This is a tuneful, contemporary setting of a multi-verse carol for choir a cappella using an original melody. It starts with a statement by the alto section and gradually adds parts and harmonic variations. The unusual time signature of 5/4 provides a lilt and propels the piece forward. All parts sing the melody along the […]
“O Child” is written from the perspective of Joseph and Mary, imagining what they might have been thinking and feeling when they first beheld the newborn baby Jesus. Composer Michael T. Roberts also penned the words, inspired by his experience as a father of two.
In this fresh, sparkling take on a beloved hymn tune, a perpetual motion accompaniment drives a whirlwind celebration of beauty in the world around us and our ability to perceive it.
This very simple Christmas song is aimed at younger children. It is in unison throughout, apart from a brief optional descant part near the end. Accompaniment is for piano, and a few simple percussion instruments may be added if desired. This is the original version (GTT-025a), which refers directly to Christ’s Nativity, and is suitable […]
This setting of the classic Christmas carol begins with a quiet and intimate first verse that broadens out into an angelic, celebratory interlude section culminating in an exciting fanfare. The second verse features a soaring duet between tenor melody and soprano descant, but devolves into chaos as the text reflects on the world’s “babel sounds,” but […]
This popular spiritual has been arranged for SATB and piano duet (4 hands, one piano). Uplifting AND fun to sing, with a very exciting accompaniment. There are multiple optional, short solos. A great time will be had by all!
Click here to follow the score: https://youtu.be/kSR8gohqJVY This setting of ‘Jesus, friend of little children’ was written about 30 years ago, for the baptism of our younger daughter. It was written as a soprano solo with piano accompaniment. In this current version, it may still be performed as a solo, if desired, but I have added […]
‘Rejoice! A Christmas Fanfare’ was written as the opening number for a series of four Christmas Concerts held in Birmingham’s Symphony Hall in December 2015. As a number of youth choirs and a community chorus were taking part in these concerts, they were all involved individually and jointly in the piece, which was built […]
AT THE CROSS is a simple arrangement of the beloved hymn with fresh and poignant harmonies. Set for SATB choir with piano accompaniment, it is moderately easy but rewarding of good musicianship. The light, delicate accompaniment directs the focus onto the text while providing the perfect amount of color and interest. It allows a choir […]
These Biblical texts are often associated with the Advent season of the Christian calendar. It is also sung anytime of the year at “Evensong” in Episcopal and Anglican traditions. The accompaniment is a traditional Woodwind Quintet. The composer knows of no other choral piece that uses this instrumental combination to accompany a choral work. If there are none, then, […]
Neapolitan Carol evokes the starry night in Bethlehem, as three travelers from afar arrive to pay homage to the newborn child. Sung in the original Neapolitan, the arrangement also includes an optional English text by the composer. At a glance: SATB • piano • c. 2’15” Difficulty: easy-moderate For HS, university, community choirs Neapolitan pronunciation […]
This setting of the traditional “Hail Mary” prayer takes a new approach, employing a lullaby rhythm in F minor. The voices become a haunting plea for forgiveness and intercession. The piano accompaniment provides support for the singers while still maintaining its own voice.
This new setting of the traditional Latin prayer features traditional harmonies and a simple unhurried rhythm, providing ample space for prayer and contemplation of the one blessed among women.
This communion motet, setting the famous 14th century words attributed to Innocent VI, took the prize in the Composition Competition of The Wessex Festival in August 2016. It has since been sung in venues including Ripon Cathedral, UK. Set largely homophonically for SATB choir without divisions, its well-structured melody is complemented by the texture created […]
This beloved folk tune has been arranged with optional, muted trumpet (the timbre adds to the mood of the piece). The piano accompaniment expands the 4-part harmony of the choir to suggest more contemporary harmony with a few jazz chords. It’s not overdone, however; “Poor Wayfarin’ Stranger” is still a traditional, compelling portrait of a […]
Set in three languages (Spanish, English, and Latin), each iteration takes a slightly different style for the message of Psalm 18 (19): “The ordinances of the Lord are right…”
This carol was first published in 1833 in a collection entitled “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern”. William Sandys, a solicitor by day and music & manuscript collector by night, purportedly came across the tune in Devonshire, England. In this gentle setting from 1991 many colors of choral writing appear with sections for SATB, 3-part men, […]
Based on traditional hymns and chants, these three brief anthems present the seasonal texts in a new and compelling way. “Savior of the nations, come!” and “Creator of the stars of night” are easy and very accessible. “Come thou redeemer of the world,” while more advanced, with close harmonies and disparate key changes, repays the […]
This setting of the Offertory for the Third Sunday of Easter (Psalm 145:2) uses the Latin form of:Praise the Lord, O my soul:I will praise the Lord throughout my life;I will sing to my God for as long as I live,alleluia
This new setting of the Christmas/Epiphany words, “As with gladness, men of old did the guiding star behold” seeks to emphasize the joyful nature of the visit of the Magi to the Christ child. Set in a lively 7/8 time, it is mainly in four parts (SATB), although the 3rd verse, “As they offered gifts most rare” […]
A tender new Christmas lullaby is combined with a solo trumpet, which begins to play “Lo, How a Rose ‘ere Blooming.” Text by Edward Caswall (1814-1878) Mary Breden led her Consort Singers of Loyola Marymount University in the premiere at their 2018 Christmas program.
