Category: church music

Song of Easter

Byartsyhonker October 7, 2015 0 Comments
Here's one I wrote earlier, but haven't yet posted. It has more instrumentation than my music usually does! The sheet music is available from the Choral Public Domain Library, and is under a Creative Commons Attribution Share-Alike license, as usual. Words by T Thurman: When I was young I feared my growing old lest, being old, I should want youth again, or lest the growing old should cause me...

#notGB15: #GinAndChant tonight 9.30pm BST in the #henswings

Byartsyhonker August 30, 2015 2 Comments
Over on Twitter, some of us are having great fun with #notGB15: it's for people who, for a number of reasons, aren't at Greenbelt. Some of us can't camp. Some of us didn't want to leave home. Some of us have commitments that prevent us going. One of the traditions of Greenbelt is "Beer and Hymns". But I feel a bit silly singing hymns on my own, at home. So tonight, in the Hen's Wings, there will...

Magnificat

Byartsyhonker May 31, 2015 0 Comments
The Visitation of Mary to Elizabeth is transferred from 31st May to 1st June this year, because Trinity Sunday is more important; but we did get some words to Mary by Athelstan Riley in one of our hymns this morning: "Thou Bearer of the eternal Word, Most gracious, magnify the Lord." I note that Athelstan Riley died in 1945, which means his words become public domain this year (or next? I get...

The Contrite Heart

Byartsyhonker March 6, 2015 1 Comment
Looking for texts to set (I am always looking for texts to set) I stumbled over this one by William Cowper. It looks to me to be a response to Psalm 51: The Lord will happiness divine On contrite hearts bestow; Then tell me, gracious God, is mine A contrite heart or no? I hear, but seem to hear in vain, Insensible as steel; If aught is felt, ‘tis only pain, To find I cannot feel. I sometimes...

Nunc dimittis

Byartsyhonker February 2, 2015 0 Comments
Today is Candlemas. Yesterday I preached at Christ Church Wanstead for the occasion; today I put the finishing touches on my setting of the Nunc dimittis. It's SATB a capella, and a bit crunchy in places; being a bit calmer than some settings, it would be particularly appropriate for use during a service of sung Compline. I've put it up at CPDL as usual but it won't be visible there for another...

Transfiguration — Demo recording

Byartsyhonker January 8, 2015 0 Comments
"Transfiguration-Mariawald-Abbey" by Master of St Severin - Victoria and Albert Museum, . Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons. Some time ago I set Thomas Thurman's poem, "Transfiguration", as a flexible anthem. It can be sung unison and organ, but if there are more voices can expand to soprano and alto, or even soprano, alto and baritone. I've finally gotten around to doing a...

Composer in Residence?

Byartsyhonker October 17, 2014 0 Comments
I've been thinking a lot lately about how to continue building some kind of career as a composer of choral music, especially liturgical music. I do most of my publicity online, and church music is still a largely-offline world. I do love our small-but-mighty choir at St Andrew's Leytonstone, but realistically, they can't sing my SATB work, and the unison/two-part/flexible music I write for them...

Love (III)

Byartsyhonker July 27, 2014 0 Comments
At St Andrew's Leytonstone we had the final service of our much-loved parish priest, Fr Duncan, this morning. I've interrupted the Song Cycle pilgrimage to come back and play. He is retiring and we will all miss him loads. I wanted to do something special for this service, so I asked him for a favourite poem. When he said "Love bade me welcome" by George Herbert, I was delighted; and I had...

O come hither

Byartsyhonker June 5, 2014 1 Comment
One of the pleasures of singing and playing in the London Gallery Quire is being allowed to spring my music on them from time to time. A greater joy is the privilege of performing, from time to time, the work of our musical director, Dr Francis Roads. I like his work enough that I asked him to write a piece for my wedding; he did, and "Set me as a seal" was just the right thing for the context,...

Open Volume

Byartsyhonker May 21, 2014 0 Comments
I am looking for words and music for a hymnal. The working title is "Open Volume: singable, photocopiable hymns". The intent is to create a body of new hymnody which will be available to churches as a supplement, or as individual pieces; to showcase the work of writers and composers who might not gain the attention of traditional publishers; and to make the advantages of Creative Commons...