Musical Career
Carolyn Sparey won a scholarship to study violin at the Royal Academy of Music in London, later completing her studies with Gyorgy Pauk at the Royal Manchester College before switching to the viola. For two years she worked closely with Alfred Deller, the renowned counter-tenor, involving extensive tours of the USA, Canada and France, and regular recordings with Harmonia Mundi. Carolyn appeared regularly on the South Bank in London, on BBC Radio 3, and on the British concert scene both as soloist and chamber player, as well as performing regularly with the London Sinfonietta, the Academy of St Martins in the Field, and the English Chamber Orchestra. She also became a member of Yehudi Menuhin's chamber orchestra, involving many recordings and tours, including Australia, New Zealand, America and Europe.
She became Principal Viola with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra during its early years, during which performed as a soloist in Bach's Brandenberg Concerto No 6 for BBC television. It was at this time that she became involved with the Fitzwilliam String Quartet, performing Bruckner and Mozart quintets both for BBC Radio 3, at the Wigmore Hall, and on tour in Italy. She was also a member of Alan Hacker's Music Party, with which she gave the first performance of Harrison Birtwistle's clarinet quintet.
Later on, as Principal Viola with the BBCSSO, Carolyn featured as soloist on Radio 3 in Harold in Italy, Berlioz, Mozart's Symphonia Concertante, and Benjamin Britten's Lachrymae, and as a member of the Chamber Group of Scotland, performed the UK premiere of Penderecki's String Trio and Clarinet quartet.
The Mystic Ring String quartet [2001] Premiered by the Fitzwilliam Quartet in Keswick, with a second performance in Switzerland.
‘The Mystic Ring’ is a tribute to the great English potter, Bernard Leach, who was probably one of the most significant and influential pioneers of craftsmanship during the twentieth century. Each of the five movements in The Mystic Ring reflects an aspect of his life and work, beginning with a portrait of Leach and ending with a musical interpretation of the potter’s craft in action.
“Fantasia in G” [January 2009] Commissioned by the Fitzwilliam Quartet
Kaleidoscope. Flute, trumpet and 'cello 2009 Performed in Edinburgh by the Red Note Ensemble.
Mosquitos. Three violins
Out of the Ashes”. [2011] Soprano, violin, viola, ‘cello, flute, piano. Commissioned by the Red Note Ensemble with financial assistance from Creative Scotland. Performances in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stirling.
Salut d’amitié. Violin [or viola] and piano. Inspired by Edward Elgar’s Salut d’amour.
On leaving the BBC orchestra in 2001 Carolyn Sparey began exploring composition, something which she had toyed with on and off since the age of 7 and which now became a major preoccupation. Having worked as an orchestral musician for so many decades, sitting in the midst of all the various and wonderful sounds that orchestral instruments are capable of, she believed that she had acquired an in depth understanding of basic orchestration which she was eager to put to the test. Before launching herself headlong into composing, she decided to hone her skills by creating a string quartet arrangement of Wagner’s Meistersingers overture, pouring over a miniature score and gathering all the different voices and harmonies together for four instruments. Having achieved success, she then began writing her own string quartet, The Mystic Ring, moving on into what was to become a second career lasting over ten years.
Works for Small Ensemble
Composer
Solo works
Field [2001] Piano Solo
Performed by Katherine Durran. Written as a set of short variations, “Field” was inspired by Anthony Gormley’s sculpture of the same name which was on view at the Tate in St. Ives during the summer of 2001.
The work [sculpture] comprises a vast, receding carpet of over 35,ooo roughly modelled clay figures, averaging around five inches in height, which face out from the gallery space into which they are crowded, barring the viewers entry. ----- the primeval formlessness of each is dramatically punctured by the dark, deep-set eyes which bring them to life. ----- They are silent reminders of our individual and collective duty to the memory of the past and our responsibility for the future. [from ‘A Place Where A Thought Might Grow’, in the book, Anthony Gormley, Field for the British Isles, published by Oriel Mostyn, Llandudno, Wales.]
Les Planchistes de Paris au Museé d'Art Moderne. [2004] Solo viola.
