Welcome to my late autumn newsletter, heralded by a front cover of decidedly summer memories!
New piano music
Hot on the heels of the publication of Pianoworks Meditations (by Janet and Alan Bullard, Oxford University Press) comes Beautiful Piano Moments, which contains three pieces by me, three by Nikki Iles, and three by Nancy Litten (published by Willis Music/Hal Leonard). Each composer was asked to respond to different visions of beauty by writing pieces of Grades 1-3 level. Here’s a link to the book, and here are links to my three pieces, Forever, My Love is like a Red, Red Rose (arrangement), and Song of the Seashore.
I really am enjoying writing piano music at the moment. Although as a child I wrote much piano music (which I hope has vanished into the attic or the recycling bin) for many years I didn’t write very much for solo piano. More recently things have turned around and I’m writing more again – some easy pieces, and some more challenging. So I hope I can tell you more about these in the future!
A new recorder orchestra piece, only partly by me
Earlier in the year I was contacted by the conductor and recorder player Nick Epton, who was interested in making an arrangement of my Colchester Suite (originally for small orchestra) for recorder orchestra. He knew of my music through my North Sea Sketches for recorder orchestra. I said ‘yes please’ and Nick went ahead and did it. It looks great, and he is hoping to try it out with an ensemble soon – I’m always happy to consider seeing my music transported into new situations, however unlikely they may be!
BBC Young Chorister of the Year
This is a great competition, on BBC Radio and TV – it is so good to see young choristers encouraged in their music-making. And this year I had a lovely surprise, as my arrangement of Lord of All Hopefulness(published by OUP in Oxford Solo Songs – Sacred) was sung very beautifully by finalist Jonathan – he didn’t win, but he was in the top three of the Junior Class, all of whom were superb. Congratulations to him and to all who took part! Here’s a link to the programme on BBC Songs of Praise.
Christmas!
My longer Christmas works are getting several performances this year, including some movements from O Come Emmanuel (St Martin’s Voices / Andrew Earis) at St Martin’s in the Fields, lunchtime 3 December; and the same cantata also in the Netherlands (Koor Surplus / Elske te Lindert) Nijmegen-Oost, 13 December; A Light in the Stable, (Kelvedon Singers / Chris Phelps) Great Tey, Essex, 5 December; A Feast for Christmas, (Itchen Valley Choir / Jane Bryant) Itchen Abbas Village Hall, 2 December, and a number of individual carols in many places.
If you are a choral conductor, I think it’s probably too late to start thinking about programming carols for this Christmas – so I’ll tell you about my most recent ones next year – but organists may be interested in my new prelude on Es ist ein Ros’ entsprungen for Advent services – you can hear it here played by Steven Maxson and it’s published in the collection Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, volume 4, published by Church Organ World. And if you really are still looking for Christmas carols for this year, then here, just as an example, are two which are available both in upper voice or mixed voice versions, and for which you can download scores instantly: All in Tune and Great Joy, Glad Joy
Digital Downloads
Talking about downloads, Oxford University Press are now moving over to instant downloads for most of their choral sheet music, and many of my pieces are now available in that format. As more and more choirs are singing from tablets, and many people welcome the opportunity to buy music instantly and avoid postage costs, OUP have now embraced ‘digital sales’ – instant downloads of pdfs to print out or load onto your iPad. OUP have appointed a number of online music dealers to provide the download service, for example Presto Music in the UK and JW Pepper in the US (E-Print) and it’s excellent that OUP’s publications are now available so widely and speedily.
From the Archive
In these newsletters I’ve decided, as my 80th birthday approaches next year, to feature some of my earlier and less often performed works that would otherwise linger in the ‘archive’. This time I’d like to introduce my Sinfonietta for Brass, Percussion and Strings, which was written forty years ago. The recording, with scrolling score, is of the first and only performance, in 1987. The piece was all about the contrast between the strings and the brass, both in terms of the textures, the tonal centres, and the musical material, and I’m particularly fond of the slow middle movement. I was exploring Birtwistle’s music at the time, and in this movement it does show, though I think my own voice is there too. It was commissioned by Colchester Chamber Orchestra with funds from Eastern Arts, and it was conducted by Christopher Phelps – who still conducts the same orchestra today, now grown into the Colchester Symphony Orchestra.
Music for Margaret
I plan to produce another newsletter before Christmas, where I shall introduce recorder virtuoso John Turner’s latest CD, Music for Margaret, which contains a wide range of new pieces commissioned in memory of his wife, including a brand new piece of mine for recorder, oboe, and strings.
In the meanwhile, autumnal greetings!