Dorset composer - Rick Birley
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                                                              • Fern Hill
                                                                • Universal Truth
                                                                  • The Jackdaw of Rheims
                                                                    • Nine Welsh Folksong Arrangements
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                                                                      • Three Motets
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                                                                        • The Cuckoo
                                                                          • Dance to your Daddy
                                                                            • Drill, Ye Terriers, Drill
                                                                              • The Willow Song
                                                                                • In Vernali Tempore
                                                                                  • My Love in her Attire
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                                                                                    • Seven Folksong Ballads
                                                                                      • Three Hardy Songs
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                                                                                        • Austerity
                                                                                          • Quintet "magnas inter opes inops"
                                                                                            • Five Folksong Arrangements (for the Crucible)
                                                                                              • Latin Primer [Septet]
                                                                                                • Latin Primer [violin/piano]
                                                                                                  • Past Tense
                                                                                                    • in memoriam G B
                                                                                                      • Variations on a Plainsong - piano transcription
                                                                                                        • Variations on a Plainsong - original version for solo clarinet
                                                                                                          • March Wind
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                                                                                                              • Carol Preludes [piano]
                                                                                                                • Marat/Sade Suite [2-piano transcription]
                                                                                                                  • Piano Sonata
                                                                                                                    • Folksong Dance Suite for Cello & Piano
                                                                                                                      • Dance to Your Daddy
                                                                                                                        • Salutation Carol Prelude [piano]
                                                                                                                          • Grazioso (guitar solo)
                                                                                                                            • Dorset Suite
                                                                                                                              • Drink Old England Dry: a Folksong Frolic for Busy Fingers
                                                                                                                                • Sonatina for Violin & Piano [1979]
                                                                                                                                  • The Phoenix
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                                                                                                                                    • Funked-up Bach
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                                                                                                                                        • Music Hall for Westfield
                                                                                                                                        • ARTWORK
                                                                                                                                          • Pembrokeshire scenes i
                                                                                                                                            • Pembrokeshire scenes ii
                                                                                                                                              • Rogues gallery....
                                                                                                                                                • Durham 'prints'
                                                                                                                                                  • Picture Dorchester....
                                                                                                                                                    • Italy October 2010
                                                                                                                                                      • Paris
                                                                                                                                                        • Prague
                                                                                                                                                          • Miscellaneous
                                                                                                                                                          • Poems
                                                                                                                                                          • Maverick
                                                                                                                                                          • Hobie Adventure Island
                                                                                                                                                            • Maiden Voyage 12.iii.11

                                                                                                                                                            Drink Old England Dry: a Folksong Frolic for Busy Fingers



                                                                                                                                                            I made this arrangement for 2-pianos 8-hands on April 29th, the day of the Royal Wedding which I'm afraid I did not watch live. All very comfortingly British our monarchy may be, and probably a force [institutionally speaking] for the national good, but the more you look into the whole thing - its huge cost to the taxpayer, its disfunctional individuals, its scandalously pompous lifestyles, its terrible history, and so on - the more questionable it all is. But it nonetheless is there and we are, as a people, very fond of our quirky institutions. The world is apparently filled with envy for it and of course it generates lots of tourist income. There are plenty of worthy crown causes too: the DoE Award scheme, the Prince's Trust, the great charity schemes supported by some royal personages  [Princess Anne for example]. And where would much of our best comedy satire be without Prince Philip, or Charles, or Harry? And William seems a quite decent sort of bloke. Anyway, who'd be a royal? Not me by choice! So I'd count as a 'keep the monarchy' person, despite my misgivings. Status quo and all that....

                                                                                                                                                            Anyway, this arrangement was a bit of fun. I opened one of my folksong collections at random and this was the tune I discovered and set. So often do I feel like giving up composing that only self indulgent escapism such as this keeps me ticking over, creatively speaking:


                                                                                                                                                            (c) 2009 Rick Birley