundly with the human experience.
Three Miniatures for Solo Horn
The music that David Jaeger has composed for hornist Olivia Esther is made up entirely of pieces that were inspired by poetry. The concept of this recording is to present these works in a way that the listener can appreciate both the poems and their musical settings, as well as Esther’s interpretations via her horn.
Scottish author David Cameron is the poet who figures most prominently in these works. The Three Miniatures for Solo Horn that open the recording (tracks 1, 2 and 3) are unaccompanied melodies in which each line and word of Cameron’s poetry have been given melodic representation. The resulting settings are meant to carry the message of each poem, both literally as well as embodying their essence: the spirit, atmosphere, and emotional temperature of the poetry. Cameron has described these first three poems as domestic poetry, depicting interactions between family members in various situations.
Follow It Home (track 1) is a setting of the Cameron poem, From the Car, which describes the effect of a full moon seen by father and daughter while driving home.
The Back of Your Ear (track 2) sets Cameron’s poem of the same name, describing a moment of intimacy between a couple.
The Explanation (track 3) sets a Cameron poem, Death Explained, which depicts a surprisingly profound exchange between father and son after encountering a dead crab on a beach.
The Sun
The Sun for Horn and Soprano (track 4) is a setting of a poem of the same name by Canadian author Bruce Whiteman, singing the praises of the act of original and ongoing creation, enabled by our sun, and by extension, by the Divine Spirit.
Three Pieces for Two Horns
Three Pieces for Two Horns are based on poems by the late British-Canadian author, Seán Haldane (1943–2023), in settings for horn duo. Echo (track 5) explores both the literal sonic effects of echoing, as well as metaphorical understandings of it. The Blackbird (track 6) sets Haldane’s poem, The Blackbird in the Rain, one of Haldane’s several poems about blackbirds, whose company he enjoyed in his garden at home. The poet ruminates on the meaning of his communion with these creatures, which he admired greatly. Berserk (track 7) depicts the scene in Haldane’s poem, The Berserk Blackbird, in which a particularly noisy blackbird provokes an exasperated response.
Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn
In Gifts for Spoken Word and Horn, Esther recites each of David Cameron’s poems before she plays its setting:
Track 8. For Winter – recitation
Track 9. For Winter – setting for solo horn
Track 10. Sometimes the Summer – recitation
track 11. Sometimes the Summer – setting for solo horn
Track 12. The Red Deer – recitation
Track 13. The Red Deer – setting for solo horn
Track 14. A Blessing – recitation
Track 15. A Blessing – setting for solo horn
Track 16. Gifts – recitation
Track 17. Gifts – setting for solo horn
Night Calls
Night Calls is a set of three short trios for horn, violin, and piano.
Vesper (track 18) is based on the poem, In Memory Of, by David Cameron
Umbra (track 19) is based on the poem, A Blessing, by David Cameron
The Witching Hour (track 20) is based on the poem, Tumult, by Bruce Whiteman
Home at Teatime
Home at Teatime for solo horn (track 21) is a setting of the poem, Home at Teatime by David Cameron, inspired by the typist character in T.S. Eliot’s The Waste Land.
Olivia Esther – Artistic Statement
For the past six years, my artistic journey as a French horn soloist has been deeply intertwined with the creative artistry of my friend, composer and producer David Jaeger. Our collaboration is built on a shared passion for pushing the boundaries of brass performance and uncovering the resonant, expressive capabilities of the horn — often expressed through pure melody.
At the center of this creative dialogue is our co-produced debut album, THE HORN SPEAKS. As a soloist, my musical voice serves as the living medium for Jaeger’s compositions, all of which are intricately inspired by and based on the profound poetry of David Cameron, Bruce Whiteman, and Seán Haldane. Translating the written word into a purely instrumental landscape, the album bridges literature and sound. Jaeger approaches writing with an innate understanding of both the literary source material and the instrument’s rich tonal palette, blending traditional idioms with playful exploration.
My performance on this album is directly informed by my approach as an “Artistic Crosstrainer” — a term and methodology I coined during my Master’s degree a decade ago. Artistic Cross Training draws from the principles and practices of dance, acting, singing, literary, and visual arts as pathways to creation, optimal expression, and performance. It is through this interdisciplinary lens that I endeavoured to tell the story; Embodying the movement of the phrase as a dancer, the emotional character development as an actor, to find the vocal elasticity of a singer, and the visual artists’ palette to find the sound colors. Ultimately, my interpretation was inspired by the visceral and evocative language of the poetry itself.
Our collaboration has transcended traditional performer-composer dynamics to become a true artistic partnership. From the moment I played Jaeger’s music, I have always said that he and I speak the same language; we approach creating and making music with child-like curiosity. Although we worked together to shape the sonic landscape of the music, Jaeger generously stepped back to allow my artistry and creativity to flourish, and in doing so, his only criterion was, “Make me believe.”
THE HORN SPEAKS represents the culmination of this mutual trust and artistic respect. Together, I believe we have produced a body of work that not only redefines but solidifies the horn as a true expressive voice, transforming poetry into melody that deeply resonates with the human experience.
