Haul Away from Almost Unseen by Artisan, Artisan Ensemble, Suzanne Parry

Aisling O'Dea - violin
Clea Friend - cello
Alex Taylor - piano

This piece was commissioned by Artisan for their Pendulum concert series. It evolved organically through improvising on The Cornish Farewell Shanty – an old song lost to the repertoire, revived by folk singer Mervyn Vincent. The structure is free-form: a fantasy built from fragments of melody and modal harmony. I imagine a fishing boat returning to Padstow Bay, somewhere in the mists of time. It’s early evening and across the water can be heard the single bell of St Enodoc Church, a 12th-century building which was buried under the shifting sand dunes for 300 years. To maintain the tithes, an annual service was conducted by descending into the sanctuary through a hole in the roof. Haul Away for Heaven is a wash of gentle daydream; of sunken bells and songs beneath the sand. Home.


Adapted from the Farewell Shanty (traditional)

It is time to go now,
Haul away your anchor,
Haul away your anchor,
It’s our sailing time.

Get her on her course now,
Haul away your halyards,
Haul away your halyards.
It’s our sailing time.

Waves are breaking under,
Haul away down Channel,
Haul away down Channel,
On the evening tide.

When the day is over,
Haul away for Heaven,
Haul away for Heaven,
God be by your side.

Artisan was founded in 2009 as a piano trio by Aisling O’Dea (violin), Clea Friend (cello), and Simon Smith (piano). The trio performed regularly in their home city of Edinburgh and around Scotland, delivering exciting performances of core piano trio repertoire, alongside commissions of new works from Scottish and UK composers, including Suzanne Parry.