7.

ANDREW DOWNES PUBLISHED WORKS


CHORAL

Unaccompanied:-

On this page:- music for unaccompanied SATB, followed by music for unaccompanied high voices

Unaccompanied SATB:-

O LOVE THE LORD ALL YE HIS SAINTS Opus 31 No.l (1984) 2'     PLAY: O Love the Lord  View Score

Anthem for unaccompanied SATB choir.

Text from The English Psalter: Ps.32 v.26 & Ps.16 v.3.                                                                                                                                                          

First performed on BBC Radio 4 on lst November 1984 in the 'Daily Service' by the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir under the direction of John Bishop.
Regularly performed at the Chapel of Royal Holloway, University of London, by the Chapel Choir under the direction of Professor Lionel Pike.
Recorded for CD entitled The Lord is my Shepherd (CDVP014CD) by the Chapel Choir of Royal Holloway, directed by Lionel Pike, on 6th & 7th January 2001 in Arundel Cathedral.  Performed on June 21st 2005 in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, by the Chamber Choir of Birmingham Conservatoire, conducted by Andrew King, in a concert of  Music by Andrew Downes marking the composer's retirement from Birmingham Conservatoire.
Performed at  King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts on August 22nd 2006 by the Millennium Scholars directed by Paula Downes, and by the choir of the Church of the Advent, Boston, directed by Edith Ho, on November 5th 2006.

THE SOULS OF THE RIGHTEOUS Opus 31 No.2 (1984) 2'30"  View Score

Anthem for unaccompanied SATB choir.

Text from The Wisdom of Solomon: Ch.3, v.1-3

First performed on BBC Radio 4 on 2nd November 1984 in the 'Daily Service' by the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir conducted by John Bishop.
Regularly performed at the Chapel of Royal Holloway, University of London, by the Chapel Choir under the direction of Professor Lionel Pike.
Performed by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge, under the direction of Richard Marlow, in their Evensong Service on 20th May 1999, and by the Kingfisher Chorale in the Frazer Noble Hall, Leicester, on 11th October 2002. Recorded in 1997 by the Academic Scholars for their CD entitled "Hereditary Voices" (PHAROS Records PHACDlO1). Recorded for CD entitled The Lord is my Shepherd (CDVP014CD) by the Chapel Choir of Royal Holloway, directed by Lionel Pike, on 6th & 7th January 2001 in Arundel Cathedral.  Performed on June 21st 2005  in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, by the Chamber Choir of Birmingham Conservatoire, conducted by Andrew King, in a concert of  Music by Andrew Downes marking the composer's retirement from Birmingham Conservatoire.
Performed at  King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts on August 22nd 2006 by the Millennium Scholars directed by Paula Downes.


IN PEACE I WILL LIE DOWN AND SLEEP Opus 31 No.3 (1984) 2'

Anthem for unaccompanied SATB choir.

Text from The English Psalter: Ps.4 v.8

First performed on BBC Radio 4 on 3rd November 1984 in the 'Evening Service' by the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir conducted by John Bishop.
Regularly performed at the Chapel of Royal Holloway, University of London, by the Chapel Choir under the direction of Professor Lionel Pike.
Recorded for CD entitled The Lord is my Shepherd (CDVP014CD) by the Chapel Choir of Royal Holloway, directed by Lionel Pike, on 6th & 7th January 2001 in Arundel Cathedral.
Performed by the New London Singers in their concert "War and Peace" in St Augustine’s Church, Queensgate, London, in June 2002.  Performed on June 21st 2005 in the Adrian Boult Hall, Birmingham, by the Chamber Choir of Birmingham Conservatoire, conducted by Andrew King, in a concert of  Music by Andrew Downes marking the composer's retirement from Birmingham Conservatoire.    Performed at  King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts on August 22nd 2006 by the Millennium Scholars directed by Paula Downes.
 



PRECES AND RESPONSES Opus 37 (1986)  View Score

Set to music for unaccompanied SATB choir (with divisions).
Commissioned by the Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir for BBC Radio 3 Choral Evensong and subsequently sung in Coventry and Gloucester Cathedrals by the Coventry Cathedral Chapter House Choir under the direction of Geoffrey Holroyde.


