Sacred Music

This setting was commissioned by Choir and Organ magazine in 2003 and first performed by St Alban's Cathedral Choir under the direction of Andrew Lucas. Offprinted from the collection Cantica Nova.

This Introit is the first of four Latin motets commissioned for the 1976 Edington Festival and first performed in Edington Priory. The Introit firsty pays tribute to Augustine, and then, in a more liv...

Aiming for weightless flexibility of expression, this setting employs an idiom detectably in keeping with aspects of medieval practise. Offprinted from the collection Cantica Nova.

At only one point in the piece (bars 37-9) does the the level rise above piano. Despite occassional tuning demands, it should be well within the reach of many choirs. Offprinted from the collection Ca...

A short, eloquant piece commissioned by Winchester College reflecting the spirit of Advent. Offprinted from the collection Cantica Nova.

Bob Chilcott wrote this piece at the request of a friend and colleague Michael Emery, the Producer of the BBC Singers, who wanted a new piece to sing at Mass in Notre Dame, Paris, while touring with t...

This motet was written to celebrate the golden jubilee of Canon Francis Bartlett's priesthood and first performed at the Church of St Anselm and St Cecilia, Kingsway on 29 June 1985. Offprinted from t...

This motet features text painting throughout the piece, with the music opening outwards from a unison F to reflect a flower slowly unfolding when exposed to sunlight, as well as a chill wind sweeping...

This echoing motet was composed for Edward Higginbottom and the Choir of the New College, Oxford, and was subsequently used for their tour around Europe. Offprinted from the collection Cantica Nova.

This exciting concert piece sets Latin words from the mass orders of the Catholic Church and the Book of Isaiah to form a versatile text that is suitable for both Christmas and for general use through...

In this arrangement of the Appalachian folk carol, Mack Wilberg provides a gentle harmonization suitable for a lullaby to the Christ child. A slight sense of foreboding is introduced in the central mi...

Setting a collect from the Book of Common Prayer, this introit plays on McDowall's characteristic use of dissonance and modal inflections to create a hypnotic and slightly unsettled soundworld that re...

Lucy Walker's thoughtful setting of There is no rose flows between swells of emotion and warm chromatic inflections in the Latin refrains. This piece captures the natural emphases of the text, seamles...

This short evening prayer by James Whitbourn sets an excerpt from the Book of Common Prayer. Written for the Choir of Harris Manchester College, Oxford, it is a meditative request for God's protection...

In Quiet Peace sets tender words by the composer, Tristino Ali, reflecting on the calm found when spending time alone with God. With accessibly written and primarily stepwise parts, Ali achieves a rem...

My soul is awakened sets words by Anne Brontë about the uplifting effect of nature on the human spirit. Ali's setting is also suitably uplifting, with a memorable and syncopated melody that ebbs and f...

Keep me as the apple of the eye is a tranquil and meditative sacred work, suitable for performance throughout the liturgical year. Drawn from Psalm 17, the text is a plea for shelter and protection in...

Based on the well-known poem by William Blake, this Christmas piece transports listeners with sounds of heavenly angels beckoning the little Lamb in layered melodic fragments that cascade through the...

Written to celebrate the 950th anniversary of St Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, this compelling double-choir setting of the Missa brevis is suitable for both liturgical and concert settings. The work o...

Written to celebrate the 950th anniversary of St Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, this compelling double-choir Missa brevis setting is suitable for liturgical and concert settings. The music is beautiful...

Written in response to Gibbons' famous setting of the same text from Psalm 47, this piece uses syncopated rhythms, imitative polyphonic textures, and declarative homophonic moments to create a piece f...

SSATB unaccompanied Harrap's inventive and dramatic setting of the well-known Eucharist hymn text provides a contemporary alternative to more familiar versions by Byrd, Mozart, and Elgar. In five unac...

'Locus iste' has become a popular text for church dedication services. This simple and beautiful linear setting by O'Regan provides a stylish alternative to other, over-familiar settings.

This innovative setting of the Magnificat celebrates the strength of teenage girls and is suitable for both liturgical and concert performance. The upper-voices sing in the style of Bulgarian choral f...

One of the simplest and best-loved of 16th-century anthems.