1: Nil desperandum auspice Deo

“Don’t despair, trust in God.” – a celebration of Sunderland’s city motto accompanied by a stylised boom redolent of the foghorn of the Souter light house, the strident call of the great herring gulls and the sea herself. This is both the first movement of A Sunderland Symphony and an overture for choir and orchestra which can be performed independently of the complete work, as may all the other movements.

2: The brassic Fish Lass A Fish Lass (or Wife) haggles with a hinny (lady) over her produce on a brassic (freezing cold) day.

3: Jabberwocky The first verse of Jabberwocky was printed in Mischmasch, a publication Lewis Carroll wrote for his family. The rest of the poem was written Whitburn, Sunderland based on two serpentine stories from the North-east: the Lambton and Sockburn worms.

4: Marra. for Alto solo, Bass solo and orchestra: the soloists may be joined by female and male members of the chorus as the work progresses at the conductor’s discretion. In the score the parts are labelled men and women.

The text of Marra is from the Ryhope Little plaque detailing the life of the wife and mother of pitmen, Sarah Seed Mother only slept in her bed at the weekend. Father Jack and Harry worked as marras, father working the stone and the brothers the coal: all pick and shovel work. The shifts began at 10pm, 4am and 10am, only one marra working the coal face at a time. Mother had to prepare food and hot water in rotation for the leaving and returning men, evening night and day – as well as for the children going to school, morning noon and evening. She caught what sleep she could in her chair by the fire.

5: Bede’s Death Song For Bass, chorus, organ, church bells and orchestra

The Venerable Bede died on Thursday, 26 May 735, Ascension Day, on the floor of his cell in Jarrow, singing Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. That night he dictated a final sentence to the scribe, a boy named Wilberht, and died soon afterwards. Bede’s disciple, Cuthbert composed a letter to Cuthwin on Bede’s death, alluding to a five-line poem in the vernacular that Bede possibly composed on his deathbed, known as "Bede's Death Song".

Whilst the poem is not definitely attributed to Bede, this orchestral song imagines that Bede is indeed composing this poem on his deathbed, taking three attempts to delivery the work in a continuous coherent stream as he slips away, being beset, as Cuthbert notes, by “frequent attacks of breathlessness" the final version the most confident, this last burst of strength, a phenomenon common to those at the liminal position between life and death. His disciple notes that his last words were the Gloria Patri. I develop this by imagining that he was inspired to deliver this text hearing the Nunc dimittis sung by the monks at the monastery where he issued his last breath.

Bed’s Death Song - Northumbrian version Fore thaem neidfaerae ‖ naenig uuiurthit thoncsnotturra, ‖ than him tharf sie to ymbhycggannae ‖ aer his hiniongae huaet his gastae ‖ godaes aeththa yflaes aefter deothdaege ‖ doemid uueorthae.

Modern English translation Before the unavoidable journey ‖ nothing can be More wise-thinking, ‖ than he who Recalls with mindfulness ‖ before his going-away On whether his soul ‖ good or ill After death’s day ‖ will be judged.

© Copyright Geoffrey Álvarez 2022

Instrumentation: Piccolo, 2 Flutes, Alto Flute, 2 Oboes, Cor Anglais, Clarinet in Eb, 2 Clarinets in Bb, Bass Clarinet, 2 Bassoons, Contrabassoon, 4 Horns in F, Trumpet in Eb, 2 Trumpets in Bb, 2 Tenor Trombones, Bass Trombone, Tuba, 2 Timpani players, Bass Drum, Cymbals, Tam-tam, Almglocken, Antique Cymbals, Organ, Harp, Piano, Strings

In this version, there is an ending for bells in D major using the Plain Bob Major peal, suitable for Durham Cathedral. There are alternative ending for bells in F major, suitable for Holy Trinity Church, Old Sunderland, and G major for Sunderland Minster.