Performed in Canada, USA, France, Mauritius, Madagascar, UK.
Programme notes: During October 2003 I paid a visit to Paris where my son was living for a few months; an avid skateboarder, he had discovered several places in the city where the sport was accepted, including the long Metro corridors and the Champs Elysées. During my visit, he took me to the Musée d'Art Moderne, not very far from Tracadero and and the Eiiffel Tower; I couldn't imagine the Musée d'Art and skateboarding having much in common, but as we walked along the Rue de Président Wilson and approached the museum, I heard in the distance what can only be described as the manic sounds of skateboards dozens and dozens of them, crashing and rolling over paving; as we stepped out through the elegant arches and came to the top of the steps sweeping down to an open square, my breath was taken away ---- art in motion is the only way I can describe my initial thought. As my son joined the boarding throng, I found a safe corner and watched --- and watched.
The contrast between the venue and the activity fascinated me; the wide paved area with elegant stairs, wall freizes and enormous marble statues of reclining naked female figures lent itself more to some serious Greek tragedy than manic skateboarding. The skateboarders were aged between about 11 and 35, and it appeared to be an exclusively male occupation that day, the atmosphere singing with macho energy. The silent, pale reclining statues were in almost comic contrast to the brown- skinned, muscle-rippling skaters who leapt, and sped around them, sweat flying in the sunlight.
I wanted to capture the moment, but at the time had no idea how, other than taking a few photographs. Over the following months an idea began to emerge; through my passive involvement in the sport via my son I was aware that skateboarding was regarded in some quarters almost as a 'rogue' sport, a notion which relates in some ways to the position of the viola in the musical domain. As a viola player myself, I decided to write a composition for my own instrument.
Fragments. [2008] Solo viola.
Six short meditative pieces taken from various works written for solo viola and spoken voice: “Journey of the Soul”, “Hidden Words”, and “Three poems by Tahirih”.
Zaynab, A Tribute. [2010] Solo Trumpet. Dedicated to Mark O'Keeffe
Nineteenth century Persia was the scene of ferocious persecution for the tens of thousands of men, woman and children who were followers of the Bab, prophet- herald of the Baha'i Faith. During the siege of Zanjan in 1850 a young woman called Zaynab disguised herself as a man by cutting off her hair, so that she could help the men who were desperately defending themselves and their families from the troops whom the governor had sent to destroy them. Fearless in her conviscion, Zaynab could be heard crying out, "O Lord of the Age" as she rushed to aid those who were under attack, never daunted by the fierce determination of the enemy whose only mission was to wipe out the followers of the new Faith. Content with little sleep or food, Zaynab was finally killed by a shower of bullets.
Works for orchestra and large ensemble.
Fereshtehha [Angels] [2005] [Duration approx. 16 minutes] 20 solo strings: 10 violins, 4 violas, 4 cellos, 2 double basses.
On Saturday, 18th June, 1983, ten Iranian women, the youngest only seventeen years of age, were hanged at Adelabad prison, in Iran; their crime was that they were members of the Bahá’í Faith. Fereshtehha was composed in their memory.
Alasdair Nicholson, composer/conductor and musical director of the prestigious St Magnus Festival wrote of Fereshtehha, “Carolyn Sparey's music inhabits an individual and intriguing soundworld with a deeply intense outpouring written with the expert knowledge of a professional string player.”
Viola Concerto, “From Behind the Veils”. [2007/8] [Duration approx 35 minutes] A tribute to Táhirih. Solo viola and chamber orchestra. Dedicated to Rivka Golani, whose encouragement was the catalyst for this work.
Composed as a tribute to the great Persian poetess, Táhirih, the concerto takes certain key historical moments in her life and runs as a musical biography, ending with her tragic but triumphant death at the hands of her aggressors.
On receiving the score, Golani wrote on 3/04/08, “I would like you to know how grateful I am for the wonderful concerto you have written for me”, instructing her Canadian agent to find a conductor/orchestra who would premiere it. To date this concerto is still awaiting a first performance.
When the composition was entered for the 2008/9 International Uuno Klami competition in Finland, the jury chose it out of 186 works submitted from composers in 27 countries to be included in a list of 17 recommended works.
