The Pond

Scoring: Piano solo

Date: 2023

A three-minute piano solo inspired by the classic Japanese haiku by Matsuo Basho (1644-1694):

Furu ike ya

kawasu tobikomu

mizu no oto

("Old pond;

frog jumps in;

sound of water.")

The world is here experienced through the senses of the frog! In the extended initial section of the piece the ancient pond's ripples and shimmering reflections in the water are heard, creating an atmosphere of deep calm and quiet meditation. After a while the frog begins its preparation for jumping: barely detectable vibrations become more and more apparent within the pond's ongoing ripples. Suddenly the frog tenses its muscles and leaps into the air. After a moment of expectant silence the frog hits the water with an enormous splash. The displaced water then also rises up and crashes down in a cascade of colour and noise. It takes some time for the sound of the upheaval to dissipate, but eventually the familiar ripples become apparent once again and the pond returns to its original serenity and timelessness.

This composition is intended to be relatively easy to perform. It was written in response to a challenge set by Haruko Seki at Morley College, London, to write a piece based on a haiku for her piano students in Japan. My thanks go to her for suggesting it!

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

N.B. This computer-generated video and the mp3 sound file are only approximate!

Praise the Lord from the heavens

Scoring: SAB choir and piano

Date: 2023

A joyful, upbeat setting of Psalm 148 to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. Although the time signatures may at first seem daunting, this is quite simple to perform and the piano part is deliberately supportive. I hope singers will find it fun to sing and perhaps a church congregation might be encouraged to join in with the refrains!

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words (from Ps 148):

Refrain:

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

Praise the Lord from the heights!

Praise him all his angels;

Praise him all his host!

Verses:

Praise him, praise him, sun and moon,

praise him all you shining stars,

praise him highest heavens,

praise the name of the Lord.

Great sea monsters, ocean deeps,

fire and hail at his command,

snow and frost and stormy wind,

praise the name of the Lord.

Praise him, hills and mountains,

cattle and wild animals,

creeping things and flying birds,

praise the name of the Lord.

He commanded, they were made,

fixed their bounds as he decreed,

founded them for ever.

Praise the name of the Lord.

Kings of the earth and princes,

rulers of every nation,

women and men together

praise the name of the Lord.

Cradle Song

Scoring: Unison voices (with occasional divisi) and piano

Date: 2022

A new Christmas carol, setting the words of William Blake's poem "A Cradle Song" from his collection entitled "Songs of Innocence".

The very title of Blake's poem calls out for it to be set to music. Indeed the poem is a straightforward lullaby for the first few stanzas, sung softly by a mother over her sleeping baby, as she marvels at the wonder of this beautiful infant and expresses her love for the child. Her own anxieties and weeping for the child remind her of the Christ-child who also wept as a vulnerable baby. But as God incarnate he "wept for me, for thee, for all", and brought peace to heaven and earth. (Blake perhaps uses the word" beguile" to indicate the paradoxical nature of a weeping God bringing redemption to a suffering world by becoming a vulnerable human baby himself.)

The composition aims to avoid unnecessary complexity in the vocal parts, so that it can be sung easily particularly by a parish choir. However, it also attempts to capture some of the beauty, drama and mystery of the scene expressed by Blake. The piece begins and ends in stillness, and there are gentle climaxes here and there, reflecting some of the rise and fall of the poem's lyrics.

It could be sung by a mixed or single-voice choir, but note should always be taken of the predominantly quiet dynamics of the piece, especially in the first half.

Files: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

A Cradle Song
from Songs of Innocence
by William Blake (1757-1827)

Sweet dreams, form a shade
O'er my lovely infant's head!
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams
By happy, silent, moony beams!

Sweet Sleep, with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown!
Sweet Sleep, angel mild,
Hover o'er my happy child!

Sweet smiles, in the night
Hover over my delight!
Sweet smiles, mother's smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.

Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes!
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.

Sleep, sleep, happy child!
All creation slept and smiled.
Sleep, sleep, happy sleep,
While o'er thee thy mother weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face
Holy image I can trace;
Sweet babe, once like thee
Thy Maker lay, and wept for me:

Wept for me, for thee, for all,
When He was an infant small.
Thou His image ever see,
Heavenly face that smiles on thee!

Smiles on thee, on me, on all,
Who became an infant small;
Infant smiles are His own smiles;
Heaven and earth to peace beguiles.

