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Some time ago, when I was teaching in higher education, one of my students from Cyprus gave me a book of traditional songs and dances from her country. It was a lovely book, with Greek text, photographs of performers and dancers, and many musical examples. Some time later I had the opportunity to write a set of piano duets and this book provided me with the melodic material – but unfortunately the student had returned home and I wasn’t able to find out what the titles or character of the tunes were, and so I simply used the tunes that I liked, thinking of it as a tribute to a beautiful country rather than a strict presentation of these characterful melodies.

The result was Cyprus Dances (it was originally called ‘Cyprian Dances’ but that can actually be misinterpreted) – four movements for one piano, four hands. The first performance was given in London by Derek Foster and Anthony Green, thirty years ago this year, and since then it has been performed by quite a number of piano duos, and also in the arrangement for string orchestra that I made later.  It was a fascinating task to explore these melodies, which seemed to portray so many different moods, sometimes with some very complex rhythms, and using different modes and scales which created an exciting harmonic flavour.

The first movement, which I called ‘Round Dance’ is based on several melodic fragments, in a regular 2/4 time, and often using the characteristic scale with a sharpened fourth and a flattened seventh. The main idea is presented quietly and unaccompanied to begin with, and gradually other ideas are combined with it, slowly building up to a loud and busy texture and then ending more or less as it begun, but with an unexpected fragmentary afterthought.

The second movement I called ‘Lament’ and it features a highly expressive, yearning melody with an irregular metre. The unusual nature of its scale gives rise to some rich chromatic harmony as the piece develops, though there are moments of lighter texture too, where the melody, in the lower part, is simply punctuated by swirling five-note figures above.

Back to a regular rhythm and pulse again with the third movement, which I called ‘Lullaby’ and which features a simple flowing melody and a gently rocking accompaniment. Often the melody is in the middle of the texture, and accompanied by what might be bird-calls and insect noises at the top of the compass, and also sometimes presented in canon as well.

Then the last movement, which is certainly the trickiest to bring off, though I can assure you it is possible!  It’s a kind of mashup of several tunes, all of which are characterised by unusual metres such as 3+2+2 or 2+3+4. Called ‘Rondo’ it is very lively and the main theme, mostly in semiquavers, returns several times flanking interludes of different kinds, but never letting the pace drop. As the piece gradually builds to a fortissimo climax the melody is ‘coloured’ by being doubled at the fifth or twelfth above which gives an extra layer of harmonic richness. I really enjoyed writing that bit – rather like a piano with a ‘mixture’ stop as on the church organ.

A few years after I wrote the piano duet version, I did an arrangement for string orchestra, which was a great opportunity to enrich the textures even more, and this arrangement has been played by several string groups.

You can find a scrolling score of the piano duet version here (a live performance by Ian Ray and myself)

There’s a digitally made scrolling score of the string version here

And more details of how to obtain the music here.

For many readers, this week marks the ‘beginning of term’ for choir or school, and possibly the planning of repertoire for the coming year. I recently focussed on listing a selection of upper voice music, and of unaccompanied mixed choir music, categorised by subject matter to help with concert planning. I will soon do the same for accompanied mixed choir music, but I thought that this time I would focus on Christmas! Then at the end of the post there are details of a few new publications as well.

Now, there’s never a good time to tell people about Christmas music. Some conductors will have planned their Christmas music many months ago – and others are putting it off for as long as possible. So if these suggestions feel mistimed, my apologies!

I have written, at the last count, at least 80 Christmas carols. That is far too many, so I’m just going to list and describe about a third of them, loosely put into two groups according to character.

Additionally:
a) Unaccompanied carols are marked *.
b) if you are looking for ‘quick and easy to learn’ pieces for smaller choirs, some with flexible scoring, it might be worth looking at these ones: All in Tune, Patapan, Candle Carol, Infant Holy, O Little One Sweet (all in the lists below). These are all pieces that I wrote/arranged for a small village choir that only meets once a year!

For each, the link will take you to a page with details of recording or scrolling score, and purchase details. Please note that the OUP carols that are listed as ‘out of stock’ on the OUP website are generally available as digital downloads from www.sheetmusicplus.com (as are the Colne Edition and Novello ones). The prices are in dollars, but turn into pounds at checkout if you are in the UK.

I hope this list will help you to decide what would be suitable for your concert or service, but please contact me for any advice you may need.

Mainly lively and rhythmic carols

Angel Alleluias*Energetic, syncopated, and highly rhythmic, using a vibrant call-and-response style, keeping the momentum right through to a fortissimo ending. Fifteenth-century text. SATB unaccompanied with optional percussion. OUP.

A little child there is yborn  *If you like carols in a fast 7/8, then this is the one. Not as difficult as this sounds, with an up-tempo modal flavour, with another fifteenth-century text. SATB unaccompanied. OUP.

