DAVID BEDFORD (1937–2011)Come in Here, Child (1968)
Jane Manning · Oxford University Press eBooks · 2020
This chapter considers a highly distinctive and memorable work from David Bedford—Come in Here, Child. Coming from a musical family, Bedford displays an especially refined ear for vocal timbres. His simple and characteristic example of 1960s contemporary music has a natural, unaffected beauty of its own, and can fascinate and delight even the most straight-laced audience. The chapter shows that, while the score may appear dauntingly ‘avant-garde’ at first, it is actually quite straightforward to perform. Lines flow easily and note patterns are constantly repeated, giving ample chance for attaining pitch orientation. Space-time notation, innovative at the time the piece was written, gives flexibility of rhythm and an agreeable sense of freedom to the performer.