Brother James' Air

Scoring: SABar choir and organ

Date: 2022, revised 2024

An arrangement of a popular and simple melody by James Leith Macbeth Bain (1860-1925) - Brother James - with the words of Psalm 23 ("The Lord's my shepherd") for 3-part choir and piano. There are many existing arrangements, but most tend to be rather sophisticated (e.g. by Gordon Jacob and Alan Bullard), requiring four competent parts, or else it is simply sung as a congregation hymn. Here it is set for SABar choir so that it becomes more accessible to small parish choirs, who may lack tenors and basses. It has five verses, the second and fourth providing an opportunity either for a cappella or for accompanied part singing. The other verses are varied particularly by the piano, although the ending is also in parts.

Files: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Quiet Peace

Scoring: Choir (3 versions: SSABar, SATB, SSA) and piano

Date of composition: 2016 (latest update: 2022)

An original setting of a poem by Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), in the form of a prayer.

The piano here provides a constantly flowing ritornello throughout the verses, while the voices weave around it in a gentle wave of prayerful reflection. The poet feels an interior "quiet peace" while all around her there are storms and disquiet, because she knows that her Lord hears her voice. The setting is deliberately simple and undemanding, and it should be sung quietly, meditatively and without rushing.

My wife, Rev Canon Anne Le Bas, speaks about the poet in the following way, helping to put the words of the poem in perspective: "Amy Carmichael worked as a Christian missionary in India in the early twentieth century, among the poorest of the poor. She often felt despair, just as we may do when we see the devastation of war, still, again, tearing lives apart in our world. She wrote of her despair, but also of her trust that God heard her. That was what gave her the peace she needed, that gave her strength to go on."

SSABar version: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

SATB version: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

SSA version: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

O Lord my heart is all a prayer,
But it is silent unto thee;
I am too tired to look for words,
I rest upon thy sympathy
To understand when I am dumb;
And well I know thou hearest me.

I know thou hearest me because
A quiet peace comes down to me,
And fills the places where before
Weak thoughts were wandering wearily;
And deep within me it is calm,
Though waves are tossing outwardly.

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Ecce quam bonum

 Scoring: SABar choir and piano

Date: 2021

A new composition setting the words of Psalm 133 for three-part (SABar) choir and piano. This cheerful, perhaps even rather idealistic psalm expressing the joy of "kindred dwelling in unity" has long been used to give voice to a human longing for acceptance by others, whether in a family or a community. Its verses compare this familial unity to the tradition of pouring expensive ointment over the head of visitors. Far from our modern use of oil for lubrication, this is an ancient middle-eastern oil of welcome and washing and feeling part of a community. Dwelling in unity is also compared to cloudy mist which regularly descends on the heights of Mount Hermon in Zion, providing moisture to an otherwise arid land and enabling life across the whole country. This setting is unashamedly playful, popular and romantic, with verses adding a more mysterious, metaphorical quality to the piece, and bringing to expression the deep joy of living in harmony with others..., even if finding this is not always easy. The composition is ideal for use by a parish choir, employing relatively easy part singing with a supportive piano part.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

Psalm 133: Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum, habitare fratres in unum. Behold, how good it is, how pleasant, for kindred to dwell in unity. It is like precious ointment upon the beard, running down upon the beard of Aaron; like the dew of Hermon, which falls upon the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing: life for evermore.

Fairest Lord Jesus

Scoring: SABar choir and piano

Date: 2021

The melody for “Fairest Lord Jesus” comes from Schlesische Volkslieder, published in 1842, with lyrics taken from Muenster Gesangbuch of 1677. In this setting the hymn is arranged  for three-part choir (soprano/alto/baritone) and piano, providing a straightforward but colourful version of this lovely, popular hymn, particularly for use in a parish setting.

 The first verse is presented simply by a solo voice or small vocal group accompanied by the piano. The same gently flowing style continues in the second verse with the three choral parts joining gradually a cappella. Cued notes in the piano part can be used to support note-learning or less confident singing. In the third verse there is an increase in richness and intensity and an upward shift in key to express the beauty of sunlight, moonlight and starlight. The words of the final verse then express praise of the Saviour as both Son of God and Son of man, and the music becomes even more joyful and exuberant. However, the piece ends quietly and peacefully as its praise stretches to eternity.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

1. Fairest Lord Jesus, ruler of nature,

O thou of God and man the Son,

thee will I cherish, thee will I honour,

my soul's true glory, joy and crown.

2. Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,

robed in the blooming garb of Spring:

Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,

who makes the saddest heart to sing.

3. Fair is the sunshine, fairer still the moon light,

and all the twinkling, starry host:

Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer,

than all the angels heaven can boast.

4. Beautiful Saviour! Lord of the nations!

Son of God and Son of man!

Glory and honour, praise, adoration,

through all eternity be thine!