All in Tune  Easy to learn, a joyful lively carol, praising God through dance, music, and friendship. Two versions, upper voices in 2 or three parts, or mixed voices SABar, with piano/organ and optional flute/treble recorder. Colne Edition

Feast Day Carol  A lively 6/8 and 3/4 rhythm, with a more secular text: ‘So now is come our joyful Feast, Let everyone be jolly; Each room with ivy leaves is dressed, And every post with holly’. SATB with piano. Banks Music Publications

Glory to the Christ Child  *Performed at the King’s College Cambridge Nine Lessons and Carols, and many other places worldwide, this lively and rhythmic carol juxtaposes fast-moving unison passages with joyful alleluias – but ending quietly and intensely with the words ‘This blessed babe divine’. SATB unaccompanied. OUP.

He is born (Il est né)  A lively arrangement, with subtle harmonic shifts, of the traditional French carol. A movement from ‘A Light in the Stable’. SATB with piano/organ. OUP (digital download)

Ideo, ideo  Alternating 3/4 and 6/8, this lively carol sets a traditional text in modern translation, building up to a joyful ending. SATB with piano/organ. Novello/Music Sales.

Merrily did the shepherds blow  A substantial and varied carol, optionally for double choir, incorporating call-and-response exchanges in the lively opening and closing sections, flanking a central calm and prayerful section including distant echoes from solo trebles/sopranos. First performed in Rochester Cathedral. SATB (optional double choir) with organ/piano. Encore Publications.

Patapan  An easy-to-learn arrangement of a traditional Burgundian carol, with a rhythmic ‘pat-a-pat-a-pan’ refrain and a melody which sings of celebrating with ‘fife and drum’ and the joyful linking of heaven and earth that Christmas brings. Three-part SABar with piano. Colne Edition.

Ring the Bells  A lively and jubilant carol in which a rhythmic theme is presented in different contrapuntal textures, ending with an exciting build-up. Two versions, SATB or SSA, both with piano. OUP.

Sing out, Angels  Originally written to support Marie Curie Cancer Care, this moderate in tempo but uplifting carol is a setting of a text by the composer celebrating the work of the ‘caring angels’ and the ‘shining stars’ at Christmas time. Two versions, unison and SATB, both with piano/organ. GIA Publications.

Relaxed, expressive, and slower-paced carols

A baby so small, a message so great  An expressive Christmas song setting a text by me. Contrasting gentle melodies and sparse piano writing with richly dramatic chords, it creates a sense of anticipation for the arrival of Jesus. SATB and piano. OUP.

A light for today  *A tender and moving portrayal of the manger scene, based on a poem by Longfellow. A movement from ‘A Light in the Stable’. SATB unaccompanied. OUP (digital download).

And all the stars looked down  *This setting of a haunting and memorable poem by G. K. Chesterton contrasts the traditional manger-scene with the real world outside, with antiphonal exchanges between the upper and lower voices, and rich harmonies. Appears on several CDs, including one by The Sixteen. SSATBB unaccompanied. OUP.

And can this newborn mystery  This carol sets an unusual contemporary text by Brian Wren: thoughtful and challenging, this colourful piece highlights the meaning of the Christmas mystery today. SATB with piano or organ. OUP.

Candle Carol  With words by me, this gentle carol focusses on the four candles lit in many churches during Advent, one each week, representing hope, peace, joy, and love. SATB or SA and piano/organ. OUP (in Carols for Choirs 6, or digital download)

For Christ is born!  Moving through the verses from the calm manger scene to the joy of Christ’s birth, this carol sets the well-known text ‘What child is this’ to a flowing and shapely melody. SATB and piano/organ. GIA Publications.

Hill-side Carol  Setting a text by the 20^th century poet Clive Sansom, this carol paints a picture of the empty and bleak hillside suddenly lit by the star and the appearance of the angels. SATB with piano/organ and optional flute/treble recorder. OUP.

Infant holy  An easy-to learn arrangement of the traditional Polish cradle-side carol. Three part mixed choir SABar, with piano/organ. GIA Publications

I saw a stable  *A touching and expressive setting of lines by Mary Coleridge, coloured with richly diatonic harmonies and flexible melodic shaping. SATB unaccompanied. OUP (in Carols for Choirs 5, or digital download)

Love came down at Christmas  The poem by Christina Rossetti set to a shapely tune with a gentle, flowing accompaniment. Rich, expressive, and accessible in style. SATB and piano. OUP.

O Little one sweet  An easy-to-learn and melodious setting of the traditional German words, also incorporating the sixteenth-century melody as used by J. S. Bach. Three-part mixed choir SABar, with piano/organ. Colne Edition

Rose of such virtue  *The well-known medieval Advent text, ‘There is no rose’ combining expressive harmonies with gently interweaving lines for solo or soli voices. SSATB unaccompanied. OUP.

