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Paean was
commissioned by the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the chosen
lyrics celebrate and reflect the noble professions of Medicine,
Psychiatry and the Arts.
Sing to Apollo is
a hymn of praise to “Physics, and to poesy’s king”, for indeed Apollo
was the god of medicine, music and poetry.
The second movement is largely
unaccompanied, and the words persuasively promote the benefits of
cultivating peace of mind and a simple life-style. (In 1592, two years
after writing this charming lyric, Robert Greene revealed in a famous
attack on William Shakespeare, that he was deeply envious of the rival
poet, calling him “an upstart crow, beautified with our feathers that
with his tiger’s heart wrapped in a player’s hide supposes he is as
well able to bombast out a blank verse as the best of you”. So much for
preaching that “a mind content both
crown and kingdom is”!)
The third movement sets Sir Walter
Raleigh’s exquisite lyric What is our Life? and
its frequent use of theatrical imagery is masterly. The celebratory
mood of the opening Paean returns in a short and
uplifting coda.
Paean is
dedicated to Professor John Cox with heartfelt gratitude for his help
and encouragement.
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