Cecilia McDowall

Setting a fifteenth-century English text containing some short Latin passages, this is a joyful, dance-like carol with a medieval feel. Now may we singen was originally published in the New Horizons c...

This work is destined to become a classic of the repertoire. The contrasting movements (I Power of Dreams- II Kirchner's Ear) are superbly written and result in a substantial and powerful work and a m...

Commissioned by Ralph Woodward and the Fairhaven Singers in memory of Dora Kemp, one of the choir's sopranos, God is Light sets lines from Psalm 139, 1 Thessalonians, and 1 John. It moves from an unse...

This jubilant carol sets an evocative fourteenth-century text celebrating the birth of Christ. With a lilting, medieval feel and changing metres, Of A Rose has been recorded by The Sixteen on their al...

Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo tells the extraordinary story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy forced by war to flee her home and embark on an arduous journey to Europe...

This inventive work, composed in 2019, owes its title to that year's two great anniversaries connected to manned flight: the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and the 500th anniversary of the...

Four Shakespeare Songs sets texts exploring different aspects of love. Using passages from various Shakespeare plays, McDowall's writing is beautiful and clever in how it reflects the moods and emotio...

A setting of one of the seven Advent 'O' Antiphons, O Oriens makes use of luxurious and exotic harmonies, creating a shimmering texture. The focus on human enlightenment in winter's darkness means the...

Traditionally sung on Christmas Eve, 'O Virgo virginum' is often described as the eighth ‘O' Antiphon and praises Mary, ‘O virgin of (amongst) virgins.' McDowall's setting is vigorous and joyful, with...

This attractive motet was written for performance alongside Brahms's Requiem. The gracefully sculpted music clothes the text with touching melodies, expressive harmonies and varied sonorities.

For SSATB unaccompanied. New Horizons showcases the wealth of exciting, innovative, and occasionally challenging choral music being written today. It encompasses the whole gamut of small-scale choral...

This is the third in a trilogy of organ works inspired by the metaphysical poet, George Herbert. This piece and the first of the three, Sounding heaven and earth, draw their titles from George Herbert...

Composed for performance at degree ceremonies at the University of Portsmouth, this work captures the joy and excitement of such occasions, partly through the incorporation of a quote from Thomas Rave...

for SSATBB unaccompanied A beautiful 6-part unaccompanied Marian motet written for the Marian Consort. The work combines reminiscences of Renaissance settings of this text with McDowall's distinctive...

SATB unaccompanied This set of Preces and Responses was commissioned by the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music for their 2010 festival. The work is uplifting, beautifully crafted, and perfec...

for SATB (divisi) with 2 soprano solos This engagingly written piece sets the Lamentations of Jeremiah. The overlapping passages of music passed between the soloists and the choir create a dramatic ef...

Setting a text spoken by Nurse Edith Cavell on the eve of her execution in 1915 and re-fashioned by the poet Sean Street, McDowall has created a work of haunting beauty. It is equally suitable for fun...

Setting a well-known poem by Percy Shelley, Love's Philosophy is a sweet and tender choral song reflecting on the idea of love with reference to nature and the interdependent relationships evident in...

for SATB double choir unaccompanied Inspired by A. E. Borthwick's painting of the same title, The Presence sets lines from Psalms 18, 27, 36, 112, and 119 mainly concerned with light. While suitable f...

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied This Advent carol is based on words from John Donne's Holy Sonnets. McDowall creates a captivating atmosphere as the voices explore a mystical soundworld. The s...

McDowall's setting of Isaac Watts' Cradle Hymn is beautifully tender, coloured by its rich harmonies, suspensions, and chromatic notes. The melodies are complimented by sustained 'oo's and 'ah's and r...

Written in an a cappella style with scat accompaniment, A Tree is a Song is a joyful celebration of the affinity between trees and how wisdom can be passed on 'as a melody from tree to tree'. McDowall...

This solemn yet dramatic work sets a traditional Latin prayer lauding the Virgin Mary, with intense melodic lines that are at once steadfast and arresting, reflecting the mystery of the immaculate con...