Boosey & Hawkes Contemporary Choral Series

Composer's note: 'I was introduced to William Blake's poem The Lamb many years ago through John Tavener's famous setting and, when commissioned by York Minster to write a carol for their 2019 nine les...

Composer's note: 'The words of Edith Reed's translation of this traditional Polish poem wonderfully encapsulate the Christmas message. I love the way that the text captures the innocence and humblenes...

Composer's note: 'Walter De La Mare's poem Clouded with snow paints an atmospheric picture of late afternoon in winter and I was drawn to the image of a bleak yet beautiful landscape with the faint gl...

A beautiful short setting of the ordinary of the Latin mass (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus & Benedictus, and Agnus Dei) by emerging Cornish composer Becky McGlade. The Kyrie finds beauty in its simplicity, w...

A contemplative and affecting setting of the opening two verses of Psalm 91, which tells of God's protection for those who follow Him, by Cornish composer Becky McGlade, one of the fine emerging voice...

A reflective setting of the one of the Marian antiphons (‘Hail, Queen of Heaven') by emerging composer Kerensa Briggs. A continuous, largely homophonic choral texture underpins the work, with rich har...

A tender shoot is a new setting of a 15th century German poem, poetized by Otto Goldschmidt and translated into English by William Bartholomew in the 19th century. The setting was commissioned by the...

In this contemporary setting of the traditional text Hodie Christus natus est, the piece begins in a hushed, exultant manner marking the news that 'today Christ was born'. The piece then slowly builds...

Each year the BBC Music Magazine commissions a brand-new Christmas Carol for their readers and, when Grace-Evangeline Mason was invited to compose the 2021 carol, she decided to write and set her own...

Ben Ponniah started singing at St Mary-le-Tower Church in 1990 when he was six years old. John Cooper was the Organist and Director of Music at the time, followed by Michael Nicholas. Seeing the star...

O magnum mysterium was written in 2013 and is dedicated to Dawn Herbert, the composer's ex-wife and the mother of his son, Reginald. It was written while staying at her family's farm in Cambridgeshire...

This work was composed in 2020 and was commissioned by the Lord Burghley 500 Foundation for a Service of Thanksgiving in Westminster Abbey to celebrate the 500th anniversary of the birth of William Ce...

Composer’s note In Sancta Mater, the fifth movement of my Stabat Mater, we comfort not only Mother Mary but all parents who have lost their own child, and we cry and we pray with them. Musically, the...

Composer’s note This piece is an adaptation of the instrumental movement ‘Reflection’ in my large-scale work The Stranger. I was inspired by research showing the emotional effect of having eye contact...

Composer’s note Eja Mater is a prayer for comfort to all parents who have lost their own child but also expresses love from parents to their children. Originally written for choir and orchestra as par...

Of all the souls was written for and performed at the wedding of its composer and lyricist (Ed and Alice Newton-Rex) in 2016. The profound and vow-like text encapsulates the essence of a fulfilled sea...

A setting of verses 7 and 8 of Psalm 57 ('My heart, O God, is steadfast. I will sing and make music. Awake, my soul! Awake, O harp and lyre! I will awake the dawn.') this work celebrates music's impor...

Short motet commissioned by St Dominic’s Sixth Form College, Harrow-on-the-Hill, UK, to celebrate its 40th anniversary. MacMillan chose a text which is entirely appropriate to young people about to be...

This carol is one of the pieces that were produced during a full weekend of group composition with Anna Lapwood and the Pembroke College Girls’ Choir, a process with which they had experimented previo...

This carol sets the final three verses of Sara Teasdale’s light-hearted retelling of the nativity story, in which a host of angels arrive at the stable, and herald the birth with their joyful song. Th...

The poet, Wendy Cope, conjures a heartwarming image of Christmas in the home. This setting of her comforting poem translates this imagery into a classic Christmas choral sound - a simple, memorable tu...

Adapted from Velvet Shoes by Elinor Wylie, the text of this carol portrays the tranquil, almost eerie, atmosphere of walking alone in fresh snow. The musical setting reflects scenery, with a soaring s...

This carol sets the final three verses of Sara Teasdale’s light-hearted retelling of the nativity story, in which a host of angels arrive at the stable, and herald the birth with their joyful song. Th...

The poet, Wendy Cope, conjures a heartwarming image of Christmas in the home. This setting of her comforting poem translates this imagery into a classic Christmas choral sound - a simple, memorable tu...