— Olivia Esther
The Horn Speaks
The poetry behind the music
Track 1
From the Car by David Cameron
From the Car by David Cameron
‘Follow it home,’ my daughter said,
Seeing a yellow moon from the car.
Sweet girl, I don’t need told. It’s in my nature
To be moon-led.
Track 2
The Back of Your Ear by David Cameron
The Back of Your Ear by David Cameron
The back of your ear is so soft, you said.
Harvest moon, when no one’s home.
Track 3
Death Explained by David Cameron
Death Explained by David Cameron
The crab was dead.
‘Look at the crab!’ I said.
My son asked, quietly,
‘Is it waiting for somebody?’
Track 4
The Sun by Bruce Whiteman
The Sun by Bruce Whiteman
The Sun, the anteroom of tenderness and life, pours burning love
on the welcoming Earth; stretched out in sleep on the valley
floor, you feel the Earth is young and overflowing with blood;
that its great breast, held up by an intake of breath, is made of
love – like God – or of woman’s flesh; that, big with sap and
sunrays, it enfolds the grand swarming of all the unborn children.
Everything grows, everything rises.
Track 5
Echo by Seán Haldane
Echo by Seán Haldane
If you are Echo, I am a wall
To which your voice can call
And be returned but slightly changed,
Not quite itself but rearranged
In newer harmonies. What you will hear
Is not what you might fear.
Track 6
The Blackbird in the Rain by Seán Haldane
The Blackbird in the Rain by Seán Haldane
The blackbird in the rain at dusk:
I don’t know how the drops settle on his wings.
I am lost.
I wish I knew the meaning of things.
I wish I knew whether or not to trust
Myself in my (I think they are) delusions
Of what or who you are –
Or are they illusions?
My own voice from afar
Says to the blackbird as he sings
‘I am you are I’.
The rain falls darkening the dying sky.
Track 7
The Berserk Blackbird by Seán Haldane
The Berserk Blackbird by Seán Haldane
Rickety-rackety goes the berserk blackbird,
Riff on riff, perched on the cliff
Of a locust tree, I’m caught
In the torrent and debris of his song,
His notes like jostling boats
As they pour along.
I’d be breathless
If I were he, I almost expect him
To topple head-first to the ground
Killed by his own sound.
Tracks 8, 9
For Winter by David Cameron
For Winter by David Cameron
I thought my love for winter lost
Till your insomniac eyes of frost
Burned into me, so pure and clear,
With slow abandonment of fear.
Tracks 10, 11
Sometimes the Summer by David Cameron
Sometimes the Summer by David Cameron
Sometimes the summer appears
In other seasons; as, today,
I was settling down to winter
When it began.
So I walk across the fields, collecting the years,
Summers that have been, and meet you there,
Eyes glinting like sails, last year.
Thank you. I want never again
To settle into winter like snow.
Here are the same fields and fences,
The earth that will invite the lambs to dance,
Water with something clear to say.
Tracks 12, 13
The Red Deer by David Cameron
The Red Deer by David Cameron
The red deer took one look and sized me up.
I played for time − backed off, kept my head low.
Wind through the whins the narrowness of fate.
Time can’t be played for on the moors.
The fate the red deer left me’s not to know −
Was she the truth, the arrow, or the gate?
Tracks 14, 15
A Blessing by David Cameron
A Blessing by David Cameron
I call a blessing
Down on your head.
A shadow’s moving
In the oyster bed.
I hear a whisper
In the loudest room.
I see an angel
Perched on my tomb.
Angel oh angel,
Put down your pen.
Did I love enough?
Will I see her again?
Tracks 16, 17
Gifts by David Cameron
Gifts by David Cameron
Child of the light, I bring you
Fresh handfuls of wild flowers
From fields you do not visit.
I bring them. Don’t despise them,
Though you find their scent bitter.
They can be arranged, so,
Into a wreath of heartbreak.
But it will wither.
The fields will be drenched again
By the sweet waters.
Track 18
In Memory Of by David Cameron
In Memory Of by David Cameron
‘You’ll not remember him,’ they say,
As if pleased by the certainty.
Can’t they see,
It’s you who’ll not remember me?
Track 19
A Blessing by David Cameron
A Blessing by David Cameron
(As above)
Track 20
Tumult by Bruce Whiteman
Tumult by Bruce Whiteman
The crows have congregated in the street
and caw at every passing living thing.
They do not love, despite their
universal scorn and seeming lack of
self-restraint. It isn’t fair
to ask intolerant birds and other
lolloping creatures to act like us.
They don’t have faith or long for
something more than weather –
string quartets and unsought kisses
and one more book, just one more book
from Marianne Moore. “All this fiddle,”
indeed. How raucous they are, for god’s sake,
overpowering thought and focusing
the lovely moment, rough music while it lasts.
Track 21
Home at Teatime by David Cameron
Home at Teatime by David Cameron
I work all day for little pay,
Help keep the family
With what’s left over, though I get
No thanks for that.
I could parade a barber’s bob,
Though I’d lose my job
If I got serious with Harry,
So why marry?
When I’ve a guest, I like to hear
The sweet, soft river,
But I put on St Louis Blues
When no man woos.
And if I went to church on Sunday?
One day I may.
I take my pleasure like a man
Because I can.
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