Cecilia McDowall

A powerfully emotive setting that contrasts moments of reflection with declamatory exultation, Psalm 57 uses passages from the eponymous psalm in the King James translation. Written in 1972, it is ded...

A fast and rhythmic arrangement of the traditional French Christmas carol Il est né, which includes the original French words as an alternative to sing. Offprinted from the Christmas cantata A Light i...

This celebratory carol on the popular fifteenth-century text is full of Christmas cheer. Jaunty, up-tempo, and in 7/8-time, it is an ideal opening for Christmas concerts and services.

Taking verses from Psalm 4, this text for Compline is set with delicate simplicity and contemplative musicality throughout.

This stirring Christmas song, setting a text by Kevin Crossley-Holland, combines bouncing rhythms, expressive Chilcott harmonies, and vibrant word-painting to depict the gifts brought to Christ's stab...

The patron saint of music is honoured in McDowall's setting of lyrics based on 'The Life of Saint Cecilia' in Jacobus de Voragine's 1275 The Golden Legend or Lives Of The Saints. The work's outer sect...

In this energetic setting of a text by Kate Wakeling, McDowall employs crisp rhythms and imitative part-writing to evoke a hive's busy co-operative community. Listeners are encouraged to take inspirat...

Based on Virginia Woolf's Moments of Being and her diaries, One day walking i was commissioned by the Delegates of Oxford University Press in memory of Laura Marcus, Goldsmiths' Professor of English L...

This setting of George Herbert's poem 'Prayer' was commissioned by the Leicester Cathedral Music Foundation to mark the 50th anniversary of the founding of Leicester Cathedral Girls' Choir in 1974.The...

Painting vivid imagery of falling leaves through cascading layers of sound in the work's opening and closing, McDowall employs contrasting rhythmic unisons to heighten the impact of this evocative tex...

This setting of a parable by P. S. Beales depicts an encounter between God and three birds with different approaches to praise. The first birds employ modesty and fervour, mirrored in McDowall's music...

The Year of the Horse sets Kate Wakeling's beautiful image of a being of light gracefully moving through time. McDowall's lilting vocal lines express the text's encouragement to take notice of simple...

The Spacious Firmament 2: Yet we who neither burn nor shine is a sequel to The Spacious Firmament. Both pieces may be performed separately, but The Spacious Firmament should always come first if they...

This tender and affectionate setting of the well-loved poem of the same title by Robert Burns was written specifically for a wedding, but would suit almost any occasion.

Chilcott's mighty setting of words from St John's Gospel is a dramatic yet optimistic re-telling of the Passiontide story. As with Bach's great Passions, the role of the Evangelist is taken by the ten...

This famous Christmas carol is set to Redner's tune, which is the version most known in The United States. Rutter has also included a descant for the final verse. Offprinted from the collection Joy to...

One of Chilcott's earliest compositions, The Modern Man I Sing is a setting of poems by Walt Whitman. A recording of the work by the BBC Singers is featured on the Signum Classics CD SIGCD100.

This gentle, reflective piece, originally from Three Children's Songs, has been arranged for a mixed choir and is perfect for a spring concert. Offprinted from Vaughan Williams for Choirs 2.

This celebratory anthem sets Psalm 100 'O be joyful in the Lord' and uses organ flourishes, dancing vocal melodies, and lively articulation to emphasize the exultant message of the text. Jubilate Deo...

With specially written poems by Kãrlis Verdinš based on the Adonis chapters from Frazer's The Golden Bough, each song in this little cycle explores a single Affekt.

This anthem sets a descriptive passage by Milton that sees the poet ask for guidance as he enters the 'studious Cloysters pale'. Jackson sets the words sensitively, building to a glorious climax on 'A...

This popular Christmas carol includes German as well as optional English lyrics. Orchestral scores and parts are also available. Offprinted from the collection Twelve Christmas Carols Set 1.

This is the first published edition of an anthem by Henry Walford Davies that dates from the mid 1890s. Scored for lower voices, AATTBB, it is a setting of an anonymous text from 1836 that is suitable...

This slightly sombre setting of five poems is homophonic, giving the impression of a single vocal line. The very close harmony throughout conveys a sense of restraint and a longing to escape from the...