Shepherds, guarding your flocks  An expressive setting of a Victorian text, painting the Nativity scene in six verses from the shepherds on the dark hillside to a joyful cradle scene, each interspersed with an exultant ‘Gloria in excelsis’ chorus. SATB with piano/organ. OUP.

Sleep, baby, sleep  This carol, both dramatic and peaceful, alternates between the calm manger scene and the outside world of the shepherds, wise men, and angels. SATB with piano/organ. Colne Edition

Sweet babe, sang she  *An expressive portrait of the traditional Nativity scene. While the chorus sing an ostinato lullaby in the background, the solo soprano (or semichorus) sings reflectively in the foreground. Passages of gentle ‘alleluias’ make contrasting interludes for all voices together. Solo/semichorus + SATB, unaccompanied. Colne Edition.

The world has waited long  A calm and poignant setting of an early twentieth-century poem – flowing melody and expressive alleluias. SATB and piano/organ. OUP

This night  A substantial setting of a traditional Hebridean text takes us to a world far removed from today: the poem’s strange blend of pagan and Christian imagery is matched by a dramatic and colourful musical response. SATB and piano/organ. OUP

And finally: three cantatas – each about 30 minutes long, and each with a different focus:

O Come Emmanuel – Advent focus. OUP

A Light in the Stable– Christmas focus. OUP

A Feast for Christmas– secular focus. Colne Edition

New Colne Edition  publications include:

Cyprus Dances for piano duet (four hands at one piano)
Three Picasso Portraits for saxophone quartet (SATBar)
Little Suite (five short contrasting movements). Three (five) versions: Two oboes and cor anglais; 3 flutes or flute choir; 3 clarinets or clarinet choir
To God be the Glory (an easy arrangement in the Colne Prayer and Praise for Choirs series)
Three Blues for Clarinet and Piano (three colourful pieces inspired by blues harmony)
Three Blues for Alto Saxophone and Piano (the same, in an Alto Sax version)
Six Dances for Small Orchestra (an arrangement for small orchestra of my Six Dances for Four Hands)

Also newly published are Volume 8 and Volume 9 of the Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists series (edited jointly by Rebecca Groom te Velde and myself, and with contributions from both of us) and another hymn-tune prelude on ‘Sussex’ in the collection Be Still for the Presence vol. 1 ( Church Organ World). And new publications from GIA, Banks Music Publications, and Church Organ World, are on the way too!

Some time ago, in the last century, I was approached by ‘Saxology’,  a young saxophone quartet looking for new and challenging pieces – and Three Picasso Portraits was the result.

I had long been fascinated by the work of Picasso, particularly those of the 1920 and 30s, and the way that his paintings seem to look at the same object from different directions simultaneously, and so I took three of his paintings as starting points for the movements: Harlequin, Weeping Woman, and The Three Dancers. Two are in the Tate Gallery and one in the National Gallery and can be seen here:

Harlequin
Weeping Woman
The Three Dancers

The period between the two World Wars, when these were painted, was an exciting and experimental period in the arts, and musically it was the time when a number of composers were developing new ways at looking at the musical basics and exploring the equality of all twelve notes of the chromatic scale, sometimes by using the ‘twelve-note row’ using a specific ordering of all twelve notes and sometimes by using ‘free atonality’ in which the music is organised motivically and with less reference to traditional harmonic constructs.

But, at the same time, a number of composers were excitedly responding to the characteristic sounds of jazz, an art-form with which of course the saxophone has long been associated.

So it seemed appropriate to pay some kind of tribute to these musical ideas in my pieces. I had used twelve-note rows before, and have done so sometimes since, though usually with a greater focus on the more traditional concept of tonality than on the ‘equality of all twelve notes’ concept from which atonality sprung. And the rhythms and harmonies of jazz are also part of my musical background.

It would be tedious to give too much detail, but I will say that all three pieces are based on the same set of the twelve notes of the chromatic scale in a certain order (which I chose) which is also used backwards and inverted, and that I have use this set of notes both horizontally, to create melody, and vertically, to create harmony. This is absolutely standard twelve-note procedure. What I enjoy about doing this is forcing this rather rigid-sounding musical approach by the way in which I place and juxtapose the notes and rhythms to create melody and harmony – the restrictions that the system can impose inspires me to be creative, just as the restrictions of traditional harmonic concepts inspired composers of the past to be creative. So, in some way or other, every note in these pieces reflects different aspects of this pattern of twelve notes in the same way, perhaps, as Picasso’s Cubist technique created art out of building-blocks, juxtaposed in different ways.

I hope this explanation doesn’t put you off, and that you will be able to enjoy the music! You can hear a performance (by the commissioners, Saxology,) with a scrolling score here.

