The lamp

The Lamp was commissioned in 2015 by the Fishburn Band and is a celebratory work commemorating the bicentenary of the ‘Miner’s Safety Lamp’ invented by Sir Humphry Davy in 1815. This evocative work opens quietly in the deep and solitary darkness of the mine. Staggered quartal harmony spreading across the ensemble brings this opening section to a close and signifies the lighting of the lamps. The rhythmic energy and ever present pulse which continues throughout the rest of the music, evokes the miners at work hammering against the coal face. Individual motifs add colour to the monotony of the percussive drive and introduce individual facets of light shining through the darkness. These basic ideas are developed musically around a central chorale or hymn which is synonymous, not only to mining but also to the brass band and particularly colliery band heritage