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- Howard Skempton -
Photo: Katie Vandyck
Howard Skempton was born in Chester in 1947, and has worked as a composer, accordionist, and music publisher. He studied in London with Cornelius Cardew from 1967 and Cardew helped him to discover a musical language of great simplicity. Since then he has continued to write undeflected by compositional trends, producing a corpus of more than 300 works. Skempton’s catalogue of works is also as diverse as it is long, ranging from pieces for solo cello (Six Figures), and guitar (Five Preludes), to the Chamber Concerto for fifteen players, the Concerto for Hurdy-Gurdy and Percussion, and Lento, premiered by the BBC Symphony Orchestra, and performed at the 2010 BBC Proms. 2001 saw the release of ‘Guild of The Flight of Song’, an acclaimed choral collection performed by the choir of Queens’ College Cambridge under James Weeks. Vocal group Exaudi released a disc of Skempton’s choral music in September 2007, also on the NMC label. The recording, entitled ‘Ben Somewhen’, also featured chamber works performed by the Birmingham Contemporary Music Group. ‘The Cloths of Heaven’, a recording of Skempton’s choral music by the Exon Singers, was released on Delphian Records in June 2008, and in 2011 Mode Records released ‘Bolt from the Blue’, a disc featuring Skempton’s piano and choral works.
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- Choral Leaflets: Sacred -
Rise up, my love SATB unaccompanied
Adam lay y-bounden SATB unaccompanied
9780193432475
A simple setting of this popular medieval Advent carol which has great originality and impact. The style is controlled, almost austere, and the effect is hypnotic. This is an unsettling but poignant piece that forces the listener to confront the mystery of Christ’s coming foretold in the words. 3 minutes
This setting of the Song of Songs is a fine example of Skempton’s distinctive ability to distil and express the emotional essence of a text. Beautifully understated, and employing a straightforward tonal language with gorgeously refined harmony, this is an exquisite piece of choral writing. 10 minutes
The Song of Songs TTBB unaccompanied
And there was war in heaven ATTBB solo voices unaccompanied
9780193356085
Skempton’s setting of the text from the Book of Revelation is reflective rather than ferocious, and trusts in the power of understatement. 5 minutes
SATB unaccompanied
9780193517752
This simple, well-crafted motet is bright, optimistic, and compelling. Skempton employs artful homophony and sensitive word-setting, and the repetitions of the opening refrain build towards an effective central climax. 4 minutes
Trebles & organ
9780193534186
Written in his customary style of great simplicity, the voices sing in unison over a pared-down, chordal organ accompaniment. 6 minutes
9780193394834
A short Mass setting for unaccompanied chorus, written for the Exon Singers recording, The Cloths of Heaven, on Delphian Records. 7 minutes
Skempton’s simple and reflective setting of John Clare’s poem evokes a sound-world unique to Skempton, with fluid changes of time signature and unusual harmonic inflections. Suitable for all upper-voice or treble choirs looking to try something new. 3.5 minutes
Third Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis 9780193395046
Skempton’s Third Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis setting was written for Wells Cathedral and premiered in May 2012. The simplicity and purity of the setting is typical of Skempton’s style, ideal for male choirs of all abilities. 6 minutes
Three Motets 9780193360105
These beautiful motets provide inspiring new repertoire for choirs. Locus iste is rhythmic and uplifting; Ave Virgo sanctissima is a gentle setting of a Spanish antiphon, full of sumptuous harmonies; and Beati quorum via contrasts calm, reflective passages with a stirring, eight-part quasi-refrain. 7.5 minutes
SATB & organ 9780193400924
O Sapientia is a tender setting of one of the seven Advent ‘O’ Antiphons. The rhythmic unison in this chorale-like setting brings an element of purity and calm, typical of Skempton’s musical language. 1.5 minutes
9780193371811
To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul
O Sapientia SATB unaccompanied
Song’s Eternity
SATB unaccompanied
Missa Brevis SATB unaccompanied
6 minutes
ATB unaccompanied
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (The Edinburgh Service)
9780193437210
This stately setting for unaccompanied TTBB choir is of texts from ‘The Song of Solomon’.
