A new song about the history of HMS Unicorn is to be commissioned and played on brass instruments used by the original crew.
And pupils from some Dundee schools will have the opportunity to work with the composer and put their stamp on the piece of music.
Bosses at the wartime ship – which is now a museum and docked in Dundee – have been awarded £20,000 to commission the song.
The funding is from Imperial War Museums and part of a UK-wide £2.5m art commissioning programme, inspired by the heritage of conflict.
Unicorn Preservation Society is the only Scottish site to have secured the funding through the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund.
The society has selected Manchester based composer Michael Betteridge, who also runs music workshops in schools, to write and perform the piece onboard the former Royal Navy Reserve ship.
Plans are that Michael will engage with some schools in Dundee to help him create the song, although schools are yet to be selected.
The performance will include historic brass instruments which belonged to the ship’s band and were used by seamen onboard, including during the First World War.
Matthew Moran, Museum Director at HMS Unicorn, said: “We wanted to do a piece of music, rather than a work of art or a painting, because music is more accessible.
“It can tell a story and can continue to be replicated and performed all over the world, which is what we are hoping will happen, spreading our story.”
Song will share ship’s historical significance
The song will be about the Royal Naval Reserves who trained and served onboard and some who were killed in the First World War.
It is due to be completed next year, in time for the ship to mark its 200th year anniversary since launch, and will feature in celebrations to mark the occasion.
Matthew added: “I was very pleased to get the funding, but I wasn’t surprised, the Unicorn is so much more important than people recognise.
“When you sit down and right about why it’s historically significant, you can keep writing and writing because there is so much to say about it.”
HMS Unicorn is the third oldest ship afloat in the world, the oldest ship afloat in Scotland and our country’s only preserved warship.
It was used as a Royal Naval Reserve training ship for 100 years and is the most complete original ship to have survived from the golden age of sail.
Composer Michael said: “To create a new piece of music inspired by such an important and fascinating ship is a wonderful thing, but to incorporate historical instruments with their own story is a privilege.”
Funds spread across UK
Eight other sites each received £20,000 to commission art under the IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy Fund, all of which will go on public display between 2023 and 2025.
They are: Bentley Priory Museum in Stanmore, The Box in Plymouth, Brickworks Museum in Burlesdon, Ffotogallery in Cardiff, Freedom Festival Arts Trust in Hull, The Harris Museum in Preston, Nerve Centre in Derry-Londonderry, Sweet Patootee Arts based in London.
Rebecca Newell, head of art for Imperial War Museums, said: “The IWM 14-18 NOW Legacy fund builds on Imperial War Museums’ rich and longstanding history of commissioning art.
“One year into this programme, we are delighted by the diversity of exceptional arts experiences that have been created and shared with audiences.
“We look forward to expanding this work with artists, organisations and communities across the UK, continuing to highlight stories of conflict in engaging and creative ways.”
