When publishing a book I believe it is customary to have a ‘book launch’, this usually involves a party, drinks and nibbles, invited guests, signed copies are distributed, a press release is sent out, all those sort of things. However in a pandemic lockdown that’s not happening, and I’m not really well enough anyway, so I thought I would write something and put it on the internet instead. My book is ‘Music for Solo Violin Volume II: North Yorkshire, and a Scottish Excursion.’ It is available on demand at Lulu.com. If you search the book title, my name, and Lulu it should come up. The book is a collection of pieces of violin music, they are intended for violinists of moderate ability, they are melodic, and musically complete without accompaniment. If you want to know how they ‘go’ there are recordings on Youtube. They are not great art, but I think the music is good and should keep a violinist entertained. The music was inspired by rural North Yorkshire and Scotland. It is my second volume of violin music; after several years of availability the first volume has now almost reached sales figures of double figures. Given that hardly anyone purchased the previous volume, and that I am working through illness, one might reasonably ask, ‘why bother?’ I would guess there is about two or three days’ work in putting together the book, most of the music had been written in the past so it was just a matter of editing and uploading, however my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome has meant that the task has taken about three months. I find any task that requires concentration to be very difficult, and if I am not careful it can make me faint. It is like working having not slept for a couple of days. I work under the monthly supervision of an Occupational Therapist who is doing his best to help me recover. So this has been decidedly an uphill task. However, to give up on self-expression seems to me to give up on life. That is the first part of the answer to, ‘why bother?’ The second is that I really believe the music is good and people would enjoy playing it. In the end though, it has been worth doing for its own sake, and it is best to not be easily put off by adversity. So if you are a violinist, or know a violinist, I commend ‘Music for Solo Violin Volume II: North Yorkshire, and a Scottish Excursion’ to you, and Volume I for that matter. Written to keep fiddles happy!
By the way, I perhaps ought to mention that any proceeds will be spent on nothing worthier than chips and ice cream.
Stephen Gamble
http://www.lulu.com/shop/stephen-gamble/music-for-solo-violin-ii/paperback/product-24509271.html
Comments