YouTube video scores:

Full - https://youtu.be/1FGYIRn9Hs8 Soprano - https://youtu.be/6ggsH07lkWA Alto - https://youtu.be/kin7pgppXg4 Baritone - https://youtu.be/aXkcY4-aQYQ

I lift up my eyes to the mountains

Scoring: SABar choir and piano

Date: February 2021

A short, attractive setting of Psalm 121 for three-part (SABar) choir and piano. It is written with parish choirs in mind (with their abundance of soprano and alto voices, but relative lack of male voices!), and consists of three sections. The first part presents the richly harmonised piano accompaniment in the form of a ritornello and the principal, rising melody from the choir, looking "to the mountains" for an answer to life's challenges and asking "from where shall come my help?" The second section presents short, pithy phrases sung by each voice separately expressing different ways in which God comes to their aid. The initial melody and accompaniment, repeating the first lines of the psalm, finally return in an altered form (both harmonically and melodically), and the setting ends with a celebration of confidence in the Lord "who made heaven and earth."

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

The Shepherds' Cradle Song

Scoring: SABar unaccompanied choir

Date: January 2021

A popular version of this carol by Karl Leuner (originally called "Wiegenlied", written in 1813) and arranged by Charles Macpherson (1870-1927) is published in Carols for Choirs 1 for SATB choir. However, with the lack of tenors and basses in many parish churches, the carol can often lie beyond the ability of many. Hence this arrangement for three-part choir: the range of the baritone part is from low A to high E flat, which should be achievable by most men (or women singing lower parts) in amateur choirs. Being such a beautiful, gentle and touching carol, this arrangement retains its original, simple a cappella nature, although a piano reduction is provided for practice purposes.

Choir version:

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Practice version with piano:

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Deep River (piano solo)

Scoring: piano solo

Date: 2020

"Deep river, my home is over Jordan. I want to cross over into camp ground.

Oh, don't you want to go to that gospel feast, that promised land where all is peace?

Deep river, my home is over Jordan. I want to cross over into camp ground."

The River Jordan is not in fact very deep, nor is it very wide. However, the longing to cross over it into "campground" in the "promised land" is very deep indeed! Based on the biblical story of Moses and the tribes of Israel wandering in the desert for forty years, this song is about exile and yearning for somewhere to belong. It applies to everyone, not just to the African-Americans who first sang this song, with their own history of heartache over so many centuries. Anyone who feels alienated by life and who is searching for inner peace is invited to respond to its soulfulness. Surprisingly - says the song - there are those who don't want to go "to that gospel feast". But the song just continues its own search for the promised peace, convinced that the answer lies deep within us, perhaps across our own, personal "deep river". The old African-American Spiritual "Deep River" is here set for piano solo in a relatively straightforward arrangement, based on the arranger's own barbershop quartet setting of the same song. It is to be played soulfully!

In the mp3 file here, and the video score below, the piano is played by me (as computers don't do soulful!)

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

O Waly, Waly

Two short settings:

"A miniature waltz"

Scoring: Piano solo

Date: May 2020

A short slow waltz based on the old English folksong "O Waly, Waly", set as a challenge by the Morley College composition class, to be part of a multi-composer collection of settings of the song in the Summer term 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Links:  pdf (score)  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

"In adversity"

Scoring: Piano solo

Date: May 2020

A polyharmonicsetting of the old English folksong "O Waly, Waly", set as a challenge by the Morley College composition class, to be part of a multi-composer collection of settings of the song in the Summer term 2020 during the Covid-19 lockdown.

Links:  pdf (score)  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Out of the Depths

A psalm for difficult times

Scoring: SATB choir and piano

Words: Psalm 130

Date: 2020
This setting of Psalm 130 ("Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord") was written as a response to the Covid-19 lockdown crisis. It is a prayer for help in the midst of difficulty, waiting for God with hope in his compassion and forgiveness. Its marking of "soulful, but rhythmic" indicates the weary, bluesey theme in B flat minor and its falling chromatic accompaniment. However, there are signs of hope throughout and the last verse mixes the main key of G major with the original rise and fall of the minor third interval (G to B flat). Hope is, after all, "sure and certain", yet it is trust in a God who is ultimately unseen and unknowable.

Links:  pdf (score)  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:  

Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice O let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If you, O Lord, should mark our iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, I wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in his word I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love and great power to redeem. The Lord will redeem you, O Israel, from all your iniquities.

(Psalm 130)

A Sad Song? (Happy Birthday)

(2 versions:)

Scoring: Wind sextet (flute, oboe, clarinet in B flat, bass clarinet in B flat, horn in F, bassoon)
Date: 2020
Basically a short, tongue-in-cheek introduction to "Happy Birthday" for wind sextet! 

