for SSAATTBB and Organ. Par DOVE JONATHAN. Praise Him with the Sound of the Trumpet was commissioned by Alan and Victoria Young to celebrate the eighteenth birthday of their daughter, Kate, to whom the anthem is dedicated. The first performance was given by the Choir of Guildford Cathedral, in which Kate had been a chorister for some time. Kate's great love of music guided the composer's choice of…

This double choir anthem setting a text from the 12th century Worcester Acclamations was written for St Paul's Cathedral, London, with the music incorporating breathing space to allow for the cathedral's natural reverberation. Counterpoint is contrasted with simple harmonies and glowing Alleluias to telling effect, plus melismatic solos for treble/soprano. The anthem starts from the sopranos and w…

Par MARTIN MATTHEW. Behold, now praise the Lord is a dramatic work, written for the combined choirs of St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Westminster Cathedral and was commissioned for the annual St Cecilia Service in St Paul’s Cathedral by Help Musicians UK. Dedicated to the memory of the organist John Scott, it is characterised by a virtuoso organ part and striking, declamatory four-part…

' Ave verum was commissioned early in 2011 by Edward Rowntree for the birthday of his father, John Rowntree, director of music at Douai Abbey in the UK. My aim was to write a piece both short and simple, suitable for regular liturgical use. There are, of course, many wonderful settings of this text already, not least those by William Byrd and Edward Elgar, both of which I sang as a boy. In this in…

Psalm 129. Par CAMPRA ANDRE. In his roles as Music Director at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris and in the Royal Choir [chapel] of Louis XV, André Campra (1660-1744) composed numerous motets which frequently displayed the influence of contemporary opera. If today Campra is known almost exclusively for his famous Requiem, nevertheless his more than forty motets composed for soli, choir and orch…

Arr. Philip Sparke. Par FRANCK CESAR. Although Cesar Franck won many prizes during his student days his music was generally unrecognised by his contemporaries. His pieces were written in the romantic style whilst retaining a classical structure and his later compositions were referred to as 'cathedrals of sound'. Panis Angelicus is poetic and almost serene and this arrangement by Philip Sparke ret…

Arr. Philip Sparke. Par FRANCK CESAR. Although Cesar Franck won many prizes during his student days his music was generally unrecognised by his contemporaries. His pieces were written in the romantic style whilst retaining a classical structure and his later compositions were referred to as 'cathedrals of sound'. Panis Angelicus is poetic and almost serene and this arrangement by Philip Sparke ret…

Arr. Philip Sparke. Par FRANCK CESAR. Although Cesar Franck won many prizes during his student days his music was generally unrecognised by his contemporaries. His pieces were written in the romantic style whilst retaining a classical structure and his later compositions were referred to as 'cathedrals of sound'. Panis Angelicus is poetic and almost serene and this arrangement by Philip Sparke ret…