Paul Mealor: I Am the Gentle Light Context Paul Mealor was born in North Wales, 1975, and as a young child he studied composition with William Mathias. He attended the University of York, and studied under John Pickard and Nicola LeFanu. For fourteen years now, Mealor has taught composition at Read more…
Sarah Fuller Flower Adams: Nearer My God to Thee Context Sarah Fuller Flower Adams was born on February 22nd, 1805 in Sussex. She was the youngest of two, with her older sister being the composer, Eliza Flower. Adams was an English poet and she is renowned for her writings during Read more…
Judith Weir: Stars, Night, Music and Light Context Judith Weir was born in 1954 in Cambridge, and at a young age she began learning the oboe. Weir in her youth performed regularly with the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. She studied composition whilst at school with none other than John Read more…
Howard Goodall: The Lord is my Shepherd Context Known for his choral music and his music for television, English composer Howard Goodall CBE is a household name. After studying music at Christ Church, Oxford, Goodall has since been a professional composer and broadcaster. His work for television includes theme tunes and incidental Read more…
Eric Whitacre: i carry your heart The Text Composed in 2016, Eric Whitacre’s choral work i carry your heart has become another popular piece in choral repertoire. Based on the E. E. Cummings (1894-1962) poem of the same name, the text of the song is as follows: i carry your heart with me Read more…
Ola Gjeilo: Ubi Caritas Ola Gjeilo was born in 1978, in Sandvika, Norway. From an early age he was exposed to a range of different genres of music, but he took a special liking to both jazz and classical choral music. Gjeilo began playing piano, and gravitated towards jazz improvisation. Gjeilo mainly learned music Read more…
Edward Elgar: The Music Makers Edward Elgar is fondly remembered as one of the forefront English composers of the late 19th/early 20th century. His music is often incorporated into international concerts, with some of his most famous compositions including Pomp and Circumstance Marches, Enigma Variations and his Cello Concerto. Whilst all of these works are Read more…
Morton Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium Morton Lauridsen is known today as one of the leading choral composers, due to his extensive collection of works, recordings and awards he’s picked up along the way. By far the most popular piece to come from Lauridsen’s pen is his setting of O Magnum Mysterium. Morton Lauridsen Read more…
It is time, dearest readers, for us to explore another composer for my Alphabet Challenge. We have come to Day ‘V’ and for this blog I shall be delving into the world of Italian composer, Giuseppe Verdi, and the Dies Irae, from his Requiem. I do hope you will enjoy this blog, as Read more…
Dearest readers, the time has come to present the composer for Day ‘O’ of my Alphabet Challenge! Perhaps best-known for his cantata Carmina Burana, I have decided to delve into Carl Orff’s famous piece from this work entitled O Fortuna. I do hope you enjoy this next instalment in my Alphabet Challenge! Carl Heinrich Read more…