Phainou 

Orchestra, 5’ 30” (2017)

“Phainou” means “shine” in Greek, and is taken from the Seikilos Epitaph, one of the oldest surviving notated musical compositions. The text reads: “While you live, shine / have no grief at all / life exists only for a short while / and Time demands his due.” This piece uses the Epitaph’s melody as its main theme.

This piece was commissioned by my uncle Doug White, to commemorate his adventures and adventuresome spirit in his life. Doug has run dozens of marathons, including marathons at the North and South Pole, on the Great Wall of China and in Athens.

Many thanks to fellow Aberdeen composer Joe Stollery for the mp3 mock-up of the piece, which you may listen to here.

Click here for perusal score.