Carter, Sydney: When I Needed a Neighbour. SATB
From: £2.50
SATB unaccompanied (with divisions)
Arranged by Thomas Hewitt Jones
Thomas Hewitt Jones’s brilliant new SATB arrangement of Sydney Carter’s visionary anthem When I Needed a Neighbour is an inspiring call for compassion, solidarity and renewal – and a unique reminder of the power of choral singing to strengthen community through words and music in these Covid-disordered times. A cappella with divisions, his setting is hugely fun to sing, with drama and deft precision of deep feeling that are the hallmarks of this exceptionally gifted young composer.
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Written in 1965, Sydney Carter’s When I Needed a Neighbour long ago transcended its original purpose to become a popular anthem of compassion and unity. Quite a few of Carter’s much-loved songs followed a similar rising trajectory of appreciation – from local use at a moment forgotten except by those fortunate enough to have shared it, to the status of timeless contemporary classic, familiar to many in the way that folksong is familiar, as Carter, a folk-singer himself, would have relished.
Lord of the Dance and One More Step are celebrated examples of this pattern; and it is a truth of Carter’s unique poetic insight – some might call it genius – that his themes in these songs, though inspired by a specific time and function, are truly universal in appeal, thus of enduring impact. In the case of When I Needed a Neighbour, while Carter’s plea for love and understanding amongst people has always been relevant – what subject could be more so? – there is also the paradox that at that unique time and place we are wont to call ‘now’, the need for compassion has always seemed greater than ever.
Though Sydney Carter (1915–2004) was neither by temperament or training a graphic artist, some might draw parallels between his visionary, aspirational themes and those of William Blake. Or even of the legendary singer-songwriter Bob Dylan. In much of their work there is certainly a shared strain of maverick creativity, seeing new things in the old, old things in the new, and the numinous in the everyday, habitually asking hard questions of ourselves and those around us. Perhaps this is true of all great poets and songwriters. It is definitely the spirit in which When I Needed a Neighbour is offered to a new generation of musicians, at a time of unprecedented challenges to our understanding of one another, and with the call to offer solace.
Thomas Hewitt Jones has given us a new arrangement of Sydney Carter’s When I Needed a Neighbour. There is a lot of variety in this piece, with Carter’s anthemic melody passing at one time or another through all voice parts. For the fourth verse there is a clever shift up a minor third just at the moment when we would like to explore new tonality. (I’d have loved it if we could have stayed here a little longer, or at least found an equally subtle way of getting back to the original key). The arranger has been at great pains to ensure that the text is never obscured, and the harmonies range from the simple modal style of Vaughan Williams to Gershwinesque expressivity. I have voiced approval on a previous occasion for Hewitt Jones’s preference for stylistic indications in English – ‘dreamy’, ‘poignant, and ‘lush’ are just three in this score. The very last one in this piece would suit me nicely – ‘comforted, and very rich’.
Jeremy Jackman, Choir & Organ
When I needed a neighbour were you there, were you there?
When I needed a neighbour were you there?
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter,
Were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there, were you there?
I was hungry and thirsty, were you there?
Chorus
I was cold, I was naked, were you there, were you there?
I was cold, I was naked, were you there?
Chorus
When I needed a shelter were you there, were you there?
When I needed a shelter were you there?
Chorus
When I needed a healer were you there, were you there?
When I needed a healer were you there?
Chorus
Wherever you travel I’ll be there, I’ll be there,
Wherever you travel I’ll be there.
And the creed and the colour and the name won’t matter,
I’ll be there.
Sydney Carter (1915-2004)
© 1965 Stainer & Bell Ltd.
13 10 & Refrain
CCLI#: 227923
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