Vocal Works

Song-writing of that quality is a gift not given to many."
 Peter Smith (Director of the Malvern Festival)

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Colin was recently interviewed about setting poetry to music by host Ingrid Prosser on Local Access Radio programme Kapiti Poets - Episode 10

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Song-Cycles

​​Cotswold Songs - a cycle of seven songs for soprano and piano Poems by John Drinkwater
​

1. Old Crow
2. Day
3. May Garden
4. The Lechers*
5. Plough
6. Cotswold Love
7. Venus in Arden​

"The album (Cotswold Songs CD) presents a breadth and strength not commonly found in 
contemporary recordings”. 
“Powerful and thought provoking."  - 
“…simple childlike beauty.”
Musician (Union) Magazine

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Songs of Travel - song-cycle for tenor and piano
Poems by John Drinkwater
​

1. The Vagabond*
2. Mad Tom Tatterman
3. Mamble
4. Two Ships
5. The Toll-Gate House

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Five Songs of England song-cycle for tenor and piano
Poems by Rupert Brooke, A.E. Houseman, Charles Kingsley 
​and Edward Thomas
​

1. The Soldier 
2. Blue Evening
3. The Grenadier
4. The Three Fishers
5. Adlestrop 

"His (Decio's) setting of Edward Thomas's most famous poem, Adlestrop, was particularly accomplished"
Roger Jones Glos. Echo

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A Sabbath Day 
- song-cycle for mezzo soprano & classical guitar 
​
​Poems by John Drinkwater
​

1. Morning
2. Full Day
3. Dusk*​
4. Evensong
5. Night

​A Sabbath Day, in five watches, paints the scene of a time gone by when chivalrous knights roamed the land and Lancelot and Guinevere still lived and laughed.

John Drinkwater's poems are based upon a walk that he took one day with friends in the Malvern Hills. Each poem has the initials of these friends.

Dedicated to my wife - poet Ingrid Prosser

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Character Songs 
​- song-cycle for high voice and piano

Poems by John Drinkwater, Jill Nightingale, Colin Decio, Anne Smith, Peggy Decio
​

​

1. Elizabeth Ann
2. Unlucky Jack
3. The Spinning Wheel
4. Wearing a Happy Hat*
5. I Wandered Along By the Waterside

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Character Songs are recorded on Cotswold Songs CD

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​Four Simple Songs
- song-cycle for high voice and piano
​
​Poems by the composer
​

1. The Stones
2. The Journey
3. To Bed
4. Brightly​*

John Drinkwater

'One fine Sunday I came across a little book of poems in a Malvern bookshop entitled Tides by Dymock poet John Drinkwater. On reading the poems I was immediately able to hear them to music and set about composing a new song-cycle of seven songs for high voice and piano. As several Gloucestershire place names such as Rodborough, Campden, Stow, Apperley and Gloucester are mentioned in the poem Cotswold Love, I decided to title the complete song-cycle Cotswold Songs.' 

(see also Cotswold Songs CD)

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Two Ships 
​Matt Spillett - Tenor

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Rupert Brooke

Edward Thomas

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Osip Mandelstam

Three Songs - for high voice and piano

1. The Black Sun - (Osip Mandelstam)
2. Flowers* - (DH Lawrence)
3. ​Farewell* - (Colin Decio)

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(Black Sun & ​Flowers are recorded on Cotswold Songs CD)

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Single Songs

The Headless Bird - high voice and piano
​  poem by Nikki McBeth
(The Headless Bird is recorded on Cotswold Songs CD)

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Choral Works

Cerberus

       














​SATB choir a cappella
text by Boethius (480-524)
​duration 5:00
This work was Highly Commended in the Compose Aotearoa! Choral Composition Competition 2023

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Cerberus at Hell’s gate was still. Dazed captive to an unknown song"

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Ecce Homo

Ecce Homo is a Requiem Cantata in eight movements for baritone soloist, SATB choir and full orchestra - duration 34:00

1. Foreboding
2. Global Warning
3. ​Omens
4. Praise
5. Deathdance
6. Challenge
7. U.S. Now and Then
8. Paean to Peace

texts; Dead Sea Scrolls. CF Meyer, Old Gaelic (anon), 10th century Latin (anon), Decio, Drinkwater, Robert Nichols & Dr. Avner Perez
​
scored for: 2fl, 2ob, 2cl in Bb, bass cl, 2bsn, c.bsn, 4 hns, 2 tpts in C, 2 ten trb, b. trb, tba, timps, percussion (aeliophone, tgl, clshd cym, sd, bd, tam-tam, whip, piano), harp, baritone soloist, SATB chorus, strings

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The Steps of Evermore

SATB choir and full orchestra Text: Colin Decio 
​duration 20:00

I climb the Steps of Evermore, through trees of brown and green"

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Luto Gratulante - duration 5:00
- setting of a Medieval poem about 'Rejoicing in the Mire'
​for two sopranos and one contralto (a capella)

Of a Rose - medieval text
for mezzo-soprano, hand bells, piano, flute, clarinet in Bb and cello

Laudamus Te - duration 15:00
for treble chorus, two treble soloists, harp and hand bells (two players)
  I - Kyrie
  II - Christe
  III - Gloria
  IV - The Lord's Prayer
  V - Sanctus
  VI - Benedictus
​  VII - Agnus Dei

"Here I Lie" - a comic song for four solo voices
​SATB a capella - duration 2:46

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"Here Lie I and my four daughters killed by drinking Cheltenham's waters..."  - anon

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​The Lamentation of Jeremiah 
- text Old Testament

for SATB choir and piano - duration 10:00

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The Dry-Boned Saint
- 13th century text
​
for SATB choir and piano - duration 4:47 ​

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Prose has a logic. Poetry has a mystery" - Osho

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Organ Works