Forget the traditional setting of “We thee kings of Orient are”! This is a much more reflective version, for choir and orchestra, given its first performance by the Nidarosdomens Guttekor in the splendid setting of Trondheim Cathedral in December 2017. They also performed the piece on their pre-Christmas tour, using just organ for accompaniment. The […]
An English translation of the poem “Friede auf Erden” by Conrad Ferdinand Meyer (1825-1898) is set for SSATB choir unaccompanied. Referencing the Christmas story, this setting brings to life the text with lush harmonies freely changing key centers as the story progresses. Each of the four stanzas ends with a variation on the musical material […]
This setting of Ralph Vaughan Williams’ stately, mixed-meter hymn tune uses shimmering tone clusters to depict the textual themes of light and fire in the first two verses. The third verse emphasizes themes of humility and service in an earthy a cappella setting, after which a building organ interlude leads into a towering and majestic […]
Sanford Dole’s Ave Maria is a harmonized setting of the Gregorian chant antiphon. The soprano part is a metrical version of the Gregorian chant melody. The other parts create a harmonic world that is uniquely Dole’s; what his choirs refer to as the “Dolian mode.”
This setting of the classic Christmas carol begins with a quiet and intimate first verse that broadens out into an angelic, celebratory interlude section culminating in an exciting fanfare. The second verse features a soaring duet between tenor melody and soprano descant, but devolves into chaos as the text reflects on the world’s “babel sounds,” […]
This setting of the Anglican communion/mass service – Gloria, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei – is simple and tuneful. The writing is in the tradition of the great English composers of the 20th century. The Gloria is available as a separate anthem through Swirly. It can be performed as a general-purpose anthem or during the […]
This sweet and gentle setting of a classic Southern Harmony hymn features the Alto section in its first verse, then opens out into a joyful depiction of the sensation of flight. The second verse features birdcalls in the piano accompaniment. Recording by First Readings Project. Find the SSAA version of this piece here.
This carol originated in the city of Wexford in the southeastern Republic of Ireland. It was transcribed from a local singer by the noted Irish author, composer, musicologist, and historian W. H. Grattan Flood (1859–1928). It eventually made its way into the Oxford Book of Carols. It has a modal (Mixolydian) feel, constantly shifting between […]
Charles Wesley’s hymn text based on the story of Jacob wrestling with the angel depicts a deeply human struggle for truth and understanding. This a cappella setting of the text grows with the building intensity of Jacob’s determination, finally breaking into the joy of revelation and reassurance in the final verse.
“Love is strong as death” This moving sentiment from the Song of Solomon is appropriate for many occasions, and the subtle counterpoint of this setting will delight singers and audience alike.
This setting of the Gloria text in English is excerpted from a longer Anglican communion/mass service — Communion Service in D — also published on Swirly (including settings of the Hosanna, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei). The Gloria is a simple, tuneful arrangement that can be performed as a general-purpose anthem or during the Christmas season. […]
This sweet and gentle setting of a classic Southern Harmony hymn features the Alto section in its first verse, then opens out into a joyful depiction of the sensation of flight. The second verse features birdcalls in the piano accompaniment. Recording by First Readings Project. This recording is of the SATB version of the piece, […]
Using jazz-influenced harmonies Dole seeks to capture the mystery implied in the text. Adding the text Noe, and omitting the concluding O beata Virgo verse, the piece builds to a peppier Noel! section before returning to the opening O magnum music and leaving the audience with the quiet chords of the mystery of the scene […]
This original anthem is suitable for all occasions and offers a gentle, contemporary setting of the text used by Anton Bruckner in his well-known composition of the same name composed in 1869. “This place was made by God, a priceless sacrament; it is without reproach.” Genesis 28:16 Exodus 3:5.
The familiar words, “It came upon a midnight clear”, are set to a lively tune, with piano accompaniment, and a simple refrain is added, with the words “Deo, Deo, Gloria in excelsis Deo” (“Glory to God in the highest”). Written with women’s voices in mind, it could also be tackled by a good children’s choir.
This is a straightforward setting for choir and organ/keyboard of an Appalachian carol found by John Jacob Niles (1892-1980). Niles was an American composer, singer, and collector of traditional ballads. He discovered this carol in Mayfield, Kentucky in 1933. Niles was an important influence on the American folk music revival of the 1950s and 1960s, […]
“Prelude and Cherubic Hymn” was commissioned by the John F. Kennedy School in Berlin, to mark the 25th anniversary of their annual Advent services held in Berlin Cathedral. It was performed by joint choirs, drawn from students, parents and faculty, and choir members of the American Church in Berlin on 29 November 2017. The piece […]
A setting of words by Eric Gosney, When Love came to the world is an original carol suitable for use in either services or concerts. Its four verses talk of the response to Christ’s Nativity of the sleeping, unprepared world, the shepherds, the Magi and ourselves today. It is set for SATB choir with Tenor […]
This energetic setting of Gloria in excelsis Deo, from the Latin Mass, opens with rhythmic patterns that enhance the text. Midway through, the chorus softly occults between two simple chords under an alto then baritone soloists. The opening patterns return before a fugal section at the text “cum santo spiritu.” The final Amen is another […]
Hildegard’s ecstatic praise of the Holy Trinity is mirrored in this expressive setting, built on an original chant inspired by Hildegard’s music. Premiere given 5/20/22 in Leipzig by Neue Kammer + Friends, conducted by Franziska Kuba.
The modern Chapel is a meeting-place for diverse musical expression, a place where choral polyphony has long had a home. The term “a cappella” (“in the style of the chapel”) evokes the sound of a Renaissance chorus unaided by any church organ. This original collection of 14 sacred and biblical rounds (a “poor man’s polyphony”) […]
This carol was first published in 1833 in a collection entitled “Christmas Carols Ancient and Modern”. William Sandys, a solicitor by day and music & manuscript collector by night, purportedly came across the tune in Devonshire, England. In this gentle setting from 1991 many colors of choral writing appear with sections for SATB, 3-part men, […]
