A small song for Miss Brown (op. 36) was written August, 1983. It hails from a period (1982-85) when my mind was reeling under the impact of my belated discovery of African music, and by a recent ethnomusicological research-trip to The Gambia. My music had drifted nearer to minimalism than at any other time in my working life. Count-down and Canto for cello (1981), Magnificat I (1982), Riff-raff, for organ, A song for Haddi (1983) and Symphony for small orchestra (1984) all use a radically simplified modal language. Small song for Miss Brown is a tiny, light-hearted spin-off from those larger pieces. What saved me (and both my adoring fans) from a minimalist fate worse than brain-death was an overpowering need for unpredictable rhythmic energy - something which traditional African music effortlessly achieves.

Scored for solo flute or clarinet with optional (improvised) accompaniment for small drum, it lasts three minutes. It was written when I was single after the end of my first marriage, in admiration of a very pretty (and attractively sun-tanned) girl who was many years too young for me.

Giles Swayne
2025