Autorentext
Born in Chester in 1947, Howard Skempton has worked as a composer, accordionist, and music publisher. Renowned for the distinctive clarity of his musical language, he has composed over 300 pieces, many of which are miniatures for solo piano or accordion. His orchestral and instrumental works have been recorded by, among others, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Ensemble Bash. In recent years, Skempton has concentrated increasingly on writing vocal and choral music; his choral commissions include works for the BBC Singers and the Belfast Philharmonic Society. He is currently an Honorary Professor of Music at De Montfort University.

Zusammenfassung
Four New Poems was completed in April 2004. It was composed for the spnm 'Composing for Kids' initiative with funds from the John Lyon's Charity and the Musicians Benevolent Fund. The work is seven to eight minutes long and consists of settings of poems by pupils from two of the participating schools: Miu Stead and Paulina Nowosiad from Lady Margaret School, and Luan Wills and Lorenzo Strappelli from The London Oratory School. The order of poems is as follows: 1. The Sea (Miu Stead) 2. People hurry past me (Paulina Nowosiad) 3. They've all disappeared (Luan Wills) 4. Taurus (Lorenzo Strappelli)