‘April’ is movement 4 from Twelve Trees – a collection of pieces celebrating trees native to the British Isles by Katy Lavinia Cooper, with words by Catriona Downie.
Believed to be between 1400 and 2000 years old, this ancient yew tree in Berkshire is said to have witnessed some momentous sights. Growing just over the Thames from the meadows of Runnymede, it had already been thriving for a millennium when King John (AKA John Lackland) signed Magna Carta there in 1 21 5; Henry VIII (Hal) is said to have proposed to Anne Boleyn (Nan Bullen) under its branches, prompting his divorce from Catherine of Aragon (Catelina) and England’s split from the Catholic Church. Both events, though centuries apart, had consequences reaching well beyond the lives of those two men – and the tree has survived to bear witness to it all! The Latin text ‘Arbores serit diligens agricola, quarum aspiciet baccam ipse nunquam’ is a quote from Cicero, translating as ‘the diligent farmer plants trees, whose berries he himself will never see’.
Twelve trees was commissioned to mark 60 years of Sing for Pleasure and first performed at Summer School 2024. Words by Catriona Downie and music by Katy Lavinia Cooper (O Lux Beata). A collection of twelve pieces celebrating trees native to the British Isles and drawing inspiration from history, folklore and traditional music.
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