LEITMOTIF by Martyn Bates

Originally issued June 2005 as part of THE FOLKLORE OF THE MOON series on Timothy Renner's HAND/EYE imprint, the full title being Full Strawberry Moon II : Leitmotif . It formed part of a series of 18 cd releases, featuring separate release by such artist as Stone Breath, In Gowan Ring, Makoto Kawabata (Ghost),Black Ships (David Tibet, Ben Chasny, Steven Stapleton),Wooden Wand & The Vanishing Voice, Fit & Limo etc etc .

* It seems that the moon is forever bound in allusion with the feminine.
THE TWO SISTERS/MINORIE (Child*10) is much more than mere 'murder ballad", being a "pre 17th century" song which can be seen as obliquely addressing both malevolent and benign characteristics of this allusion, loosely locating them within an allegorical courtship drama - the moon's "dark" aspect, and it's 'milk-white aspect'. Mary Shelley's astonishing novel FRANKENSTEIN deals to a lesser or greater degree with these self same themes - please try and re-read the novel before you listen ( or, as you listen, perhaps ...) . I have tried to invoke some of this rarefied feeling while creating the music that threads around Child*10.
( MINORIE I first heard sung by Ewan McColl on volume 1 of a beautiful Riverside album entitled "The English & Scottish Popular Ballads") .

Tracklist

1.	"The Dim & Yellow Light"	2:26

2.	The Twa Sisters/Minorie (Child 10) part*1	5:28

3.	The Lovely Moon	3:21

4.	The Twa Sister/Minorie (Child 10) part*2	3:43

5.	Midnight Labours	2:39

6.	The Twa Sister/Minorie (Child 10) part*3	3:48

7.	The Bright Moon	2:46

8.	LEITMOTIF longsong	24:17

Credits

released September 1, 2022

* Voices, whistles, banjo : Martyn Bates .
* recorded/engineered by Peter Becker .
* produced by Peter Becker/Martyn Bates at Ambivalent Scale Studios, Warwickshire, England . Feb-April 2005 .

www.youtube.com/watch?v=-mwvyLU8hzc
* ( Leitmotif#1 ) *

License