Comharrachadh (Celebration) May 2018. Commissioned by the Dunblane Chamber Orchestra for their 10th anniversary. String orchestra. [Duration approx 15 minutes]
Songs
A commission to set two Robert Burns poems for choir was received in 2008 for the celebration of the 250th anniversary his birth in 2009. Four poems were set, and the premiere took place in Moffat. A second performance took place at St Michael¹s Church, Dumfries, where Robert Burns is buried, attended by the chief executive of the World Burns Federation, who stated that she would like the new version of "Red Red Rose" to be sung at her funeral. Chris Green of the British Academy of Songwriters,Composers and Authors wrote of these new Burns settings, 'the songs you sent me are all beautifully crafted'.
The four songs: Craigieburn Wood, O Wert thou in the Cauld Blast, Willie Wastle, A Red Red Rose.
A fourth song, A Man’s a Man, was added in 2013, commissioned by the Stirling University Choir.
Three further songs for choir: A Pure Heart, Thou Art my Dominion, and Christmas Bells.
All songs are published by The Art of Music
Hidden Words. [Duration approx 10 minutes]
A selection of 16 verses taken from the Hidden Words of Bahaullah, interspersed with short interludes for solo viola.
Journey of the Soul. [Duration approx 13 minutes]
Extracts taken from the Seven Valleys written by Bahaullah, interspersed with short interludes for solo viola.
Three Love poems by Tahirih set for spoken voice and solo viola. [Duration approx 12 minutes]
“The Love of Baha” “Arise” “As God is my Witness”
Works for spoken voice and solo viola
Artist
As a child, drawing and painting were as much a part of my life as writing and music. But it wasn’t until the 1990s that it became a serious occupation during my years working with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Many of my small landscape paintings sold in local shops and at craft fairs, with the larger works being shown at two exhibitions in Glasgow.
Bela bartok, Viola concerto
O Son of Being! Love Me, that I may love thee. If thou lovest Me not, My love can in no wise reach thee. Know this, O servant. Bahá’u’lláh
O Son of Being! Thy heart is My home; sanctify it for My descent. Thy spirit is My place of revelation; cleanse it for My manifestation. Bahá’u’lláh
O Son of Man! Be thou content with Me and seek no other helper. For none but Me can ever suffice thee. Bahá'u'lláh
O Son of Man! If thou lovest Me, turn away from thyself; and if thou seekest My pleasure, regard not thine own; that thou mayest die in Me and I may eternally live in thee. Baháʼu'lláh
O Son of Spirit! My first counsel is this Possess a pure, kindly and radiant heart, that thine may be a sovereignty ancient, imperishable and everlasting. Bahá’u'lláh
William Walton, Viola Concerto
Hector Berlioz, Harold in Italy
William Primrose, portrait
O Son of Light! Forget all save Me and commune with My spirit. This is of the essence of My command, therefore turn unto it. Bahá'u'lláh
The inn of the pillars, Akka
Covered alley with tree, Akka
Covered alley with tree, Akka
Elliott Carter, Variations for Orchestra
Sibelius, Fifth Symphony
The Half of it was Never Told
Three men; Three continents; One passion.
The extraordinary story of a largely forgotten nineteenth century phenomenon told through the lives of three leading figures living on three different continents.
Introduction to the book.
During the nineteenth century a widespread movement took much of North America, Europe, and the Middle East by storm. It was the beginning of a period of great changes, with travel, industry and learning taking the world to a new level of understanding and expectation; many people still viewed the world around them through the lens of religion, drawing strength from the writings in their Holy books, such as the Bible and the Quran, which influenced decision-making not only in political affairs, but also in family and community life.
The prophecies in these Holy books had fascinated people for centuries, pointing, as they did, to a time of renewal, or more particularly, the coming of the One promised in their scriptures. The Books of both the Old and New Testaments, as well as the Holy Quran, made reference to future events which would herald this return, and by the beginning of the nineteenth century many people believed that these events were unfolding and that the promised return was imminent. From the New World, through Europe and east into Persia, thousands upon thousands studied and waited, dedicating themselves to preparation for the great event. This movement became known in the West as Adventism.
