Sheet Music by Female Composers: A Rich and Diverse Selection

Described as 'an outstanding work of great solemnity and poignancy' (Tempo, 2013), McDowall's meditation on the sorrows of the Virgin Mary is a sophisticated alternative to more well-known settings.

For SSA and piano Taken from a suite of three pieces by Cecilia McDowall called Lonely Hearts, composed in 2005, this is a light and energetic setting of a whimsical text by Christie Dickinson about a...

Here in my Heart is an uplifting setting of an original text by the composer that explores the power of the natural world to fill the heart with song. The evocative melody uses syncopated rhythms to c...

Commissioned for the 2015 National Conference of the American Choral Directors Association, Wide Open Spaces reflects on the journeys and adventures to be found in the wide open spaces within ourselve...

Night Flight was written to mark the centenary of Harriet Quimby's pioneering flight across the English channel. Setting texts by Sheila Bryer on the mysterious powers of the sea, earth, and air, McDo...

Voice on the Wind sets an inspiring text, written by the composer, about the empowerment of singing. With a catchy melody, imitative scat singing, and a driving hand drum accompaniment, this piece has...

Written for the 2016 'Requiem to Cancer' event at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, Now is the Time sets hopeful and inspirational words by Marie Curie. McDowall's setting is optimistic and appealing,...

Voice on the Wind sets an inspiring text, written by the composer, about the empowerment of singing. With a catchy melody, imitative scat singing, and a driving hand drum accompaniment, this piece has...

In this fast and energetic piece, Quartel sets her own text celebrating the joy of singing. The melody weaves in and out of the texture, supported by dynamic vocal accompaniment and rhythmically drive...

Setting a moving text inspired by Chief Seattle, Quartel appeals for better stewardship of the planet through gentle flowing lines and expansive textures. The melodies are accessible throughout and we...

This is a beautiful piece setting an evocative text by Anne Bronte that explores natural imagery on a blustery day and the feelings they inspire. Supported by the piano acccompaniment, Quartel's soari...

Here in my Heart is an uplifting setting of an original text by the composer that explores the power of the natural world to fill the heart with song. The evocative melody uses syncopated rhythms to c...

Immerse yourself in a magical world of sound: "Here On These Branches", published by Oxford University Press, is an enchanting choral work for four-part women's choir (SSAA) and percussion. This evoca...

This is a gentle setting of an optimistic text about joy and hope and the expression of these through song. Sister Song features delicate piano ostinatos, persuasive melodies, close harmonies, and con...

This is a beautiful piece setting an evocative text by Anne Brontë that explores natural imagery on a blustery day and the feelings they inspire. Supported by the piano acccompaniment, Quartel's soari...

This uplifting work by American composer Reginal Wright sets a text by the nineteenth-century poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy. The powerful words are sung to a memorable melody embellished with syncopation...

Now is the Time by Cecilia McDowall is an uplifting and optimistic choral work for mixed choir (SATB) and piano, published by Oxford University Press. Setting inspirational and visionary words by the...

This secular work for upper voices sensitively sets Langston Hughes's poem of the same name. Featuring a lilting melodic line, eloquent part-writing, and an effective piano part. Also available in ver...

Skempton's setting of the text from the Book of Revelation is reflective rather than ferocious, and trusts in the power of understatement.

Garden of Dreams sets of fragments of text by Sappho, translated by Arthur Sanders Way and A. S. Kline. Sarah Quartel has used cross-rhythms, syncopation, and flowing melodic lines to create a sense o...

Setting inspiring words by James Weldon Johnson, this work is both poignant and stirring. My heart be brave is an ideal choice for choirs looking to address issues of social justice in their programmi...

In this spacious motet Jackson creates an original sound-world in praise of the Virgin Mary. Traditional Latin texts are combined with a Christina Rossetti poem celebrating the Annunciation.

Walt Whitman's poetry abounds in references to music and song but nowhere more so than in 'That Music Always Round Me'. Skempton's captivating setting acknowledges the serenity and timelessness of the...

There is a flow'r is a beautifully simple setting of a 15th-century text by the poet and priest John Audelay.

This beautiful anthem, set to words by Timothy Rees and the composer, celebrates God's all-encompassing love for mankind. The gentle melody introduced in verse 1 by the sopranos prevails throughout an...