Eamonn Watt, from the village of Sandwick, recently entered an international songwriting contest with an instrumental composition entitled The Tale of Buckaroo Bill.
Eamonn (24) has been interested in music since he was in primary school, and started playing drums in primary 4. Later, he took up piano and, fascinated by composition, studied in Shetland on the music course offered by Shetland College at Mareel, the islands’ well-equipped arts centre. More recently, he has been undertaking further study with the University of the Highlands and Islands. Since 2012, he’s released four albums and his music has been well-placed in previous competitions.
The old west superbly evoked in The Tale of Buckaroo Bill is musical territory that’s been explored by other composers, especially Aaron Copland in his ballet, Rodeo, and Jerome Moross in the score for The Big Country.
Eamonn’s piece captures the genre extraordinarily well. The melodies transport us instantly to a world of rattling stagecoaches, flashing hooves and ten-gallon hats. It comes as no surprise to learn that writing film scores is one of Eamonn’s specialities.
