Jeffrey Howard Biog

Double “World Premiers” don’t come every Weekend!

During an East England tour at the beginning of June 2007, the Dunvant Male Choir gave “World Premier’s” to two choral items.

The choir performed both items at The Old Independent Church, Haverhill and at the Annual Concert of the Chelmsford and District Welsh Society held at Christ Church, London Road under the baton of Jonathan Rogers and both organ and piano accompaniment of Hywel Evans.

The first premier was a Kevin Kaska arrangement of the popular “O Shenandoah”. Kevin Kaska is a Massachusetts based music arranger, and the choir were delighted to be chosen to perform his arrangement of this popular traditional American song. This weekend the song was sung to piano accompaniment, although originally written for violin and harp.

The second premiere was a composition entitled “Cancion de Francisco” composed by Nick Treharne. The “Song of Francisco” is written through the eyes of a young Argentine sailor, Francisco Agra, who died on board his ship in Penarth Docks, which is situated across the estuary from the Welsh capital, Cardiff. Francisco was only 22 when he died, a young man no doubt seeking adventure who worked as a ship's steward on board an Argentine government transport ship, "Transporte Argentino Chaco".

This piece was inspired when the composer, when walking through the streets of old Penarth with its spectacular views across the bay to Cardiff, came across Francisco's grave in the churchyard of St. Augustine’s. The tombstone drew the attention having a Spanish inscription, showed that he died on 20th May 1907, this year being the centenary of his death.

The thought of how Francisco had died, many miles from his own home, with no chance to say goodbye to his family and friends and of how his final resting place is in Wales, with the Welsh people entrusted with the care for his remains.

The lyrics reflect that, even though he is at peace, he still thinks of his homeland every day, that he is immensely proud of his heritage, and that over the long distance that separates him from his birthplace, he wishes still to be remembered.

However, neither country, Wales nor Argentina, are mentioned in the lyrics and this lends the song a potentially much more universal appeal, with the sentiment of the song being able to be applied to anyone who has died and is buried many miles from their own country.

Both items received a warm reception to their premieres during the concerts, and many complimentary comments after the concerts.