Sheet Music by Female Composers: A Rich and Diverse Selection

Cecilia McDowall's fresh and appealing style is amply displayed in this cycle, subtitled 'Three Shakespeare Songs' and first performed by the BBC Singers. In total, six Shakespeare texts are used, and...

Setting part of a Eucharistic hymn text by Thomas Aquinas, this piece is suitable for liturgical or concert use. Flowing and expressive, it features homophonic sections, melismatic lines, and optional...

Cecilia, Busy Like a Bee is a reflective setting of a text adapted from the Divine Office for St Cecilia's Day. The influence of plainchant is particularly apparent in the soprano solo, and McDowall i...

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...

With a newly written text by Angier Brock, this compelling anthem by Cecilia McDowall is a welcome addition to the traditional Easter repertoire. Easter Light explores a variety of styles and colours,...

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.

This piece sets a joyful text celebrating the beauty found all around us. Characterized by tight harmonies and a dynamic hand drum line, the buoyant 7/8 metre drives the piece forward. Lush harmonies...

This anthem sets biblical words that explore love and kindness. The opening section creates a mood of hopefulness, and the central section is built around the words 'Be kind, tender-hearted, one to an...

An atmospheric setting of Caliban's dream from The Tempest, this piece transports the listener to a dream-like place. McDowall's immersive harmonies and ornamentation perfectly characterise the reveri...

I will be with you sets a reflective text by the composer with a message of enduring solace. Lush harmonies, with predominantly homophonic passagework, coupled with flowing and cascading lines in ever...

This is a tender setting of a text by American poet Edith Franklin Wyatt that speaks of companionship and the joys of sharing it as we travel along the road of life. Hagenberg employs her rich harmoni...

This is a tender setting of a text by American poet Edith Franklin Wyatt that speaks of companionship and the joys of sharing it as we travel along the road of life. Hagenberg employs her rich harmoni...

This expressive, proclamatory setting of verses from George Herbert's 'Easter' features eminently singable vocal lines, antiphonal writing, and imaginative word-painting.

This expressive, proclamatory setting of verses from George Herbert's 'Easter' features eminently singable vocal lines, antiphonal writing, and imaginative word-painting.

This setting of A spotless Rose reflects the wintry starkness of the fifteenth-century text through its minor key and bare upper-voice opening, while the warmth of the full voicing on the words 'light...

With a newly written text by Angier Brock, this compelling anthem by Cecilia McDowall is a welcome addition to the traditional Easter repertoire. Easter Light explores a variety of styles and colours,...

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 for services and concerts throughout...

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 sensitive part-writing and accessible voc...

This anthem sets biblical words that explore love and kindness. The opening section creates a mood of hopefulness, and the central section is built around the words 'Be kind, tender-hearted, one to an...

An atmospheric setting of Caliban's dream from The Tempest, this piece transports the listener to a dream-like place. McDowall's immersive harmonies and ornamentation perfectly characterise the reveri...

I will be with you sets a reflective text by the composer with a message of enduring solace. Lush harmonies, with predominantly homophonic passagework, coupled with flowing and cascading lines in ever...

This setting of A Spotless Rose reflects the wintry starkness of the fifteenth-century text through its minor key and bare upper-voice opening, while the warmth of the full voicing on the words 'light...

McGlade's setting of 'The Call' by George Herbert is simple but effective, reflecting the directness of the original poem. The three-bar phrases create a feeling of expectancy throughout the verses, a...

This is a beautiful and dynamic setting of well-known words from the Song of Songs (or Song of Soloman). With a soaring soprano melody, McGlade's fluid vocal lines drive harmonic twists within an imme...

This is a beautiful and dynamic setting of well-known words from the Song of Songs (or Song of Soloman). With a soaring soprano melody, McGlade's fluid vocal lines drive harmonic twists within an imme...