Iain Matheson

Programme Note

`Always Eat Green Cows Fast..'

Rhymes for the lines and spaces
of the stave are a lifelong liturgy for musicians.

literal lines and spaces of all sorts
run parallel to the metaphorical
ups and downs of music;
melodic lines, silent spaces,
the space between a performer's hands,
the linear strings of cello and piano.

The direction of musical lines
may not match the visual signs -
what goes at the top of the stave,
is found on the right of the piano:
the cello's notes sound ever higher
as the players's hand moves lower,
nearer and nearer the ground.