The actual CD that this came from is still available too, with a fascinating range of saxophone quartet music by other composers. Details here

You can find details of how to purchase a score and set of parts here

Finally, this was the piece that perhaps helped to inspire my son Sam, (now in his early forties but aged 9 at the time that I wrote it) to take up the saxophone, have lessons with one of the quartet members, and become the professional saxophonist that he now is!

For those who live mainly in the city, the various phases of the moon can often pass us by: but in the country, away from street-lights, its waxing and waning has a clear influence on the night-time landscape. And in the past, when many communities were so much closer to nature, the moon signified the ebb and flow of the seasons.

For most of us as children, too, the wonder and mystery of the moon had an important part to play in our lives – who hasn’t stretched out their hand as the full moon seems almost within reach, or dreamed of witches appearing over the crescent moon?

There’s plenty of poetry about the moon – Shelley, Wordsworth, Emily Dickinson, Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath – but I am particularly attracted to the traditional prayers and songs of the Hebrides, in which the moon appears often and was almost worshipped as a symbol of creation, and controller of the stars and of the seasons. Here’s an example of some lines from a couple of poems:

Hail to thee, new moon,
Guider of the sky,
Hail to thee, new moon,
Beauteous, fair one of grace.
May thy light be clear to me,
May thy course be smooth to me,
Fair moon of the seasons.

My song, ‘New Moon’ sets these words to music, for upper voices (Soprano and Alto) and piano. It’s a simple and gentle melody, which appears three times, first in unison, then in the altos with the sopranos singing a descant above, and finally in the sopranos with an alto part beneath. Each verse is in a different key, which give a sense of direction in the music as we move to the climax in the last verse: here the final line (‘Fair moon of the seasons’) is repeated several times, gradually getting quieter and bringing us back to the key in which we started.

I have written several other songs about the moon (including ‘Song to the Moon’, and ‘Sun, Moon, World’), and written instrumental pieces in which the moon has a part to play (just search ‘moon’ on my website): and in this particular one I think I was aiming to suggest the moon’s 28-day cycle and the inevitability of the changing phases, mirroring the inevitability of life itself.

The song was written as part of a longer work – ‘Pictures of Night’ which was commissioned by Essex Music Services for a concert which brought several choirs together, and this upper voice song appeared alongside songs for young children and for a mixed SATB choir. This is the original version, and I subsequently made a version for SATB choir.

May the moon shine bright for you!

Scrolling score of New Moon (Upper Voice version)

Scrolling score of New Moon (SATB version)

Scrolling score of Pictures of Night (complete)

Purchase details, etc. of New Moon

Purchase details, etc. of Pictures of Night

This piece, published as an anthem but originally commissioned for a public concert, is a setting of a few verses adapted from The Song of Solomon (or The Song of Songs) from the Old Testament of the Bible. The commission and performance details, at the top of the score, are as follows:

‘Commissioned by Avril Danczak for the Philharmonic Choir of Manchester, conductor Ian Chesworth, in memory of her parents Cynthia and Tadeusz Danczak and dedicated to Allegra, Milo, and Hari: the start of the next generation’

There is a feeling of looking back and looking forwards about this dedication, and the text (chosen by the commissioner) speaks not only of love, but also of the eternal round of nature’s growth, death, and regrowth.

Of all the books in the Bible, the Song of Songs is probably the most secular. It is really a collection of love songs. In the past, many biblical scholars have attempted to explain them as love songs between humankind and God, but they do read more naturally as love songs between two humans, and today many take that view, with perhaps the rider that perfect love between two people aspires to a relationship with God in which we love God as much as he loves us. Anyway – I’m no theologian, but the poetry is beautiful, and I really enjoyed setting it to music, as many others have done before me.

I originally conceived the piece as unaccompanied, with optional piano, and I added the organ later to make it more suitable for church use. So the chief focus is on the voices, and the words have a number of phrases which really suggest musical shapes: ‘bounding over the hills’, ‘a deer that runs swiftly’, ‘rain has fallen’, ‘cooing of doves’, etc. But the real germ of the setting is on the opening phrase ‘Rise up, my love, my fair one, and come away’, and the predominantly rising musical line associated with these words occurs several times, slightly altered each time, as a kind of refrain which binds the whole piece together, and forming a climax near to the end as ‘rise up’ is repeated several times at different pitches, gradually calming to a final hum from the tenors and basses which is so quiet you can hardly hear it.

You can hear it performed, with organ, by the choir of Selwyn College Cambridge, director Sarah MacDonald, in a scrolling score here.

And the music is published by Oxford University Press and is on sale here.

Welcome to my August 2024 newsletter, which replaces my normal ‘Piece of the Week’ for this week. As well as recent news, and the usual list of performances and new publications there is a particular focus on repertoire for upper voice choirs, mainly aimed at young singers, to help with concert planning.

