BY ANNE CAWRSE
Anne Cawrse is an award-winning Australian composer preparing for the launch of her debut album Advice to a Girl. In this CutCommon blog, she shares the story of this upcoming ABC Classic release — an intimate collection of her life’s work and collaborations.
The album Advice to a Girl has been a long time coming; not just in the context of my career, but also through the album’s planning and production, which began back in 2019.
The sense that the time was right to embark upon a recording project came partly from the personal conviction that it was something I needed to do for my career.
I’ve been composing for more than 20 years, and most of my catalogue is recorded (usually in live performance), but not at a quality appropriate for official release or radio broadcast.
Prior to 2021, which saw four separate releases of my music by various artists, there was almost nothing ‘out there’ for others to hear. Recognising that, I believed my music deserved to be heard. This was a big factor in getting this project happening.
Help from friends
I had an immensely helpful ‘push’ from my friend Hilary Kleinig.
Hilary approached me in early 2019 with the idea of the Zephyr Quartet, of which she was the artistic director, recording my back catalogue of string quartet works. Most of my quartet works were commissioned and premiered by Zephyr; I remain indebted to Zephyr’s support of me as a fledgling student composer, as they cemented for me the idea that music is meant to be played and heard, not just written down.
In mid-2019, I successfully applied to Arts SA for a project grant to fund the recording, and so the project began.
However, the direction of the project changed when the Zephyr Quartet decided to take a break from performing in 2020. There were also some pandemic-related challenges as I tried to source musicians, and find times when everyone was able to be in the same place, or even the same state, to record.
Despite the delays, the numerous changes in track listing and possible performers, and many frustrating and uncertain moments, I feel like this is the exact right time for this album to be released: 2021 was a big year for me professionally, and to follow that up with an album feels like really good, if somewhat serendipitous timing.
Voices, songs, and stories
Despite this project started as a string quartet album, it was always going to include some songs. I’ve always been attracted to text setting and song writing; I find the process of finding the music hidden within and around words richly rewarding, and often easier than filling space with instrumental sounds alone.
As a student, I would hide in the depths of the Barr Smith Library, poring over books, searching for poems by female writers to use in my compositions. This is where A Woman’s Song (texts by Pernette du Guillet, Amy Levy and Emily Bronte) was born.
What’s interesting is that I don’t remember as a student making a conscious decision to purposely seek out female writers. It’s certainly something I’ve become more intentional about as I’ve gotten older, which is why I wanted to compose a setting of Advice to a Girl, a gorgeous poem by Sara Teasdale, specifically for the album.
Sharing a sense of the composer
Other than the intention to ensure the album included both older and newer works, there actually wasn’t a plan to make it ‘about’ anything. There were plenty of practical considerations of course – using the instruments and performers I had available, and providing enough contrast between tracks were just part of the puzzle.
Rather than intentionally fitting around a theme, I wanted the album to make sense musically. The commonality between all the pieces is of course that they were all composed by me, and I hope that throughout the album listeners get a sense of who I am as a composer, and the things I find interesting and beautiful; as well as the similarities and differences in my style and approach from 2004 through to the present day.
All that said, once the track list was finalised, an underlying theme appeared to bind it all together, which is why the title Advice to a Girl seems so apt. I think the through-line of female voices, stories and experiences (seen in particular in Grounded, A Woman’s Song and the title track) is strong because the album became a bit of a survey of my musical interests, and these are things that I think about a lot when I’m writing.
It makes perfect sense to me that one’s own music should reflect who you are as a person, and the things that are most precious to you.
Music comes about through meaningful relationships
With the exception of Advice to a Girl, these works all came about through relationships with performers, and often highlight meaningful and memorable musical experiences.
Beyond my long-standing relationship with the Zephyr Quartet; the other string quartet I’ve had the delight of working with is the Australian String Quartet, for whom I composed Skittled in 2015 as part of my role as the ASME Young Composer’s tutor. I’ve since written A Room of Her Own for the ASQ, and aside from being brilliant to work with, I regard them to be one of the finest chamber ensembles in the country. I am immensely grateful that they agreed to record this work for my album.
