One of my very first song cycles, written back in 1989 when I was still studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The poetry of A S J Tessimond was introduced to me by my uncle Barny Hicks, a composer who also set some of his poetry but tragically took his own life in his early twenties. This cycle is a kind of musical tribute to my uncle, and attempts to get into the head of somebody who mistakenly believes that his life is either worthless and not worth living, or who was in such inner pain that killing himself was the best option, in his mind. The title 'Epitaphs' is appropriate for this type of composition, and sets three poems by Tessimond: I Epitaph on Any Man, II Epitaph For Our Children & III Epitaph On Man. This cycle was premiered in the Duke's Hall on Marylebone Road in London by Simon Roberts (tenor) and Philip Sunderland (piano) in 1989.