As I said last month, I’ve been reminded me how a thematic focus is often a good way of programme building. So this month I’m going to list some of my upper voice choir pieces, with a focus for each one.

THEMATIC FOCUS – upper voices

Music that celebrates peace and friendship

Song to the Moon – calmly celebrating the wonder of the ‘bright, new, moon’ with a text based on traditional Hebridean poem. Unison with optional descant, and piano.

One Voice for All – a lively celebration of the joy of singing, and a call for peace, friendship, and care for the environment. Unison voices with optional descant, with piano (SABar version also available)

The Awakening Age – a rhythmic setting of a poem by Ben Okri, a hopeful vision of understanding and co-operation between the peoples of the earth. 2-part voices and piano

New Moon – a calm and gentle song telling of the guiding light of the new moon, the controller of the stars, the seasons, and our lives. 2-part voices and piano

Rainbow  – a song about the healing power of the rainbow, the symbol of the caring professions. 2-part voices and piano

Care for the environment

One Voice for All – a lively celebration of the joy of singing, and a call for peace, friendship, and care for the environment. Unison voices with optional descant, with piano (SABar version also available)

Running for the Future – a rhythmic plea for a new and better world, with the words written by schoolchildren. 2-part voices or unison, with piano

Sun, Moon, World – this song contrasts reflective passages with lively upbeat ones, asking us to care for the whole world. 2-part voices and piano.

Times and seasons, and a day at the sea

Song to the Moon – celebrating the wonder of the ‘bright, new, moon’ with a text based on traditional Hebridean poem. Unison with optional descant, and piano.

Spring is Sprung – a lively and lighthearted setting of the traditional words, with a few dubba-dubba-doos thrown in!

Fireworks  – an exciting portrayal of a firework display, with oohs and aahs and a rocket landing on the pianist! 2-part voices and piano.

New Moon – a calm and gentle song telling of the guiding light of the new moon, the controller of the stars, the seasons, and our lives. 2-part voices and piano

Rainbow  – a song about the healing power of the rainbow, the symbol of the caring professions. 2-part voices and piano.

Snow  – a gentle and somewhat mysterious song describing the quiet snow-covered landscape. 2-part voices and piano.

Seascape  – an easy-to-learn song painting the seascape from sunrise to sunset. Unison voices and piano, with optional instrumental interludes

Mystery

Overheard on a Saltmarsh – an evocative and mysterious song which combines an easy melodic line with spoken effects. 2-part voices, piano, and optional descant recorder

Song to the Moon – celebrating the wonder of the ‘bright, new, moon’ with a text based on traditional Hebridean poems. Unison with optional descant, and piano.

This is the Key – with dramatic gestures, rhythmic riffs, and reflective passages, this is a setting of a traditional riddle-poem telling a mysterious story. Unison or 2-part voices with piano.

Why does he gallop? – who is the mysterious horseman riding in the night? This song has rhythmic drive and easily-learnt vocal parts. Unison or 2-part, with piano

Snow  – a gentle and somewhat mysterious song describing the quiet snow-covered landscape. 2-part voices and piano.

Birds and beasts

Overheard on a Saltmarsh – an evocative and mysterious song which combines an easy melodic line with spoken effects. 2-part voices, piano, and optional descant recorder

The Friendly Beasts – an account of the birth of Jesus from the point of view of the animals in the stable. Voices in 2-parts and piano

The Snail and the Hen – two short songs contrasting the slow but steady snail with the lively and chattering hen. SSAA unaccompanied.

Humour

A Strange Story – this is a short and jolly riddle song in which the words appear to be nonsense because the punctuation is in the wrong place! 2-part with piano and optional descant/soprano recorder

Spring is Sprung – a lively and lighthearted setting of the traditional words, with a few dubba-dubba-doos thrown in!

Mind the Gap!– An upbeat song about a journey on a London underground or subway train. 2-part or unison, with piano

My idea of heaven– not a religious song, this is about a secular heaven or ‘favourite place’. 2-part or unison, with piano

Health and Safety – a setting of safety announcements and instructions – sounds sensible, but very silly. 3-part voices (SSA) and piano

Stocking and Shirt – a lively song about clothes blowing away and breaking free of the washing-line. 2-part voices and piano

Christmas

All in Tune – Christmas carol, lively, praising God through dance, music, and friendship. 2 or 3-parts with piano and optional flute/treble recorder and drum

Sleeping Jesus – Easy Christmas carol focussing on the manger scene. Unison or 2-part, with piano

The Friendly Beasts – an account of the birth of Jesus from the point of view of the animals in the stable. 2-part voices and piano

Festival Grace – ‘thank you for the food we eat, thank you for the friends we meet’ – actually suitable for any time of year

Scots Nativity – that’s the ‘baloo, lammy’ one. 2-part voices and piano which is how I originally wrote it.

The links all go to a page on my website, where, as well as publication details for each, there are links to YouTube performances for most of them.