The oldest work on the album, Imperfect Fourth, was my very first experience writing for guitar. I remember my fear and eventual relief when soloist Alex Tsiboulski, after talking me through all the unplayable bits in the first draft, warmly stated that considering I hadn’t written for the instrument before, I’d done a pretty good job. Alex is a supremely generous and thoughtful musician as well as person, and I was delighted that he was able to come back to Adelaide to record the piece.
A Woman’s Song was composed for the sublime voice of Emma Horwood, who had sung my works with both the vocal trio eve and with the Adelaide Chamber Singers. On this album, the songs are sung by the breathtaking Bethany Hill. A handful of years ago, I heard Bethany sing the first song of the cycle, Chanson, and it was like hearing it for the first time. She absolutely ‘got’ it, and it’s been nothing short of a delight to have her record these songs and premiere Advice for the album.
Grounded represents a newer collaboration with the supreme talents of Sharon and Slava Grigoryan. The piece itself marked a bit of a turning point for me; it was a project that arose at a time when I had a great deal of employment uncertainty, and it evolved naturally and easily out of a desire to connect with others through music.
Reflecting back, I’d say that’s always been at the core of what I do as a composer; it’s the people as much as the music that has influenced and positively impacted my creative life.
A good recording makes music accessible to everyone
When you’re a non-performing composer, you are wholly reliant upon others to bring your music to life.
I have been exceptionally lucky to have written for some outstanding artists, and those opportunities, the relationships built, and the lessons learnt have made me a better and more confident composer.
As a student, I was told that getting to know performers and having your works performed was the most valuable thing you could do, and I’ve been quite successful at that, especially here in Adelaide. I’m very grateful for the support I’ve receive from my hometown, and the friendships I’ve built over the years are as valuable to me as the work I’ve produced.
However, it takes a lot of time to write a piece of music: far, far longer than it takes to listen to the end product. And when you write something that you think is quite good, you naturally want to share it with as many people as possible. You hope that others will enjoy listening to it, and perhaps even play it themselves. It can be very frustrating to feel that after the premiere, your music – this thing you spent great time and care creating, with the intention that it be heard, enjoyed, and shared – sits as a score on a shelf or a hard drive somewhere.
It can be somewhat bittersweet and rather tiring to be regularly asked, “What are you working on next?”. Of course, I am grateful for commissions and work. Of course, I relish being creative (most days, anyway!), exploring new projects, and trying to solve the unsolvable riddle that is composition. But when working as a composer is always about the next unfinished thing, and never about the value of the things already created, it can get exhausting.
A good recording solidifies the work. It makes it accessible to everyone, not just those who play instruments or read music, and it can act a bit like an audio business card. It makes it easier to point at something tangible and say, “Look, this is what I do”.
It’s not without its foibles, of course. There can be a sense of locking a work into place and saying, “It goes like this”, which for me seems totally counter to the living composer-performer relationship that values the interpretation and input of the artist. But none of this negates the value of this recording. This album demonstrates the skills and musicianship of these wonderful performers, and communicates an interpretation of these pieces to listeners who do not have opportunity to stumble across the works in a live concert.
A friend once told me that he didn’t think his recent compositions were any better than his older ones, just different. I like this way of viewing your own work. I most certainly have soft spots for some pieces, or more specifically moments within certain pieces, but I couldn’t pick a favourite or say which work I thought was the best. I love the idea that because this recording exists, other people can meet this music for the first time and, whether it’s quite new or vintage-Cawrse, find their own favourite moments.
Sharing my own “advice to a girl”
Stay curious to all kinds of music, by all kinds of people. There is more out there than you know, and it is easier to find semi-hidden gems than ever before, so don’t be afraid to go down a rabbit hole or two.
Trust your own voice. Write what you want to listen to, and work hard to say the things you want to say as well as possible. Know that it is right and proper for you to advocate for your own music.
Finally, surround yourself with good people, both professionally and personally, who will support you in what you do. Those closest to you don’t necessarily need to understand all the nuances of what being a composer means, but there will be times when you need them in your corner, cheering loudly. Remember that you deserve that.
Advice to a Girl is released via ABC Classic on 25 February. Keep up to date with Anne Cawrse on her website.
Images supplied. Album artwork by Greer Tappert.
