REV STEPHEN GAMBLE

A friend asked if I would play on my violin the theme from Dvorak's famous Largo (the one from the 2nd movement of the New World Symphony) at his funeral. I agreed, but that was some time ago and now I'm not at all sure I could actually do this. I am no performer, and illness means I don't practice playing the violin often, so I thought of a plan B. I said to myself, 'I could play the theme on my violin, but electronically generated' - and then I realised I could add orchestr

Galatians 6: 7 - 10 7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. 10 Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers. Luk

Rosedale is a valley in the North Yorkshire Moors; it is surrounded by moorland that rises up to over 1,300 feet. The River Severn flows down through the vale eventually to join the River Rye. The landscape of Rosedale is marked by the visible signs of history, both geological and human. Apart from centuries of farming Rosedale has a long history of glass manufacture and in the nineteenth century the valley became a centre for iron ore extraction. The remains of a railway, ro

Kathy and her husband kindly invited my wife and I to a Rutland Sinfonia concert at Oakham School Chapel. By way of a thank you I have written her this little waltz. It is 'English' rather than 'Viennese' in that the music is informed by English folk music. Pictured - Oakham School Chapel during the interval. The cello sound is electronically generated, but should any actual cellist wish to play this - I could send you the score.

Isaiah 5; 1 - 7 5 Now let me sing to my Well-beloved A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard: My Well-beloved has a vineyard On a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, And also made a winepress in it; So He expected it to bring forth good grapes, But it brought forth wild grapes. 3 “And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.

Written in 2023, revised in 2026. The ground (the bass line) shifts, but runs throughout the piece. Andante - Allegro Pictured - on the way up to Bransdale on the NorthYorkMoors.

When I arrived in these Parishes one of the first people to say 'hello' was John Comber; it was just after we had moved in. John was passing the Rectory to go and practise the organ in St Peter's. We introduced ourselves to each other, and then John declared that we would be 'very happy' in these parishes, he was sure of it. To be honest, I was less sure. The previous three years had been a frightening descent into ill health, and a slow recovery back to being fit for work, a

The music is a response to the landscape and people of Rutland, but also to my interior landscape. I moved here four years ago after a life changing illness, and four years later I am glad to still be standing. Having moved from England's largest county (Yorkshire) to England's smallest (Rutland), I am now am now due to go back, so perhaps the music is something of a reflection on my time here. Multum in Parvo: Allegro Nocturne, The Past in the Present: Adagio e mesto Finale:

Lovely Joan is a traditional English Folk Song. In the song a young man on a white horse tries to seduce pretty Joan by offering his gold ring in exchange for her favours. However, Joan is not just a pretty face, she accepts the ring, leaps onto his horse, and rides off - leaving the importunate man stranded in the meadows. As with many folk songs, there is a pastoral surface overlaying a darker themes. Is this a romance with a comic ending, or is the rich and powerful young

From the memoirs of the Rev Jeremiah Thumpington. In Sheriff Hutton Church there is a monument in the south isle to Rev Jonn Lascelles. The inscription states that he was the faithful vicar of the parish for twenty five years, but that on the 4th of June, 1905, he died when preaching in the pulpit. I read this with some alarm, what if it were to happen to me? I questioned whether, for the sake of my health, I should restrain my tendency to tub thumping rants from on high. I

Prelude - Quasi Fugue - Quasi Chaconne. Is it possible to fall in love with a landscape? Does a landscape speak to you? Can you hear echoes of the voices from times long past of those who have lived there? From a theme written down, to working out the music in my head, to writing it out. I get quite a lot of time to 'work out the music in my head' as Chronic Fatigue means I have to spend time being quiet and still. Composed in 2024.

00.00 Preludio: Autumn Advances - Allegro 06.60 Autumn Falls: Andante con moto 09.52 A Moment of Repose: Adagio 14.07 Harvest Dances (quasi una chaconne): Allegro - Presto The first thought of this Sonata for strings came about as I was watching and listening to the counterpoint of tree branches moving, and autumn leaves falling, all caught up in the wind, with sunlight and cloud passing. This movement was written first and the other three then grew from it. 'The Moment of Re

A Jeremiad is a lament that alternates elegy and rage. After the Old Testament prophet Jeremiah, who lamented the moral decay of his society, and angrily condemned it's corrupt rulers. Worked up from a sketch written in 2001. It got no further than a sketch as I didn't have the orchestral tools back then. I can't recall what I was so moved and agitated about, I'm normally very placid. Strings, Horns, Trumpets, Oboes, Flutes, Clarinets, Bassoons, Timpani.

Written between the 25th May & the 1st of June, while on holiday in the Yorkshire Dales. As Beethoven said of his Pastoral Symphony, this is..."More the expression of feeling than tone painting" It's how the landscape made me feel, or as near as I can get to that state of mind and heart. It was a summer evening, the light was fading, but still bright enough to see my way.

In the summer of 2011 I visited St Hedda’s Church at Egton Bridge and was very moved by the relics and story of Nicholas Postgate. He was a Roman Catholic Priest executed in 1679 for practising his calling at a time when Roman Catholic forms of worship were illegal. The fragile nature of the relics, a small cross, a lock of his hair and a worn wooden rosary, seemed to speak of the fragility of human life and endeavour. It brought to mind our Lord’s promise to St Paul’s in 2 C

Link - https://www.sheetmusicdirect.com/artist/rev-stephen-gamble

As I was finalising this music on the 1st of January an article popped up from Google, and I was surprised to read that Amazing Grace was first heard on the 1st of January 250 years ago. It seems I had inadvertently written an anniversary tribute. Amazing Grace has always been a part of my life, from the nonconformist churches I grew up in, to playing it as a folk tune on my violin, and singing it in the Anglican services I now lead as a Vicar. The music is a free fantasia o

The movements go, Preludio - Hornpipe - Sarabande - Finale. Pictured - Westerdale, NorthYorkMoors Electronically generated violin sound.

The Leyburn Shawl is a path that runs along the limestone escarpment just outside the North Yorkshire town of Leyburn. There’s an old story that Mary, Queen of Scots, escaping captivity in nearby Bolton Castle, dropped her shawl as she fled along the ridge pursued by soldiers on horseback guided by hounds. The music is not a retelling of the story, but it does perhaps have a feeling of the landscape and history of the place. It was originally written for solo violin, then orc

Sinfonia con Rammarico Doloroso - sinfonia with sorrowful regret. Originally a sonata for solo violin, written in 2009, but arranged for string orchestra in 2026. The movements are ... Preludio: Adagio - Presto -Andante e cantabile - Quasi improvisando - Presto con rabbia ( rabbia means rage) The score can be found at arrangeme.com ( once I have uploaded it)