Many of these songs are published by Colne Edition, and are sold by various distributors with a minimum of ten copies. If you teach your singers by rote and need fewer copies of a Colne Edition title, please contact me and I will find a way!

NEWS – ABRSM Composer Mentoring

I once wrote that ‘I find writing a Grade 1 piano piece as interesting a challenge as any other compositional task’, and I think I was taken at my word. For several years now I have been a mentor for the ABRSM Composer Mentoring programme, and I’ve been helping a number of emerging composers to write a piano piece at Grade 1 standard, of which two or three have been selected for the syllabus. Recently I’ve been mentoring a group of students from South East Asia (on Zoom) in the latest iteration of the programme, and it has been delightful to talk to, and assist, composers from Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Indonesia, and India.

Whether any of these pieces appear in future syllabuses is up to the ABRSM selection panel – but whatever their future, the result has been a nicely varied set of pieces which youngsters will enjoy playing!

PUBLICATIONS AND PERFORMANCES

New Colne Edition  publications include:

Little Suite (five short contrasting movements). Three (five) versions: Two oboes and cor anglais; 3 flutes or flute choir; 3 clarinets or clarinet choir

To God be the Glory (an easy arrangement in the Colne Prayer and Praise for Choirs series)

Three Blues for Clarinet and Piano (three colourful pieces inspired by blues harmony)

Three Blues for Alto Saxophone and Piano (the same, in an Alto Sax version)

Six Dances for Small Orchestra (an arrangement for small orchestra of my Six Dances for Four Hands)

Also newly published are Volume 8 and Volume 9 of the Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists series (edited jointly by Rebecca Groom te Velde and myself, and with contributions from both of us) and another hymn-tune prelude on ‘Sussex’ in the collection Be Still for the Presence vol. 1 ( Church Organ World). And new publications from GIA and Banks Music Publications are on the way too!

Recent performances include

Colchester Service
Southwark Cathedral (Evensong) 4^th August
Choir of St. John’s Church, Dallas / Benjamin Kolodziej

Travelling Tales
Ickenham United Reformed Church, Middlesex, 6^th July
Ickenham Choral Society/Peter Williams

Three English Folk-Songs
Marks Hall Barn, Coggeshall, 6^th July
Kelvedon Singers/Christopher Phelps

Mr Lear
Holy Trinity, Guildford, 6 July
Vivace Chorus/Jeremy Backhouse

My Song (This Song of Mine)
St. John’s Church, Epping, CM16 5DN, 29 June
Felicitas, director Simon Winters
first performance of unaccompanied version

Thank you for reading!

I originally wrote God in mine eternity as a little anthem for upper voices in two parts, in which form it has had quite a number of performances over the years, by school choirs and other groups. It is a setting of a traditional poem from the Hebrides, (from Carmichael’s Carmina Gaedelica) which I slightly adapted:

God to enfold me, God to surround me, God in my speaking and God in my thinking.
God in my sleeping, God in my waking, God in my watching and God in my hoping.
God in my life, God in my lips, God in my soul, God in my heart, God in mine eternity.

 In 2007, I added an optional ‘Men’ part, to make an SABar anthem for The Oxford Book of Flexible Anthems, and then in 2010, reworked the textures a bit more to make a four-part anthem which was published in Alan Bullard Anthems. I believe this collection is now out of print, but that digital downloads (pdfs) will be available soon from OUP’s digital partners.

So now there are versions for two-part upper voices, three part SABar, and four part SATB.

In the upper voice and flexible version, the first verse is set to a unison melody in the sopranos and altos in which the music (I hope) enfolds and surrounds the listener, the short phrases covering the range of a ninth and ending in the middle. In the second verse, the melody is repeated by the altos, in the key a tone lower, (doubled by the men in the flexible version), while the sopranos sing a responsive descant. Then in the third verse the upper voices sing in two part harmony (with an added third part for the men in the flexible version) with a mainly sequential descending phrase, concluding with a simple oscillation between dominant and tonic.

In the SATB version, the first verse is given to a solo voice or to S/A in unison. In the second verse the bass has the melody, and the responsive descant figure is now sung in harmony by the upper three voices: and the last verse is now in four part harmony.

The accompaniment (piano or organ) is the same in each version, and apart from the first part of the third verse, where it doubles the voices, it uses the same 5-note figure in each bar, transposed to different pitches.

Probably on account of its genesis as a two-part song for upper voices, this is a quite short and simple setting, with an easily grasped melody (despite shifting key-changes) and an independent but unpretentious accompaniment. And I think that is its advantage, and, whichever version it is sung in, its brevity and clarity makes it possible for the listener to focus on the beautiful words without the music getting in the way or going on for too long. In fact I think I’ve gone on for too long here, and should let the piece speak for itself…

There are several recordings – this one (SATB version) was made at a service in Brentwood Cathedral by massed choirs from churches around Essex and you can follow the score along with it.  And here is the flexible version (with men) sung by a small church choir as part of a parish service.

