Welsh composer Tom Davoren first encountered a brass instrument thanks to his local band, the Burry Port Town Band, in West Wales. Famed for it’s picturesque harbour and abundance of music making on a local level, a perhaps lesser know part of Burry Port’s identity was it’s surprise hosting of pioneering aviator Amelia Earhart, who was received by the town on the completion of her first successful transatlantic voyage in June 1928.
Taking off from Newfoundland in Canada, Earhart intended to push her aircraft and crew (comprising of fellow record setters Wilmer Stultz and Louis Gordon) all the way to a planned finish line at the English port of Southampton. Burry Port Harbour would prove to become a safe haven for the daring female pilot, from Kansas USA, when late in her expedition visibility proved too poor to reach the final target, even resulting in missing an emergency stopping point of Valentia in Ireland along the way.
Understandably, the unexpected spectacle of a world record attempt by Earhart and her impressive Fokker F. VII aircraft, in it’s signature vibrant orange colour, caused quite a stir amongst the local people of Burry Port. One person who did manage to speak to her on the day was the reporter from the Llanelli Mercury newspaper. He managed to get his interview early on the morning after their arrival, before she took off again;
“How lovely your country is,” she said. “The stillness and the silence brings back again the almost awesome feeling which came to me as, hour after hour, we pushed forward through the thick clouds and fog. It was as if we were alone in the world. To think that 48 hours ago I was in America and now I am in Wales!”
Tom composed this new work for band under the working title of ‘Stillness’, which was taken from the quote given by Earhart to the Llanelli Mercury reporter. The piece reflected the ambience of timelessness and balance between confidence and trepidation that must have surrounded the travellers on their journey. Musical reference was made to the hymn, ‘Burry Port’, penned by renowned Welsh hymn composer J.H. Roberts and rediscovered by Burry Port residents Tab and Hillary John in a 19th century copy of the Welsh Methodist Hymnal, found in a local bric-à-brac shop. Interestingly the text of the hymn, written by William Williams, translates as ‘Guidance in the Desert’; its metaphorical reference to travel being particularly appropriate to Earhart’s story.
The project was realised through a collaboration consisting of the University of Saskatchewan Wind Orchestra, University of Kansas Wind Ensemble, the Central Band of the Royal Air Force and Burry Port Town Band. This saw international performances of the work with in Canada, Kansas and in the U.K. by the Central Band Royal Air Force, all of which had direct link to the Earhart story through either their geographical location or the subject of aviation. There was also an international exchange, with Tom visiting each ensemble in Kansas, Saskatoon and London for workshop sessions prior to performances.
These international premiere performances built to a grand climax, a community based project in the town of Burry Port (Wales). Here, as part of a special ‘Youth Band Day’, the project sought to celebrate Earhart’s story in a way which has the most meaningful impact and legacy on amateur music making in the community.
Order Tom Davoren’s Stillness from Ty Cerdd Publishing using the link below.