Music student's composition to be made into metal work of art
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Music student's award-winning composition to become metal work of art
Thursday, 10 May, 2018Final year Bath Spa University BA Music student, Jake Garratt, has won a National Heritage Ironwork Group (NHIG) competition to have his original piece of classical music immortalised in the City as an iron bandstand.
The volunteer-run NHIG approached Bath Spa University Music students to work on this exclusive collaboration. Jake’s composition entitled ‘The Hammer and Anvil’ has been selected to be brought to life as part of the charity’s £20,000 crowdfunded bandstand appeal. Each of the musical notes, keys and staves from his score will now be hand-forged into a new iron balustrade for Bath’s Parade Gardens.
You can listen to Jake’s composition by visiting his SoundCloud. Local blacksmiths from Iron Art of Bath have started working on the installation, and treble clefs - which can be sponsored for £50 - were recently on display at a ‘forge in’ at the Upper Lambridge Street workshop during the 10th annual Larkhall Festival. The finished article is due to be unveiled at the first ever BathIRON festival in June.
Jake said: “I entered the competition because I thought it would be a fun project to work on. Composition is one of the areas I major in, and hope to have a career in, so it was great experience for me.
“The brief required a short piece made of 14 bars and I felt I had time to write that alongside my studies. I also needed to incorporate either a Bath, heritage, music or iron reference. My piece is inspired by an English folk melody about a blacksmith, so I opted for the music and iron connections.
"I’m very pleased to have won the competition and it makes me feel happy to know my piece will be adorning the sides of a bandstand that will be erected in the Parade Gardens during the festival.”
If you would like to make a donation towards the balustrade please visit the National Heritage Ironwork Group Localgiving page.