Before I introduce my new commission by Late Music for their upcoming concert with the superb pianist David Hammond, I thought I would provide a little context…
It was almost two years ago, shortly after turning 40, that my mental health began to decline. Suddenly, I was experiencing fairly debilitating panic attacks – uncontrollable and unpredictable, and subsequently diagnosed with panic disorder (whatever that really means). I don’t wish to dwell too much here as every cloud really does have a silver lining and this is not a blog about mental health (maybe a chapter for the autobiography…). My healing journey led to stripping away everything to understand what truly mattered to me – this included a pause in writing music – a difficult but necessary choice to make.
About 6 months ago, Late Music’s very own Steve Crowther kindly reached out to me, not only to check in on me, but to ask if I would like to write a new piece of music for the 2026 season. After some consideration, it felt like the right time to take a step forward and to sit back down at the piano and dust off the manuscript.
In taking over 18 months off from composing, where would I start? This brought me back to what truly mattered. Family.
Intrinsic to family is home; the theme of the concert is a celebration of Yorkshire artists focusing on music by composers from York and Yorkshire. I certainly fit the bill hear being born and raised down the road in Selby, my wife hailing from Whitby and my daughter born in York Hospital. Given the strong connection and my routes firmly in the region, the theme led me to think about other Yorkshire artists I could perhaps draw upon for inspiration. Much of my music uses visual art as a starting point so I instantly honed in on the work of Henry Moore. I’ve enjoyed Moore’s sculptures for many years, particular in his use or organic and simplistic forms inspired by shapes and materials from the natural world, such as bones, rocks and pebbles.
I came across several of his works entitled ‘Mother and Child’, which include sculptures and etchings of a mother and baby, often portraying Madonna with Child. Moore was preoccupied with this theme throughout his life as he reflected on his own relationship with his mother.
The sculpture that resonated with me is his marble sculpture ‘Mother and Child:Hood’ which sits proudly in St Paul’s Cathedral, London. The work presents the three stages of motherhood: conception, gestation and parenting. As you move around the sculpture, these stages gradually reveal themselves. As a parent, I reflect on the journey of bringing our own daughter into the world, in particular the impact on my wife and how it changes the physical body and her identity, to proudly watching my daughter grow and becoming an incredible human being – how lucky and privileged am I to be on this journey with them!
My piece ‘Mother and Child’ reflects on this as a starting point. It’s perhaps one of my most paired-back pieces I’ve written. Much of my music these days is becoming more simplified and perhaps more diatonic (less dissonant) – perhaps it’s all part of my journey of healing through stripping back or finding beauty in the simple things.
I’ve used perfect fifths (think bugle call) in the left hand, as for me, perfect 5ths represent a stable foundation (representing my Yorkshire routes perhaps). In counterpart to this, I have used naive-sounding triads in the right, representing infancy. I’ve used two types of ideas that are similar in nature, one with a hint of dissonance with “closed” chords which allows the other idea to be open and resonant. I’ve used a dance-like rhythm reflecting the joy throughout the whole parenting experience, but it’s slightly off kilter as life can be sometimes…
- James Williamson
www.jameswilliamsoncomposer.com