What Happens When You Mix Classical Music with the Cornish Language?

Published On: 19 May 2025Last Updated: 19 May 2025By CornishStuff

A powerful new classical music performance in the Cornish language is set to tour venues around Cornwall in June and July, reimagining a famous Arthurian legend through song.

The Lady of Shalott, in Cornish

Arlodhes a Shalott is a new song cycle created by Falmouth-based composer Matthew Thomason, inspired by Alfred, Lord Tennyson’s The Lady of Shalott. The lyrics have been translated into Cornish by Elizabeth Ellis, and the suite will be performed by soprano Elizabeth Freeborn, accompanied by Kath Buckler on cello and Matthew himself on piano.

The work consists of eight Romantic-era classical songs sung entirely in Cornish. The style draws from the tradition of German lieder, but with a distinctly Cornish twist.

“I am a big admirer of the Romantic composers such as Schubert, Schumann, Liszt and Mahler,” said Matthew. “And the song cycle is such a succinct and accessible way to tell a story.”

A Language Meant to Be Felt

The decision to use Cornish was rooted in more than just geography. “Arthurian legends are rooted in Cornwall and Cornish carries an otherworldliness which supports the tone and the themes of the poem,” explained Matthew. “But I don’t feel that is enough of a justification. Cultural assets and reference points are essential for Kernewek to be consumed, heard, and most importantly felt by people.”

“With Arlodhes a Shalott I wanted to create a living, breathing and deeply emotional cultural artefact that allows the language to be ‘experienced’ in a way that only music can conjure.”

Inspired by Art, Brought to Life with Music

The idea for the work began after Matthew visited an exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite art at Falmouth Art Gallery, where he saw three paintings depicting the Lady of Shalott. Moved by the imagery and its emotional weight, he felt compelled to write music about her story.

“The themes of isolation, personal freedom, self-expression, gender roles, love, and ultimately, death, are so viscerally relevant today that the poem transcends the near 200 years since it was written,” he said.

A Year in the Making

Matthew began working on Arlodhes a Shalott at the Endelienta Arts Cornish Language Residency in July last year. During that week in St Endellion, he began learning Cornish and collaborated with Elizabeth to produce the first four verses. These were performed to an audience at St Endellion Church at the end of the residency.

Over the following ten months, the duo completed the cycle with support from Hall for Cornwall. The finished work takes audiences on an emotional journey from the Lady of Shalott’s isolation and yearning, through love, to the story’s tragic end.

Where to See It

Arlodhes a Shalott will be performed at six venues across Cornwall as part of the Carn to Cove rural touring scheme. The tour concludes with a return to St Endellion Church on 19th July, marking exactly one year since the first preview.