Jonathan Priestley: Nothing Changes! for guitar, soprano, & double bass

About the Composition

“Man’s inhumanity to man makes countless thousands mourn!” [Robert Burns]

Nothing Changes! was commissioned by David Heyes for 40@40, a project to commission forty new pieces for double bass to celebrate Recital Music’s 40th birthday in 2026.

The three contrasting movements are colorful and inventive, both musically and technically, with something of interest for each player alongside effective dialogue and partnerships. The addition of soprano in the final movement adds a wonderful luminescence to the ensemble, creating a wealth of new colors and timbres, ending
simply and quietly.

Nothing Changes! is for double bass in orchestral tuning.

From the Composer

“Nothing Changes! was inspired by my concern regarding current wars, for example in Ukraine and in the Middle East, and by my sadness when reflecting on wars in the past. In my view, war brings only sorrow and grief.

The work is set during the Napoleonic Wars and is in three movements. In the first movement a young couple meet at a ball, fall in love and get married. In the second movement the young husband is killed in action when fighting at the Battle of Waterloo. The final movement is a memorial piece for the fallen.

Despite the sadness in this work the composer remains hopeful that humankind may yet learn to be more tolerant and peace loving.

Written for my friends David Heyes, Sarah Poole and James Rippingale." [Jonathan Priestley]

About the Composer

Jonathan Priestley was given his first guitar when he was eight years old and his formal classical guitar lessons started at the age of fourteen with Robin Pearson at the Spanish Guitar Center in Nottingham. He continued his studies with Carlos Bonell in London since the 1980s.

Jonathan started a private teaching practice in 1976, later gained a teaching diploma from the Guildhall School of Music, and worked as a peripatetic classical guitar teacher in Derbyshire schools – a job from which he retired recently.

He has always enjoyed arranging or transcribing music for his students and his collaborations with other musicians, however, it was not until his early 50s, that he acted upon his desire to begin composing. Jonathan is often inspired by the natural environment or his own experiences and finds walking in Derbyshire, where he lives, very helpful for his creative process.

In addition to composing and teaching, Jonathan enjoys performing as a soloist and also with other musicians and, alongside the classical guitar he also plays the renaissance lute and cello.