"Notes of Memory", based on the poem "Searching" by Philip Brady was commissioned by The Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at The University of Limerick. It is a piece of music written in memory of Michael Hughes, a first year student of the Music, Media and Performance Technology Course who died tragically in February 2008.

I worked on this along with Patrick Cross, Maeve Garvan and David Kaneswaran. As well as recording and producing a CD of the track, we performed the track along with Aoife Caulfield at a memorial service for deceased students of the University on Sunday November 9th 2008.

Cover image by James Foley and David Ryan.

The track can be downloaded here

Original Poem:

SEARCHING

I faced the howling winds in anger,
I pleaded with the heaving swell
To take their answers back to harbor
And yield the secrets they could tell.

Then through a clearing in the searching
The wind picked out a passing tune,
The keyboard played its notes of memory
Through the rocks with mystery strewn.

The Music changed the heal the anguish
With organ strains and hymns you’ve known,
You played for hearts and souls that waited
In silent prayer, for you were home.

Philip Brady