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' View
Score
Anthem for unaccompanied SATB choir.
To hear a performance of O Love the Lord All Ye His Saints on
YouTube, click here
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. To purchase CD, click here
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.
To hear a performance of The Souls of the Righteous on YouTube, click
here
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; by the Kingfisher Chorale, directed by David Fisher, in the Frazer Noble
Hall, Leicester, in October 2002 and November 2009; and in Birmingham Cathedral
by the Cathedral Choir, directed by Marcus Huxley, in November 2009 and July
2010. 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. To purchase CD, click here
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. In February 2011, it was performed at Queens Chapel
of the Savoy, Savoy Hill, London, by the choir Convivium
conducted by Neil Ferris.
Performed at King's Chapel, Boston,
Massachusetts in August 2006 by the Millennium Scholars directed by Paula Downes, and by the Harvard Choral Fellows, directed by
Edward Jones, at the Memorial Church, Harvard University, USA, in November
2007.
IN PEACE I WILL LIE DOWN AND SLEEP Opus 31 No.3 (1984) 2' View
Score
Anthem for unaccompanied SATB choir.
To hear a performance of In Peace I Will Lie Down and Sleep on YouTube, click here
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. To purchase CD, click here
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. Broadcast twice on BBC Radio 3 in October
2012 by the Choir of Winchester College, directed by Malcolm Archer.
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 premiered by the Birmingham School of Music Chamber Choir, conducted by the composer, in Birmingham Cathedral on 19th February 1977. In May 1977 these musicians gave further performances of the whole work in Lapley Church in Shropshire and Upton on Severn Parish Church, Worcestershire, and then recorded the work for BBC Radio at the Knights Templars Church, Temple Balsall, Warwickshire (broadcast on 29th July 1977).
The first performance of the Motet and Mass in the USA was given in 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, by Cynthia Downes, was dedicated in 2001 to Heather Fairs, former music teacher of Andrew Downes’ two daughters, Anna and Paula, and performed at her retirement dinner at the Chateau Impney, Droitwich, Worcestershire.
RUNNYMEDE MILLENNIUM CHORAL EVENSONG SERVICE Opus 65 (1997) (for details of full service see page 8)
To purchase CD, click here
Introit: Setting of Psalm 23 (unaccompanied SATB) View Score
To hear a performance of The Lord is my Shepherd on YouTube, click here
Preces & Responses (unaccompanied SSAATTBB) View Score
To hear a performance of Preces
& Responses, click Preces Responses
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. The choir then performed the work in Vienna, in the Pfarre St Michael on July 11th 1982 and won first prize in the Vienna Youth Festival and the City of Vienna Prize, including the piece in their programme.
Cantamus gave the UK premiere of this work on May 22nd 1982 in Welbeck Abbey, Derbyshire. 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.
The Millennium Scholars, directed by Paula Downes, gave the first USA performance in King's Chapel, Boston, Massachusetts on August 22nd 2006.
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 is 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.
Music
for accompanied choirs see page 9
Choral
arrangements
see page 10 Choral for
children see
page 11