Darwin Song Project - Emily Smith
My guest bloggers for the next couple of weeks are songwriters who took part in the recent , a songwriting retreat where eight prominent folk artists got together to write songs inspired by the life and work of Charles Darwin. You'll be able to hear interviews from the songhouse as well as some of the newly composed songs on my programme on Wednesday 8th April.
writes:
Well, it certainly was a daunting prospect to enter into a house with 8 folk, some of whom I hadn't met before, and agree to write and live together for a week  a possible recipe for disaster! I think all of us were a bit nervous at the beginning but the apprehension eased away with the warm welcome and hospitality we received.
Prior to the project I did some research and found myself drawn to write about Darwin 'the man'; the love he had for his wife and children, the sense of fun that seemed to be ever present in their household and the worries and struggles that he faced both mentally and physically over the years.
Throughout the week there were moments where inspiration didn't always come easy and times where it was a challenge to work with others who had a different approach to writing but this is all part of the risk involved in such a project. A particular sticking point for me was writing in 5/4 timing which I did with . It took me a while to really click with a time signature that I hadn't sung in before but I'm glad I kept at it and am really pleased with the completed song.
There were some real beauties written during the week, songs that made me want to sob and others that made me laugh out loud - I can't wait to hear them all again at this summer.
Well, it certainly was a daunting prospect to enter into a house with 8 folk, some of whom I hadn't met before, and agree to write and live together for a week  a possible recipe for disaster! I think all of us were a bit nervous at the beginning but the apprehension eased away with the warm welcome and hospitality we received.
Prior to the project I did some research and found myself drawn to write about Darwin 'the man'; the love he had for his wife and children, the sense of fun that seemed to be ever present in their household and the worries and struggles that he faced both mentally and physically over the years.
Throughout the week there were moments where inspiration didn't always come easy and times where it was a challenge to work with others who had a different approach to writing but this is all part of the risk involved in such a project. A particular sticking point for me was writing in 5/4 timing which I did with . It took me a while to really click with a time signature that I hadn't sung in before but I'm glad I kept at it and am really pleased with the completed song.
There were some real beauties written during the week, songs that made me want to sob and others that made me laugh out loud - I can't wait to hear them all again at this summer.
Comment number 1.
At 28th Mar 2009, DerekG42 wrote:I was fortunate enough to catch the concert in Shrewsbury, what a wonderful collaberative concept. Not just from the composers/performers but also the organisers in putting the project together. I am looking forward to the CD release and catching up again at the festival.
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Comment number 2.
At 28th Mar 2009, EnglishFolkfan wrote:Thoroughly enjoyed the ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ R4 programme and the interviews on Genevieve Tudor's Sunday Folk last week on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ Radio Shropshire. Am really looking forward to the Festival performance. Also some fabulous photos on Flickr tagged Darwin Song, looks like everyone enjoyed themselves whilst they were beavering away.
Altogether a very worthwhile and commendable project, congratulations all!
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