Judith Bailey: The Towers of San Gimignano Op.51

This work was composed following a visit to Tuscany in 1993.

There are three sections:

1. The Towers of San Gimignano

There are fourteen of them, built in rivalry by warlike nobles in Mediæval times. As one approaches the hill-top city of San Gimignano the towers stand majestically silhouetted against the skyline.

2. Frescoes

Delicate lines and rich colours traced upon an old stone wall in an unexpected corner.

3. Piazza

A sunny square thronging with people. A man is singing - it echoes through the arches and towers beyond. The free three-notes repeated motif was made by bells heard on Easter Sunday morning. Bells are never far away in Italy.