Links:  pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Scoring: Piano
Date: 2020
A piano reduction of the accompaniment to the song

Links:  pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Oshidori (2 versions)

Version 1
Scoring: Piano 4-hands duet (with spoken voice)
Date: 2020

"Oshidori" is a well-known Japanese ghost story recorded by Lafcadio Hearn (Koizumi Yakumo) in 1904 as part of his book “Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things”, a collection that has been highly influential in expressing popular Japanese culture over the past century. The composition presented here forms part of a short melodrama, retelling the story with the help of incidental music for 4-hands piano duet (or for piano solo - see below.)

It resulted from a challenge to composition students at Morley College in 2019, and I have interpreted the brief as an opportunity to express not only the principal events of the story, but also to give a sense of the thoughts and feelings of the characters involved (a hunter called Sonjo and two mandarin ducks!)  See below for the full text in English.

Links:  pdf (score) - pdf (double page) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Live performance in Sapporo, Japan, August 2020

Version 2
Scoring: Piano solo (with spoken voice)
Date: 2020

Links:  pdf (score) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

The 7 sections (and synopsis text)
1. The hunter (00:00) {There was a falconer and hunter, named Sonjo, who lived in the district of Tamura-no-Go, of the province of Mutsu. One day he went out hunting...} 2. The oshidori pair (00:39) {All that day Sonjo hunted, but he found nothing at all to catch. Dispirited and hungry, he set off home. But on the way back, at a place called Akanuma (a name which means "the time of our inseparable union"), he spied a pair of mandarin ducks, known as "oshidori", swimming together in a broad river that he was about to cross...} 3. The catch (01:40) {Now, to kill oshidori is not good, because from ancient times they were considered symbols of conjugal affection. But Sonjo was so hungry that he straight away crept into a good shooting position, took aim, and fired his arrow towards them. It struck the male and killed it instantly, while the female escaped into the rushes of the far shore and disappeared from sight.} 4. The dream (02:22) {Sonjo was very pleased with his catch. He took the dead duck home and cooked it to make a delicious evening meal for himself. However, that night he had an unsettling dream... } 5. The weeping woman (03:18) {In his dream Sonjo saw a beautiful woman come into his room, stand by his pillow and weep bitterly. "Why, oh why did you kill him?", she said. "At Akanuma we were so happy together. What harm did he do you? Do you even know what a wicked thing you have done? Me too you have killed, for I will not live without my husband. And she sobbed the words of this lament: "At the coming of twilight, I invited him to return with me. Now to sleep alone, in the shadow of the rushes of Akanuma. Ah, what misery unspeakable!"} 6. Return to Akanuma (04:55) {As the woman in Sonjo's dream departed, she said to him in a fierce whisper: "You cannot know what you have done. But tomorrow, when you go to Akanuma, you will see..." In the morning Sonjo was still troubled by the dream, so he set off at once to go back to the river, to learn if this was anything more than a dream. When he arrived at the river bank, he spotted the female oshidori swimming alone. The duck also perceived Sonjo and started swimming towards him, looking at him strangely all the while...} 7. The oshidori's despair (5:40) {When the duck reached the point where Sonjo was standing, she stopped moving for a moment. Then using her beak she suddenly tore open her own body and died before his very eyes. Sonjo was appalled... Never again would he go hunting. He shaved his head later that day and became a priest for the rest of his life.} Original text: see http://www.ibiblio.org/eldritch/lh/oshi.html

The Seasons (Tchaikovsky)

Scoring: Oboe, bassoon and piano
Composer: Pyotr Tchaikovsky
Date: 2019
An arrangement, for different combinations of oboe, bassoon and piano, of six of Tchaikovsky's twelve piano pieces for piano entitled "The Seasons". 

Links:  pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Video score: see https://youtu.be/dEWh02E1-ZA

1. Song of the Reaper (oboe, bassoon and piano)

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

2. Song of the Skylark (oboe and piano)

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

3. Snowdrops (oboe, bassoon and piano)

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

4. Barcarolle (bassoon and piano)

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

5. Autumn Song (oboe, bassoon and piano)

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

6. The Hunt (oboe, bassoon and piano)

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

The Seven Joys of Mary (2 versions)

Version 1
Scoring: SABar choir and piano (+ optional flute, clarinet, horn and bassoon)

