Celebrating Humphry Davy in music

Humphry Davy Statue, Penzance by Mike Newman - ocean-image.com

Humphry Davy

Truro’s Three Spires Singers perform a new work about the revered scientist, written by Cornish composer Graham Fitkin

Chemist, inventor, Enlightenment Man: Sir Humphry Davy is one of the most famous sons of Penzance, and this month he will be celebrated by another. When the Three Spires Singers of Truro decided to create a new work to celebrate their 40th anniversary, renowned composer and Cornishman Graham Fitkin was the natural choice, and Davy the perfect subject.

The resulting piece, Humphry Davy – The Age Of Aspiration, is a joyful union of Science and the Arts, and will be performed in November at Truro Cathedral with actor Samuel West as narrator and countertenor Rory McCleery in the titular role. The singers will also be joined by Cornwall Girls’ and Boys’ Choirs, as well as over 50 musicians from the Three Spires Orchestra.

A leading light in the minimalist and postminimalist genre, Graham has been commissioned by orchestras and artists around the world, from the Hallé in Manchester and the BBC Philharmonic to the Tokyo Symphony and New York City Ballet. His cello concerto, written for Yo-Yo Ma, was premiered at the BBC Proms in 2011, and he has composed for dance, film and digital media, as well as running his own ensemble.

A busy man, he does most of this from Cornwall’s far west. Hailing from the hamlet of Crows-an-Wra in West Penwith, he attended Humphry Davy secondary school in Penzance and now lives near Land’s End with his wife, harpist Ruth Wall. Having previously collaborated on projects with Tate St Ives and the Minack Theatre, he was thrilled to join forces with the Three Spires Singers in their landmark year. “As most of my work is for institutions, festivals and venues in major cities across the UK and abroad, it’s always a delight when someone down here asks me to do something,” he says. “It means I feel more involved, both with the commission but also with my community.”

Working locally comes with specific benefits. “A lot of halls have their own characteristics, often built in, which means a performance in Berlin might not be the same as in Tokyo - but while I do my best to find out, it’s often the case that I don’t get to visit. In contrast, I know Truro Cathedral well, and enjoy writing for it,” Graham explains.

“Also, a commission for a large orchestra might only see a couple of rehearsals before a first performance, meaning I might simplify or modify my ideas to take that into account. With this one, I can relax because I know the Three Spires will have time to learn and practise some of the techniques I’ve included, and have them embedded. I can even drop into rehearsals to check on progress, and advise and adapt accordingly.”

Davy was born on December 17, 1778, the son of woodcarver Robert Davy and his wife Grace. Having attended school in his home town and Truro, he developed a love of chemistry and worked as a lab assistant, during which time he experimented with gases, largely by inhaling them. In this way, he discovered the properties of nitrous oxide as both anaesthetic and "laughing gas", while carbon monoxide almost led to his early demise. glass of wine or a full meal. He also experimented on his friends. Great fun, very informative but incredibly dangerous,” says Graham. Having secured a post at the Royal Institution in London, Davy’s renown grew as the inventor of the safety lamp, discovered electrolysis and isolated iodine. He also wrote books on fly fishing and travel, and was knighted in 1812. He died in 1829 in Geneva, where he was buried.

Graham turned to Kresen Kernow (Cornwall’s historical archive in Redruth) and the Royal Institution in London for his own research. Both yielded letters, research notes and background from which he wove the text of this new work. “I thoroughly enjoyed the process,” he enthuses. “Most people might not know much about Davy, or only know the one thing: the miner’s safety lamp. But the other stuff is just as extraordinary if not more so. People flocked to his public lectures because he was so entertaining.”

The work also serves as a commentary on the society of the late 18th century: the industrial revolution and the rise of capitalism and consumerism, the disenfranchisement of the poor and Wilberforce’s abolition speech from the House of Commons. “It’s the first time you’ll have heard a House of Commons rap,” laughs Graham. It all adds up to a lot of information, and yet Graham was aiming for "a single, monolithic piece: - a huge challenge”.

The choir was founded for the Three Spires Festival in 1981, when around 60 singers were directed by the late Richard

Graham Fitkin

Hickox, performing with revered musicians including violinist Nigel Kennedy and percussionist Evelyn Glennie. While the festival is long gone, the choir remains, with 125 members at last count, and is today led by Christopher Gray, director of music at Truro Cathedral.

While it is well known for performing the blockbuster works associated with large choirs (eg Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi, Verdi), the group is no stranger to commissioning new music. In 2013, it premiered A Secular Requiem by Truro composer Russell Pascoe, which is scheduled to return to the cathedral in March 2022.

For Christmas 2019, a new carol was written especially for the cathedral choir, with lyrics by the choristers set to music by Sasha Johnson-Manning. “It’s one thing commissioning a Christmas carol; it’s a much bigger statement to go for a 40-minute piece, for choir, soloist, narrator and full orchestra,” says Chris, with pride. Performing new music gives the choir a “balanced diet” of musical styles and eras. “There’s so much choral repertoire along religious themes, partly because before concert halls and opera houses opened, music came out of the church and was written for it,” Chris explains.

“So it’s nice to be doing something completely different. Graham has a distinctive voice of his own, unlike other composers you might have heard. It’s for a sophisticated palate and the choir will find it challenging to start with, but it will become intuitive after a while.”

What about the audience? “Some people will come to the concert because it’s a bit different, and they’ve heard the Verdi Requiem before; others will be interested in Humphry Davy - his life and legacy,” says Chris. “I think all will find it appealing, not least for the narrative text spoken by Davy. Where church texts are often written in Latin and concern death, this is in English and celebrates life. It’s written with the same love and care as a eulogy at a funeral, and I found it incredibly moving, but also refreshing.”

Graham was commissioned in 2016, and before a single note was written, the fundraising wheels were set in motion, both by choir members and through grant funding applications. “For an amateur choir to commission at that level and expense is a massive undertaking,” says Three Spires chair Lora Wicks. “Minimalist music doesn’t normally put bums on seats, so we are really sticking our neck out. But it’s exciting to be doing something new.”

With singing viewed as a potential means of spreading covid 19, choirs suffered more than many activities during the pandemic. Having been restricted to online participation since March 2020, the choir returned to rehearsing together on September 6, in a school hall with open windows and well-spaced seating. “It’s a big part of our lives, both musically and socially,” says Lora. “Rehearsing via Zoom just isn’t the same, but it was better than not singing at all, and it kept the tribe together.”

Lora has also kept the choir up to date via a number of podcasts, including two in conversation with Graham about the emerging work. Fellow Cornishman Petroc Trelawny, of Classic FM, is the choir’s patron and will host a pre-concert seminar with Graham, former Tomorrow’s World presenter Vivienne Parry and science historian Dr Patricia Fara on October 16 (venue to be confirmed).

Once premiered, all involved hope the piece will go on to have a long and fruitful life. “One of the biggest thrills is that we are bringing a new musical work into being in a way that is meaningful to the people of Cornwall,” says Lora. Adds Graham: “This is only the beginning of the life of this particular piece - I’m very excited.”

Humphry Davy – The Age Of Aspiration will be performed on November 20 and 21 at Truro Cathedral. The programme will also include Poulenc’s Gloria and Ravel’s piano concerto in G played by Cordelia Williams. www.threespiressingers.org.uk l

Words by Kirstie Newton

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