Noel!  

A new setting of the traditional English carol, ‘The First Nowell’.  This was first performed by the City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus and Orchestra, to whom it is dedicated. It can also be performed with piano or organ accompaniment.  It is published by OUP, and the orchestral parts are available on hire.

Click here to hear an MP3 sample of this piece, with organ accompaniment.

Further details can be found on the OUP website.

Noel! has also been performed by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia Chorus and Orchestra, and has been recorded by Glenalmond College Choir.  Recently it has been featured by the Nidaros Cathedral Choir in Trondheim, Norway on their latest CD, ‘I Wish’.

To hear an extract with orchestral accompaniment, please go to the music downloads page.

See amid the Winter’s Snow

See amid the Winter’s Snow is a completely new setting of the familiar words by Edward Caswell.  It is written for SATB choir with piano or orchestral accompaniment (parts available on hire from OUP).  It was first performed at the CBSO Christmas concerts in 2006.  More recently the Nidaros Cathedral Choir in Trondheim have programmed the piece in their Christmas concerts in Norway and Sweden in 2009.

It is simple and direct in style, and like Noel! includes sections for divided tenors and basses.  For sample pages of the vocal score, click here.  Further details of this piece can be found on the OUP website.

To hear this piece, please select it on the music downloads page.

The above video clip of this setting of See amid the Winter’s Snow is taken from a Christmas concert at the Cathedral in Trondheim, Norway in December 2010.

Rise up, Shepherd

Originally arranged for a school choir, this traditional American spiritual includes an oboe obbligato part. The current arrangement was first performed by by the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Choir, and subsequently included on their “Spirit of Christmas” CD recording.  

Rise up, Shepherd received performances at the Sage, Gateshead at Christmas 2008, as well as five performances by the CBSC and Orchestra in Symphony Hall, Birmingham.

It is a very simple piece to perform, and the scoring is quite light, with single woodwind, horn, harp and strings, but it can be performed equally well with piano accompaniment and an optional part for oboe (or flute). In fact there’s a recording of the piece by The Master Singers from Eau Claire, WI, USA,  which uses just oboe and harp as an accompaniment, and is very effective.

Further details are on the OUP Website, which includes an extract from the printed vocal score and an MP3 sample (with oboe and piano accompaniment).

I’ve also been granted permission to include an extract of a performance with orchestra by Wellshire Presbyterian Church in Denver, Colorado, USA, which makes use of the orchestral accompaniment. This formed part of their Festival of Carols, presented in December 2008. The Sanctuary Choir and Orchestra are conducted by Dr Michael Pohlenz.

This extract will be found on the music downloads page.

‘Rise up, Shepherd’ has more recently been included in OUP’s book of Flexible Carols - in a simplified form (without the obbligato part for oboe).