Date: 2019
A new setting of the ancient carol "The Seven Joys of Mary" (or "Joys Seven", or a variety of other possible titles.)
Since medieval times the number of "Joys of Mary" has varied between five, seven, ten and twelve, but the the current number of seven has become popular, especially since the basic harmonization of R.R. Terry published in 1833 and the contemporary version for 8-part choir by Stephen Cleobury in the OUP's "Carols for Choirs" series. (A history of the carol can be found in the New Oxford Book of Carols, edited by H Keyte and A Parrott, p.462f.)
The versions presented here are kept relatively simple to perform, being scored only for three-part choir (SABar - soprano, alto, baritone) and piano, but with plenty of interest including changes in voicing, changes of rhythm (especially verse 6) and two key changes. The optional instruments provide extra variety and colour. The arranger hopes performers and listeners will find the carol energetic and fun! It should certainly be sung in that spirit!
Although often associated with Christmas, it could in fact be performed in any season, including Easter, referring as it does to the whole life, death and resurrection of Christ.

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (parts) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Video Score:

Version 2
Scoring: SABar choir and piano (+ optional flute and clarinet)

Date: 2019 (updated 2023)
(See below for an Easter Sunday live recording )

Links: pdf (full score) - pdf (parts) - pdf (vocal score) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6
Video Score:

YouTube Practice Video Scores:
Full version
Sopranos
Altos
Baritones

Live performance at Seal Church, Easter Sunday 2019: mp3

Words:

1  The first good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of one; To see the blessed Jesus Christ, When He was first her son. When he was first her son, good man; R:  And blessed may he be; Both Father, Son and Holy Ghost To all eternity. 2  The next good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of two; To see her own Son Jesus Christ, To make the lame to go. To make the lame to go, Good man; R:  3  The next good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of three; To see her own Son Jesus Christ, To make the blind to see. To make the blind to see, Good man; R:   4  The next good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of four; To see her own Son Jesus Christ To read the Bible o'er. To read the Bible o'er, Good man; R:  5  The next good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of five; To see her own Son Jesus Christ, To raise the dead to life. To raise the dead to life, Good man; R:   6  The next good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of six; To see the blessed Jesus Christ Upon the Crucifix. Upon the Crucifix, Good man; R:   7  The next good joy that Mary had, It was the joy of seven; To see her own Son Jesus Christ To wear the crown of Heav’n. To wear the crown of Heav’n, good man; R:

Yuki-Onna, a melodrama for piano (2 versions)

Version 1 scoring: piano solo (incidental music to a melodrama)
Date: 2019
Incidental music scored for solo piano or piano duet to accompany the Japanese folk tale (ghost story) Yuki-Onna ("Snow Woman"). Part of a melodrama project initiated at Morley College, London, 2019.
Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib

Version 2 scoring: piano duet (4-hands)

Date: 2019

Links: pdf (score) - pdf (duet layout) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib (score) - sib (duet) - sib 6 (score)

For the orchestral version see 

https://plbmusic.blogspot.com/2019/04/yuki-onna-symphonic-tale-for-orchestra.html

Synopsis:

Two wood-cutters, Mosaku and his apprentice Minokichi, encounter a terrible snowstorm and take shelter in an empty hut by a river. The storm gets worse and worse, but they both finally fall asleep. When Minokichi wakes, he sees a woman in white bending over Mosaku breathing bright white mist onto his face. She then approaches Minokichi. She is very beautiful, but her eyes make him afraid. Eventually she says, “I intended to do the same to you as I did to the old man, but I feel pity for you because you are a handsome young man. If you ever tell anybody what you have seen, however, I will kill you too.” And she vanishes into the snowstorm. It is then that Minokichi discovers his master dead on the floor of the hut. 

Years later Minokichi meets a beautiful girl, who calls herself O-Yuki. He falls in love with her and they live together in his house along with his mother, who fortunately takes a liking to her new “honourable daughter-in-law.” Over the years O-Yuki gives birth to ten children and the villagers all agree that she is a wonderful person. But she is somehow different from them, as she continues to look young and fresh, despite the passing years. Minokichi often thinks of telling O-Yuki about the events of years ago, and eventually, as he is gazing at her beauty one night, he can resist it no more. He begins to tell her about the snowstorm and the terrifying snow-woman. To his horror O-Yuki becomes more and more angry, and she finally screams: “It was me, it was me… and I said I would kill you if you ever told anyone! But for these children asleep here, I would do so this very moment! You had better take very good care of them; if ever they have reason to complain of you, I will treat you as you deserve!” While she screams at him her voice becomes thin, like the crying of the wind, and she melts into a bright white mist spiralling into the roof-beams. At that moment it starts to snow, but O-Yuki is never seen again.