Godspeed the day

Solo viola, 4’ 45” (2015)

“Godspeed the day” is a short phrase from a rather corny traditional Scottish tune called ‘the Northern Lights of Old Aberdeen’ – “Godspeed the day ‘til I’m on my way to my home in Aberdeen.” Having sung this tune many times as part of the University of Aberdeen Chamber Choir in Scotland, it is a very ironic tune for me as Aberdeen could not be farther from my original home. Considering the number of non-natives who occupy that gray, granite-built city, from postgraduate music students to oil industry tycoons, I must not be alone in this feeling. The tune is not present in this piece to my knowledge, but I did have to fight with it in the process, since it constantly got stuck in my head as I was working and missing my relatively new Scottish home. This piece is about counting down the days until you get to see someone again, particularly when there is only one day left to count and it still seems like too long a wait.

Available on MusicSpoke.

Click here for perusal score.