Tag: works:SATB

Benedictus

Byartsyhonker May 24, 2014 0 Comments
Some of my favourite words in the New Testament are from the Benedictus: said or sung at Morning Prayer in the Anglican tradition, this canticle is the song of Zechariah at the birth of his son, John the Baptist. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel : for he hath visited, and redeemed his people; And hath raised up a mighty salvation for us : in the house of his servant David; As he spoke by the...

The Message of the Wind

Byartsyhonker April 15, 2014 0 Comments
I have a new choral work up on the Choral Public Domain Library: The Message of the Wind. This was written for the Nicola Dando Choral Composition Prize, which this year had five set texts; in the end, I thought my setting of another of the texts was a stronger piece, and submitted it for the competition instead. The words are by Harriet Monroe, a poet whose work I hope to explore more. The wind...

Pied Beauty

Byartsyhonker February 6, 2014 0 Comments
A few weeks ago I spied a call for scores with a theme of nature, one or two parts and accompanied by piano. I asked on Twitter for suitable texts, preferably not too church-y because the context wasn't a liturgical one. One text that caught my eye is "Thaw" by Edward Thomas; I will post about it separately once it is complete. I believe Pete Phillips is the person who first suggested this text...

“I walked in darkness”: an anthem for Epiphany

Byartsyhonker January 13, 2014 0 Comments
I wrote this one for a competition at St Paul's Cathedral. They didn't get back to me, so I'm assuming that someone else won. The words are by Thomas Thurman, and were written at my request. I like his poetry generally, but have usually worked with finished works; it was interesting and delightful to see this poem taking shape and even have a bit of influence over the wording in one or two lines....

New music for Pentecost: Sweet Spirit Comfort Me

Byartsyhonker May 18, 2012 1 Comment
St Paul's Cathedral had another composition competition. I only found out about it around ten days before the deadline but decided it was worth at least looking at the suggested texts and having a go at writing something. The result? Three verses of Robert Herrick's "Litany to the Holy Spirit", set for SATB. It's a bit mournful perhaps, but so is the text. Each verse is set differently, so adding...

Song for October Ending

Byartsyhonker August 31, 2011 0 Comments
In around 2006 I wrote this SATB setting of a poem by my grandmother. The weather is a bit autumnal here today and a few people were talking about things they like about autumn, so I thought I'd post it even though it's two months early. SONG FOR OCTOBER ENDING For a season cold rain imprisons us; our lives circle around coffee cups, blue teapots, things simmering on the stove, baking in the...

In Commendation of Music

Byartsyhonker April 18, 2011 0 Comments
Somehow, I neglected to blog about this at the time... last year I wanted to make a birthday present for Stella, who keeps everything ticking over smoothly at Quire. So of course I wrote a piece of music. The text is by one William Strode, and I chose it (after the usual laboured searching) because it was a fairly simple metrical poem which I could set in the style of an 18th-century glee. PDF...

Busy…

Byartsyhonker November 5, 2009 0 Comments
I do seem to be having something of a dry spell, in terms of blogging here. I have been quite busy! I composed an anthem; it was sung during a church service on 27th September. The sheet music is available here and a MIDI file here; I don't yet have a suitable recording. The piece is dedicated to Rev Dr Catherine Dowland-Pillinger, on the occasion of her ordination to the priesthood of the Church...