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Grace Williams‘ sea is one that many of us are familiar with, the Bristol Channel. Not the bit, it’s true, we’re most used to; she spent much of her life a bit further East, in Barry just outside Cardiff.
High Wind (Allegro energico) – 00:00
Sailing Song (Allegretto) – 03:26
Channel Sirens (Lento misterioso) – 05:36
Breakers (Presto) – 10:10
Calm Sea in Summer (Andante tranquillo) – 12:36
Different composer, different stretch of water – this time it’s the English Channel. Frank Bridge was born in Brighton and wrote much of The Sea while staying in Eastbourne:
00:00 1. Seascape: Allegro ben moderato
07:10 2. Sea Foam: Allegro vivo
09:39 3. Moonlight: Adagio non troppo
15:37 4. Storm: Allegro energico –
Allegro moderato e largamente
Claude Debussy, interestingly enough, composed La Mer while he was almost as far away from the sea as it’s possible to get while still remaining within the borders of his native France – Burgundy.
0:00 I. De l’aube à midi sur la mer. Très lent
[From Dawn to Midday at Sea]
8:31 II. Jeux de vagues. Allegro
[Play of the Waves]
15:18 III. Dialogue du vent et de la mer. Animé et tumultueux
[Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea]
The Greeks clearly don’t have a monopoly on sirens:
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The Art of Listening 