O MAGNUM MYSTERIUM Opus 2 (1973) 15'  View Score

Originally scored for alto, tenor and bass soloists and SATTBB choir. (SSA version of Motet and version of Mass for SSAATB choir with organ, transcribed by Cynthia Downes, now also available.)

Motet, O Magnum Mysterium - text from the 'Tenebrae Responses', composed in 1969 before Andrew Downes went up to Cambridge University as a Choral Scholar at St John’s College, and performed by Andrew Downes with two other soloists from the Midland Boy Singers in the Wigmore Hall, London, on 4th October 1969.

'The single most striking feature of Saturday afternoon’s joint programme in the Wigmore Hall by the Midland Boy Singers (conductor Peter Grant) and the London Boy Singers (conductor, Jonathan Steele) was the counter-tenor singing of Andrew Downes. A founder member of the former choir, a choral scholar elect of St.John’s College, Cambridge, and the composer of an imaginatively meritorious setting of ‘O Magnum Mysterium’..., he could well be a figure to watch out for...'                                                                                      THE TIMES

Mass completed in 1973, when Andrew Downes was studying at the Royal College of Music with Herbert Howells.

'In a quiet (but strong) way one of the most effective composers coming to me these days. I have very considerable hopes for him.' HERBERT HOWELLS (Report on Andrew Downes)

O Magnum Mysterium Motet and Mass was first performed by Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir conducted by the composer in Birmingham Cathedral in December 1976 and was subsequently recorded by Birmingham Conservatoire Chamber Choir for BBC Radio from Temple Balsall.

Performed at  King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts on August 22nd 2006 by the Millennium Scholars directed by Paula Downes.

An arrangement of the Motet for high voices, was dedicated in 2001 to Heather Fairs, former music teacher of Andrew Downes’ two daughters, Anna and Paula.

 

RUNNYMEDE MILLENNIUM CHORAL EVENSONG SERVICE Opus 65 (1997) (for details of full service see page 8)
Introit: Setting of Psalm 23 (unaccompanied SATB)   PLAY: The Lord is My Shepherd   View Score
Preces & Responses (unaccompanied SSAATTBB)  View Score
Psalm 121 (unaccompanied SSAATTBB)  View Score
 

Unaccompanied high voices:-


O VOS OMNES Opus 23 (1981) 4'

Latin Motet for high voices (SSSA). Text from the Lamentations of Jeremiah 1:12. (Translation: All ye who pass by the way, behold and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow. Attend, all ye people, and behold my sorrow.) Ideal for performance in Holy Week.

This work is now published by Faber Music in their anthology: 30 Sacred Masterworks for Upper Voice Choir.

Commissioned by 'Cantamus' girl's choir (director Pamela Cook) and first performed by them in the English Reformed Church, Amsterdam, on Easter Saturday, 10th April 1982, and subsequently in Vienna, where the choir won first prize in the Vienna Youth Festival and the City of Vienna Prize, including the work in their programme. The work has been commercially recorded by Cantamus and is regularly included in the choir's programmes home and abroad. The Halesowen Girls' Choir, directed by Margaret Pickford, who have also performed the work on many occasions, included it as part of their recital in the Sainsbury's Choir of the Year Competition in 1996, winning a place in the quarter finals.   Performed at  King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts on August 22nd 2006 by the Millennium Scholars directed by Paula Downes.



THE DANCERS OF HUAI-NAN Opus 48 No.1 (1992) 5'
Traditional Chinese poem (in English translation) set to music for unaccompanied high voices.
Commissioned by Pamela Cook and her 'Cantamus' Girls' Choir, with funds from Nottingham County Council, for the Sainsbury's Choir of the Year Competition. It ia a virtuosic piece, which divides into 6 parts and contains multi-tempo techniques.

 

 GIBRALTAR, OUR HOMELAND Opus 48 No.2 (1994) 3'  View Score
Words and music by Andrew Downes. For unaccompanied vocal soloist and 3 part SSA choir.
Recorded on cassette by Halesowen Girls' Choir in July 1994 and included as part of their repertoire in concerts ever since.

 



Music for accompanied choirs see page 9
Choral arrangements see page 10 Choral for children see page 11

RETURN TO CONTENTS PAGE

Previous page / Next page