David Humpage     ----    music invented, art done

I’m a composer, also a performer. I’ve performed in some quite strange places. I sail small boats a lot.

The chap on the dolphin is Arion. On passage, the sailors didn’t like his music and threw him overboard. Assorted fishes and cetacea did however like his music and brought him safe to shore again. Always know your audience.

Life often feels like trying to play the fiddle whilst balancing on one leg on a moving dolphin; and anyway, this fellow looks a bit like me. So I stole him as my emblem. This particular version was a 15th century printer’s mark. I don't suppose the printer will be too worried.

Without ever intending (or wanting) to, I’ve done a great deal of image-based music (theatre, film, installations etc). I’m now using the rest of my life in writing all the (non-image) stuff I was thinking out during all those years of interminable motorway driving (no, children, touring isn’t glamorous). At the moment I’m far too interested simply in writing to bother making much of it public, though this may change later. I’ve always been completely uninterested in the hoops you need to jump through to have a “career” as a composer, indeed several of my friends have accused me of going to considerable trouble not to have one. Is that salesman caper what we all joined for? What did we hope music would bring us? Riches, power? [Sound of sirens and running feet in corridors:-   Danger! Danger! Alert!  Job Malfunction! ]

Part of that image-based work (a very large part) was with IOU Theatre, the visual/musical theatre group that had a respectable following from the 70's to the 90's. There may be some bits and pieces here which old fans of the group will find interesting. Otherwise, I’m just some bloke making music and using this space to splurge a little. See if there's anything that interests you.

There are some brief biographical notes under Life, for people who like that kind of thing. Some musings on art, along with non-musical stuff I do, will be found under Artments. Musical matters are under (yes!) Musick, and topical teeth-gnashing is under Choler. You’ll find Boats (and anything else that doesn't fit elsewhere) under Sondry Matteres.

The glossary in my copy of Malory gives “swarffe” as: “surface (of the ground)”, or “sward” [as in greensward]. “Webbe”, however, apparently means “sheet”. I like words. Enjoy.

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