And here is one more recording made during lockdown with the voices individually recorded and then mixed. The upper voices are choristers from Bury St Edmunds Cathedral and the organist is me in my living room, playing to a click track!

The Flexible version is in The Oxford Book of Flexible Anthems

The SATB version is in Alan Bullard Anthems – now out of print but Forwoods ScoreStore still had 3 copies left when I checked yesterday (at half-price too). The separate digital download of this anthem is available from here – or will be soon, I expect.

Like many composers, I’ve always been happy to write ‘useful’ music, and, by usually saying ‘yes’ to any request, my composing career has led me down many byways. Too many to list, but they have included music for film, drama and dance, numerous sight-reading exercises (including some in music braille), one-off pieces for special events, weddings, christenings, funerals, and numerous pieces for learners of various instruments – in fact at the moment I am writing some very easy piano pieces for beginners (only four notes and two note lengths allowed!) for a major publisher. And I’ve always found that whatever I’m writing, be it a piece for a professional choir or orchestra, for an amateur chorus, a school chamber ensemble, or a junior choir, the technical range of the likely performers serve as a starting point for the music and gets my ideas flowing, helping me to shape and craft the piece.

Some years ago I was asked to run some workshops in the most easterly part of Essex, funded by the Clacton and Harwich Educational Action Zone. They involved working with primary school students in both singing and playing instruments, writing their own tunes to play, and performing these in a concert alongside a piece that I wrote specially for them. Clacton and Harwich are the main towns in what is known as the Tendring Peninsula, which is surrounded by the sea on three sides – so we chose ‘the sea’ as the subject matter for all the pieces. In the final concert we had a great range of pieces by the young people in the schools involved, including a special school, and then my piece involved them all.

This piece – Seascape – was designed for young voices and piano, with lots of optional instruments, and I actually wrote it while on a family holiday a little further up the east coast, in Suffolk, in a rented house in Aldeburgh with a balcony overlooking the sea.

I wrote the words myself, and each verse (to the same tune), describes a different aspect of the seaside: sunrise, morning, raindrops, storm-clouds, sunset.  The melody has a range of only an octave, and, while not perhaps completely predictable, is easy to learn. Between each verse is an optional instrumental interlude which helps to cement the changing moods: the intention being that all the instrumentalists also sing the tune, and then play the interlude on whatever instruments they have.

Nothing more to say, really. It’s now been performed by quite a lot of childrens’ choirs, including the junior choir of the National Youth Choir of Scotland, and whenever I hear of a performance I am delighted to think of the enjoyment that singing can bring to young people.

You can hear a performance, together with a scrolling score, here, and you can see details of how to obtain copies here – and if your school has just no music budget at all, contact me and we can sort something out.

[PS – I’ve also, confusingly, written another piece called ‘Seascape’ for solo flute and flute choir. It is very different…]

Some years ago I wrote a short set of movements for an Oboe Trio: the first and last were almost identical, forming a short prelude and postlude. The three movements in the middle were a slow and expressive sarabande, a lively scherzo with a rustic flavour, and an ‘air’ – a slow melody, coloured with echoes and contrapuntal imitation. The whole thing only lasted about 8 minutes – and so Little Suite seemed an appropriate title!

The music still sells a few copies today, and there have been some lovely performances of it, one of which you can hear through the link at the end of this post.

A few years later, my then publisher suggested that we make a version of it for Flute Trio or Flute Choir: Piccolo (optional), Flutes in three parts, Alto Flute (optional), Bass Flute (optional). I’m not sure whether this version was picked up by anybody, but I’ve decided to reissue it, with some changes. The Flute Trio version might sound a bit empty compared with the original, but the Flute Choir version should result in more sonority, with the extra instruments adding depth to the texture. There are links to digital performances of both versions below.

While the piece was going through my mind, revising this arrangement, it struck me that it could also work effectively arranged for three clarinets. I’ve not done that yet, but will do so in the next few days!

In summary, the five movements are:

1. Entrance: A little fanfare-like motive is shared out between the instruments, sometimes inverted, with a slightly more light-hearted treatment of the same rhythm for a few bars in the middle.
2. Sarabande: a piece based on the traditional sarabande rhythm, slow and expressive, building to a rich climax and subsiding again. I think I was influenced by Herbert Howells in this movement – he too was very fond of the sarabande rhythm and used it beautifully in one of the movements of his Stabat Mater which he wrote when I was studying with him.
3. Scherzo: a lively conversation between the upper two instruments is interrupted by a rumbustiously rustic leaping melody: later on the two ideas are combined and finally the dance gets faster and faster as the players get more out of breath.
4. Air: A rather melancholy melody, like a folk-song, is played by one instrument and echoed by the others: in the centre they all combine and finally the melody is shared contrapuntally between the players.
5. Exit: this is the same as the Entrance, but with one extra bar at the end!

