Liturgical music

I’ve written for church choirs all my life, and many of my pieces are suitable for liturgical use during church services. Here’s a selection of them. “3 Churches Mass” and “Nunc Dimittis” have been selected for the 2017 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music (LFCCM); the Responses were performed at the 2018 LFCCM; “Dominus Regnavit” was selected for the final of the Old Hispanic Office Composing Competition and premiered by Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford; and “Come, My Way, My Truth My Life” was sung at the 2023 LFCCM (hear the recording, it’s rather good).

(Music for Advent and Christmas has a separate page – see all Christmas music here.)

Prayers, responses, canticles, general anthems and introits

  • Be Thou A Bright Flame Before Me – SATB, no divisi, suitable for most sacred occasions. View the score here (2 pages), listen on SoundCloud, or watch a score follower video. World premiere available!
  • Keep Watch, Dear Lord – SATB choir, short soprano solo at end, written in memory of victims of the Covid pandemic. Order from MusicSpoke. Hear a recording on SoundCloud. Also sung by RSCM Adelaide, Australia.
  • Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life – SATB with no divisi. Hear it performed at the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music.
  • Send Lazarus – SATB or ATBarB, no divisi, for any climate-related service. Free under a #CreativeCommons license. Has been sung by choirs in Scotland, Maine and Ohio so far.
  • 3 Churches Communion Setting – for SATB choir and organ, with optional congregational part (or can be sung by unison choir/congregation, omitting the SATB harmonies). Commissioned by 3 churches in Edinburgh. Premiered 2015, Greyfriars Kirk, Edinburgh. Shortlisted for the 2017 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music. Single copies £2.50, PDF £40. A congregation-only part is also available (4 pages), £1 per copy or included with the PDF of the full version.
  • Dominus Regnavit – for SATB choir (some divisi, will need at least 4 singers per part) and organ – a suitable celebratory introit for many occasions. Medium difficulty. Single copies £1.50, PDF £25. This was workshopped by Christ Church Cathedral Choir, Oxford, in March 2016, and is now available on my CD “To The Mountain”.
  • Responses (for use in Anglican churches) for SATB choir (no divisi) – see the score. Single copies £1/$2, PDF £20/$30.
  • Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (in Latin) for SATB, ATBarB, or TTBB choir.
    See the Magnificat for SATB here (soprano and alto soloists required, fairly tricky) – £30 for a PDF or £2 per copy, email me for the TTBB version – and the Nunc Dimittis for SATB or TTBB here (published by NoteNova) (some divisi for sopranos, moderate difficulty). The Nunc Dimittis (SATB version) was shortlisted for the 2017 London Festival of Contemporary Church Music, and the ATBarB version has been performed by the choir of Winchester Cathedral.
    Magnificat for ATBarB (alto and tenor soloists required, fairly tricky) and Nunc Dimittis for ATBarB (some divisi for altos and tenors, moderate difficulty). The Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis together are £3 per copy or £40 for a PDF.
    Listen to the Nunc Dimittis (ATBarB version):

Masses and Requiems (some individual movements also suitable as anthems/introits)

Candlemas

  • Anna, Surprised – words by Euan Tait. For SATB choir with brief divisi to SSAATTBB. A piece retelling the presentation in the Temple. If you’re tired of singing “When to the temple Mary went”, this should be ideal! Premiered by St Andrew’s Church Choir, Denver, USA.

Holy Week

Michaelmas

“O Praise The Lord, Ye Angels of His” – SSATB choir (with divisi) and organ, 6′, quite difficult organ part and moderately difficult choir parts. Commissioned by the Friends of St Giles’ Cathedral, and premiered September 29th – hear a recording from the premiere. Single copies £2.50, PDF £35.

Remembrance

Tell Them Of Us – for 2-part choir a cappella, works for SA, TB, or a mixed group (probably best as ST/AB but would work as SA/TB if that balances better for you).
Keep Watch, Dear Lord – for SATB a cappella, written during the Covid pandemic. Order from MusicSpoke. Hear a recording on SoundCloud.

Weddings
Song of Solomon. SATB and organ, medium difficulty, 3′. English text, biblical. Very suitable for weddings! Hear a recording. Sample PDF available, please email. Copies £2, PDF £25.

Christening or baptism of a child
A Mother’s Blessing – SATB choir, easy, 3′. Lyrics are an ancient Celtic prayer from “Carmina Gadelica”. A beautiful piece for a baptism or christening. Single copies £1, PDF £20.