How it all began ...

Like most amateur musicians, I have been scribbling down bits of music for as long as I can remember. A few compositions reached the performance stage (in the context of church services) and a few recordings were made, but nothing formal ever became of my writings.

I had always enjoyed singing, and that was the medium which, though my college chapel, drew me into the Christian faith. After completing my university degree, I moved to Stirling in Scotland and joined the choir of Holy Trinity Episcopal Church, furthering my appreciation and understanding of liturgical music and gradually developing my singing and playing skills.

It was here that I met Martin Reith, who was nearing the end of his distinguished career in the Scottish Episcopal Church and who maintained a particular interest in Celtic spirituality. His book "God in our Midst", a collection of verse mostly having its origins in the Gaelic treasury "Carmina Gadelica", formed a lasting impression on me, and I set several of its poems to music. At one stage we had made a plan to publish a musical supplement to "God in our Midst" but Martin's death intervened and the project was never taken forward.

I later moved to the Scottish Highlands, where both the natural environment and also the musical and linguistic traditions continue to enthral me. As director of music at a rural church I have often made arrangements of works for our small but enthusiastic choir to sing, especially at our Christmas services.

In my retirement, now having a little more time on my hands than during my busy working life, I have sought guidance from one of Scotland's leading composers. I have gained some valuable insights which have enabled me to "tidy up" many of my earlier works, provided me with the encouragement to pen some new ones, and given me the confidence to publish them in the hope that they may enrich the Christian, musical, journey of others.

Scotland is full of special places, from the busiest city centres to the wildest, most remote shores. And from the grandest cathedral to the smallest rural church, God is truly "in our midst" when we sing and pray to him.

Stuart R Palmer, November 2024

Contact