You can hear the different versions here, with scrolling score:
The Oboe Trio (two Oboes and Cor Anglais) version is played by the Morganwg Trio: Nick Williams and Hannah Scott (oboes) and Amanda Blows (Cor Anglais).
The Flute Trio and the Flute Choir versions are digitally created.
The Clarinet Trio version is coming soon.

This page on my website will give the links to purchase from various suppliers.

Instead of Piece of the Week, it’s Books of the week! – the two brand new volumes 8 and 9  in the Oxford Hymn Settings for Organists series, jointly edited by Rebecca Groom te Velde and myself.

If you are not an organist, you may not have had much to do with the ‘hymn setting’ or ‘hymn prelude’. This is a piece for use in a church service – prelude, interlude, or postlude – based in some way on a hymn tune that a congregation is likely to know and may indeed have sung, or be about to sing, that day. Almost every hymn-tune has a short name – not necessarily the first line of the words, as often they can be sung to several texts – and it is these names by which organists identify them. (And an apology to those who already know about these things for my attempts to explain them!)

The concept of ‘dressing up’ an existing melody for use during a church service goes back many centuries, and the chorale preludes of J. S. Bach are perhaps the most well-known (for our purposes, chorale is really just an old word for hymn). But he was certainly not the first, as earlier composers such as Sweelinck, Pachelbel and Buxtehude wrote many. The concept was revived in the nineteenth century by Brahms, Reger, Franck, Karg-Elert, and others, and became even more widespread in the twentieth century, spreading to other parts of Europe and the USA, with a very wide range of composers, many of whom were and are active church musicians. But the concept has always been the same – to present an existing hymn, known to the congregation, in a way that will shed new light on its character.

The two new collections contain 80 pieces based on hymns for ‘general use’ (i.e. not specifically for Christmas, Easter, etc.) and form the final volumes of the nine-volume series which in total contain around 350 pieces based on hymns that are popular in Great Britian and the USA. All the pieces were written specially for the books by approximately 30 composers ranging in age from 20-plus to 80-plus.

The role of Rebecca and I as editors was, firstly, to decide on a list of suitable hymns (with advice from a liturgical specialist) which hadn’t already been used in the earlier books (each of which had a focus on a particular time of the church year), and then to decide on a range of composers to ask, and what hymn(s) to ask them to use. To do this we split the list in half and Rebecca took, largely, the US composers and I took largely, the UK ones (two or three composers were of other nationalities). Naturally this involved a certain amount of arm-twisting, but we were very pleased that we were able to involve such a wide range of composers from many different backgrounds and put younger, developing composers alongside experienced composer/organists who are well-known figures in cathedral and church music. After that, our roles varied depending on the composer – some of course needed no advice except the occasional ‘did you really mean that?’ (answer: ‘oops, slip of pen or computer key’), whereas others needed some advice with shaping their exciting and imaginative ideas into something suitable for the skills of the average church organist. And then, of course, working with the publisher’s editor to check the final proofs against the composer’s copy – and also writing a few preludes ourselves!

The results are 80 pieces each with their own character and approach. In each prelude, the hymn-tune on which its based is there somewhere – but there are so many different ways in which the composers have presented it. The tune might be fragmented or hidden at the beginning, only appearing clearly at the end of the prelude. Or it might be stated proudly and clearly at the beginning, and then subjected to various variations. Or it can be played in the middle of the texture, perhaps by the left hand on a different manual or keyboard so that it stands out, or it might be played by the feet on the pedals – or several of these things! The tune might have its character changed by putting it in a different rhythm or metre, perhaps syncopated or dancing, or it might be decorated or ornamented.  It might be treated as a fast moving toccata, or a ringing carillon; or as a slow and expressive meditation. It might be very contrapuntal, or rely on rich harmony and colour for its effects. It might deliberately borrow favourite textures from other composers as a backing to the hymn-tune. Stylistically it might feel jazzy, folky, contemporary, quirky, worship-song like, neo-romantic, neo-classical or neo-baroque, and of course all of these concepts can be coloured by the vast range of sounds obtainable on the church organ. There really is an excitingly wide range of textures and approaches!

I am the third of the UK editors to be involved in this series – but on the US side, Rebecca te Velde has seen all nine books through the press – a fantastic achievement which hasn’t in any way dimmed her enthusiasm for the multitude of ways that the organ can be used in worship. For a time, Zoom calls between Oklahoma and East Anglia were a regular and delightful feature of our working week, and it has been a real honour and pleasure to work with Becky on these books!

More details here: Volume 8,  Volume 9

And a complete list of the preludes in all nine books is here.