This is a more or less complete collection of my peal compositions. They were all composed in the 1970s and early 1980s. I have composed nothing else since my eldest daughter was born in 1984.
Most of the compositions were created for a special purpose at the time and to be within the capabilities of the conductor and the band, for example the six spliced Surprise Major was a for a band attempting to go beyond Davies' four spliced, who were relatively inexperienced in Surprise Major. Some were compositions for methods which I had created, such as Chertsey, Dunstable, Rochdale and Wrotham.
The London series is an exception to utilitarian approach. Here I was attempting, progressively, to extend the boundaries of peals with all the 56 and 65 roll ups with the maximum number of combinations as well. As far as I know, not all of these have been rung or published before.
These peals of London, the new methods and the Belfast were composed when I was ringing in Hertfordshire, where we had bands and conductors that could easily do justice to them. When I moved to Cumbria in 1979 I found a very different standard of ringing, where I had to do most of the conducting. So the compositions of the simpler standard eight methods, the Grandsire and Stedman Caters were created to be within my ability to conduct, rather than on musical merit.
Finally, to the now legendary 23 spliced Surprise Major. This is actually one of my earliest compositions, which I started work on in 1972/3. Having already rung Norman Smith's 23 atw and Chris Forster's 54 with Roger Baldwin, I was seeking a new challenge. So I selected the most difficult and unfamiliar methods that also had interesting and appealing names (to me, anyway). I published an article in the Ringing World in 2004, giving more detail, to mark the 30th anniversary of the first peal of this composition.
Most of the compositions were created for a special purpose at the time and to be within the capabilities of the conductor and the band, for example the six spliced Surprise Major was a for a band attempting to go beyond Davies' four spliced, who were relatively inexperienced in Surprise Major. Some were compositions for methods which I had created, such as Chertsey, Dunstable, Rochdale and Wrotham.
The London series is an exception to utilitarian approach. Here I was attempting, progressively, to extend the boundaries of peals with all the 56 and 65 roll ups with the maximum number of combinations as well. As far as I know, not all of these have been rung or published before.
These peals of London, the new methods and the Belfast were composed when I was ringing in Hertfordshire, where we had bands and conductors that could easily do justice to them. When I moved to Cumbria in 1979 I found a very different standard of ringing, where I had to do most of the conducting. So the compositions of the simpler standard eight methods, the Grandsire and Stedman Caters were created to be within my ability to conduct, rather than on musical merit.
Finally, to the now legendary 23 spliced Surprise Major. This is actually one of my earliest compositions, which I started work on in 1972/3. Having already rung Norman Smith's 23 atw and Chris Forster's 54 with Roger Baldwin, I was seeking a new challenge. So I selected the most difficult and unfamiliar methods that also had interesting and appealing names (to me, anyway). I published an article in the Ringing World in 2004, giving more detail, to mark the 30th anniversary of the first peal of this composition.