Terence Oldfield (born 12 August 1949) is an English composer, and brother … Read Full Bio ↴Terence Oldfield (born 12 August 1949) is an English composer, and brother to music composers and performers Sally and Mike Oldfield.

Born in Palmers Green, North London, Oldfield and his siblings were raised in the Roman Catholic faith of their mother, Maureen. Oldfield spent his childhood partly in Dublin and partly in Reading, Berkshire. He later attended a Benedictine monastery school and also spent a few futile terms at the Oratory School in Woodcote, Oxfordshire. His earliest musical experiences were in the myriad of folk clubs that sprung-up in the UK during the late 1960s and early 1970s, listening to the songs of Leonard Cohen, Bert Jansch, John Renbourn, and Bob Dylan.

Oldfield left school at 16 to travel the world and worked as a roadie for various bands including The Byrds. During an extended stay on the Greek island of Hydra, he took up his first musical instrument, the flute. "I think it was learning to play in this way, with no formal guidance, that allowed me to develop the ability to compose music. I spent many happy days improvising tunes and discovering scales and arpeggios for myself, and soon started to teach myself to write these things down". Terry's only formal music training was in Agra, India where he spent some time learning to play the tabla.

In the early 1970s, Terry and his brother Mike formed a band called 'Barefoot' playing rock and roll at colleges and clubs throughout the UK. Mike later went on to record the highly successful Tubular Bells and later Terry played the flute in the live performance at the Queen Elizabeth Hall, London.

Terry also appears on Mike's albums; Hergest Ridge (woodwind -uncredited), Ommadawn (pan-pipes) and extensively on Incantations (flute).

Terry, his brother Mike and his sister Sally all completed the Exegesis Programme Large Group Awareness Training course. Terry recorded a piece of flute music which was used to accompany the last section of the course.

Oldfield's career began in earnest when he was asked by the BBC to compose music for a series called Great Railway Journeys of the World. Since then Oldfield has composed music for over 50 film and TV productions, receiving two Emmy nominations for Land of the Tiger and Twilight of the Dreamtime and a BAFTA nomination for the BBC series Kingdom of the Ice Bear. He also worked on Meerkats United, which in a National Television Poll was voted 'Best Wildlife Film Ever'.

Oldfield had a relationship with New World Music, one of the world's leading 'World' music labels, for over 10 years and has a back catalog of over 15 recordings. In 2001, Oldfield signed a multi-record contract with New Earth Records in Santa Fe, New Mexico. His work contains a wide range of ideas and influences and has sold over one million units worldwide.

Currently Oldfield has been looking at new directions to take his music. "Recently I have found the advent of Global music very inspiring. Especially the Amnesty International Concerts". In 2001, Oldfield moved to Australia.

De profundis
Terry Oldfield Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

De Profundis clamavi ad te domine
Ad te Domine Domine

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Terry Oldfield's song De Profundis are taken from a Latin phrase "De Profundis Clamavi Ad Te Domine" which translates to "Out of the depths, I cry to you, Lord". The song is a deeply meditative, spiritual piece characterized by a repetitive musical motif that generates a sense of uplifting and introspection. The opening line of the lyrics "De Profundis Clamavi Ad Te Domine" means that the singer is in a state of emotional or spiritual depths, crying out to the Lord to lift them out of their current predicament.

The second line of the chorus "Ad Te Domine Domine" is repeated twice and expresses the singer's affirmation of their trust in God. The song's melody is simple and hypnotic, making it easy for the listener to be drawn into a meditative state. The lyrics of De Profundis are universal in nature as they speak to the human condition of struggling with emotions and looking for spiritual guidance.

Line by Line Meaning

De Profundis clamavi ad te domine
Out of my deep distress, I have cried out to you, O Lord.

Ad te Domine Domine
To you, O Lord, I direct my prayer and call for help.

Writer(s): Terry Oldfield

Contributed by Jackson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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