BARNARD Castle parish church's organist has won a competition which has led to one of her songs being published for the first time.
Annette Butters says she isn't usually one for putting herself forward but decided to enter a competition run by publisher Tim Knight Music.
The criteria was to write a piece no more than three minutes long on the theme of “organ music for quiet moments”.
It needed to be suitable for an organist of moderate standard and for use in a church setting but also suitable for a concert or recital. Ms Butters said: “We joke in my house that I'm the only one who hasn't been published, so it was my turn. I have been writing music all my life but have never really done it seriously so I decided to give this a good go.”
Her inspiration was Teesdale and she called the tune Addison's Song – a traditional name in the dale.
She said: “It means a lot, living here. That's what I wanted to capture. It was about the calm you can get from being in the dale. I was thinking about what has come before us, where we are now and what's to come. Like a dry stone wall – it was put there by our ancestors and it has been maintained by farmers and it will be there in the future. It was about that continuity, so the piece has a flowing rhythm.
“I love the organ and this one at St Mary's is one of the best of its make and kind. We are very lucky.”
For details of the book, visit www.timknightmusic.com. A weblink to Annette Butters' recording can be found here https://youtu.be/lURKN0nZPgU
