Bootleg of Will Todd’s alarming new composition
I am partially deaf. In my case it is not the most severe of disabilities but it can hamper my work as a journalist at times. I use a number of tools and workarounds to overcome the difficulties that would otherwise prevent me from listening carefully and being able to report accurately.
One of these tools (used by many of my colleagues in an age where shorthand is only really used by court reporters and student journalists trying to pass their exams) is a small memo recorder so I can listen back to what I didn’t quite hear correctly the first time.
It was in use yesterday at Aston University in Birmingham, where I was covering the Church of England’s Worship 2013 conference for the Church Times; and so I was able to capture the alarming new composition by the young (well, young-looking – he’s actually the same age as me) and highly rated composer and musician Will Todd. Will composed the anthem The Call of Wisdom for the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee service at St Paul’s Cathedral last year.
I respect the copyright of other people’s hard-worked-creativity, so I’m only going to share a little snippet with you for the purposes of critical review.
The sound quality isn’t brilliant (as I explained it was recorded on a memo recorder) but you get a clear idea of the nature of the new composition. The clip begins with Will Todd explaining his new composition: “In a moment we are going to hear a tiny bit of a song that I’ve written. I know you won’t know it because I’ve only just written it, that’s for sure. We’ll try that and see what happens.”
I’m not sure that it fits in with either of Will’s existing Jazz and Classical genres; but I’m not sure where to put it. It is probably more Techno than anything else.
For best results, listen with the volume turned right up (but not through headphones)!