Of the thousands who were involved in Adventism there were a few whose lives were truly remarkable, offering a fascinating glimpse of a period in history which has largely been forgotten. The three featured in this book lived on three different continents, and although they never met, two of them came tantalisingly close when their paths crossed in the Middle East.
Only one of them found what he was looking for. William Miller, Joseph Wolff and Mulla Husayn were their names.
They came from Christian, Christian-Jewish and Muslim backgrounds.
Their stories are extraordinary
Published in 2015 by George Ronald Publisher Ltd Oxford www.grbooks.com
Reprinted 2017
A Question of Time
Dedicated to my son, Robert Reid Gillies
For people living in Britain during the first half of the twentieth century, it was a time of extreme challenge and unprecedented change. The century had begun in the reign of Queen Victoria, and by the half way mark, two world wars and a growing list of new inventions had lifted the world into a completely new era.
What was it like to live just before the world of television, central-heating, antibiotics, the National Health Service, motorways and the internet --- to experience smogs, barrage balloons and rationing, and to feel helpless as the League of Nations failed to prevent the Second World War? What was it like to qualify as a dentist in London during the early 1930s. and to lose your home as a result of the London Blitz? What was it like to long for change, and how could ordinary people find a way of helping to make change possible?
A Question of Time offers a glimpse into the lives of two ordinary people who happened to live in those times. They kept diaries and they had memories; they wrote and they spoke; they were Leslie and Joan Sparey, and they were my parents. This is their story.
First published by Resonate and Blue in 2015 (Imprint of Tatterdemalion Blue)
Seeking a State of Heaven
The story of the German Templers.
In October 1868 two families arrived by steamer at the port of Haifa, in Palestine. They had abandoned all they had ever known in their German homeland in order to settle in the Holy Land, and as time went by they were joined by other families, establishing roots at the foot of Mount Carmel. Calling themselves the Temple Society, they had one aim - to Gather the Children of God in Jerusalem in preparation for the Second Coming of Christ. Who were they, what did they believe, where did their beliefs come from, and what connection, if any, did they have with a group of Baha'i prisoners who had arrived in Palestine just before them?
Published in 2018 by George Ronald Publisher Ltd Oxford www.grbooks.com
Little Acorn
A story and colouring book for children between the ages 3 - 9, which uses the analogy of the acorn growing into a mighty oak tree to show the postential within all of us.
Written for my granddaughter, Ealasaid
Inspired by the following reported words of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá:
“The outpouring of the Holy Spirit changes the small acorn into an overshadowing tree”
Published in 2021 by Tatterdemalion Blue
‘Abdu’l-Bahá's Little Brown cat
This is an illustrated story for children of all ages written in commemoration of the centenary of the passing of ‘Abdu’l-Bahá in November 1921.
‘Abdu’l-Bahá was the son of Bahá'u'lláh, founder of the Bahá’i Faith, and was appointed by His Father as His successor after Bahá’u’lláh passed away in 1892. All people and events in the story are historical, what the cat does and thinks being the only fiction in the story.
Illustrations by Alan McKay
Published in 2021 by Tatterdemalion Blue
Leili and the Blue Balloon
An illustrated story for children between the ages 4 - 10.
Leili is a little girl with a lot of questions - questions about the world around her and all the people who live on it. As she sleeps she dreams of a beautiful white bird which carries her over the world, showing her how everything and everyone is connected, just as the waves in the ocean belong to one sea.
And the blue balloon? The beautiful white bird reveals the answer ...
Illustrations by the author and Alan McKay
Published in 2023 by Tatterdemalion Blue
Author
Despite having written stories and poetry on and off since early childhood, actually becoming a published author was something that had never crossed my mind. During the 1990s, soon after becoming a member of the Baha’i Faith, I became fascinated by a period of history during the 19th century which seemed to have dropped off the radar, the vast amount of literature produced at the time having disappeared into the mists of time. By about 2013 I had a plethora of documents and rare books which furnished me with all the information I needed, and before I knew it, I was planning the layout of my first book. It was just the beginning of what was to become a third career.
