Beauty, Joy (2020)
unaccompanied mixed choir with soprano and tenor soli
c. 5 minutes
Commissioned by the Fairhaven Singers, director Ralph Woodward, to commemorate the anniversary of Keats’ death, this calm and reflective piece in up to eight parts sets the opening lines of Keats’ major poem Endymion: ‘A thing of beauty is a joy for ever….’
The piece was first performed by the Fairhaven Singers in Ely Cathedral on 30 October 2021.
Inspection score here: Bullard Beauty, Joy inspection copy
Printed copies are available to order from Colne Edition in the UK only (minimum 5 copies, £2.75 per copy plus postage, delivery approximately two weeks).
Digital downloads (prices vary, but cheaper and quicker) are available from Sheet Music Plus or Sheet Music Direct – minimum order 10 copies
An extended and orchestrated version of this score has also been used for the composer’s short film The Suffolk Sandlings – view it here on YouTube.
And you can hear the extended orchestral version of Beauty, Joy here on SoundCloud