SS unaccompanied
Ave Maria
9780193439252
9780193377073
In this gently uplifting setting of the opening of Psalm 25, Skempton’s seamless homophony creates a reflective soundworld. With beautifully blended vocal parts, resonant harmonies, and a supportive organ line, this anthem will appeal to any choir looking for a poignant addition to their repertory. 2.5 minutes
Five Poems of Mary Webb
The virgin’s name was Mary Equal 4-part voices, unaccompanied
9780193365704
This haunting carol comprises a sequence of three rounds. It demonstrates the distinctive clarity of Skempton’s musical language. It will particularly appeal to good chamber choirs. 3 minutes
9780193359673
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 conflicts Mary Webb experiences as a woman. 9 minutes
The Wells Service SATB unaccompanied
SSA unaccompanied
9780193378483
This is a serene and reflective setting of the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis. With expansive harmonies and arching melodic lines, this accessible setting will appeal to any cathedral, chapel, or church choir looking for fresh service material. 10 minutes
The Flight of Song SATB unaccompanied
9780193381520
The optional opening section, for which there is a graphic score, is spoken to texts by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and other esteemed poets and authors. The four sung movements which follow are conventionally notated and set to further texts by Longfellow, and they amply demonstrate the hallmarks of Skempton’s extraordinarily skilful choral writing. Subtle word painting and masterful use of harmony reinforce the rich imagery conveyed in the texts, weaving together a work of considerable beauty and power. Immensely satisfying to sing, this piece is ideal for concert use. 10 minutes
Four by the clock SATB unaccompanied
- Choral Leaflets: Secular A Dream SATB unaccompanied
9780193356566
In this beguiling setting of ‘A Dream’ from William Blake’s Songs of Innocence, Skempton weaves a gentle and chromatic melody through harmonies that are pure yet richly expressive.
The wonderful choral music of Howard Skempton has a unique voice that is instantly recognizable. Four by the Clock, which sets words by Longfellow, is a rich and brooding piece that although quiet and slow throughout, fizzes with a barely contained energy and excitement for the ‘dawn that is to be’. 3 minutes
5 minutes
Four New Poems
The Bridge of Fire
Vocal score
SATB unaccompanied
9780193439160
SA soloists, SA chorus & piano/orchestra 9780193468412
‘The Bridge of Fire’, written in 1906, is the title poem of James Elroy Flecker’s first published volume. It is largely a vivid description of the many Gods of Heaven, the great and the good, the bad and the ugly. This setting deals only with the first and last of the poem’s six verses.
9780193359925
Vocal and instrumental scores and parts on 9780193468429 hire/rental This work was composed for a competition entitled ‘Composing for Kids’. It consists of settings of poems by school children. 7 minutes
10 minutes
He wishes for the Cloths of Heaven Expectancy
SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied
SATB chamber choir & string quartet
Skempton sets this famous love poem by Yeats with characteristic directness and warmth and using rich and scrumptious sonorities. Magical shifts of harmony punctuate the otherwise simple tonal language. An uplifting and satisfying piece ideal for concert use.
Vocal score
9780193361706
Set of parts
9780193365469
Set to text by John Drinkwater, this work is deceptively simple, making use of repetition and carefully placed harmonies which shift subtly to match the text. A beautiful and unusual setting which is a worthwhile addition to the choral repertoire. 7 minutes
5 minutes
9780193439153
Murallennium
Two Poems of Edward Thomas
SATB & wind band
SATB unaccompanied
Conductor’s score and parts on hire/rental 9780193588264
Two exquisite miniatures which demonstrate the composer’s distinctive ability to express the essence of a text in a beautifully understated fashion. He conveys a sense of pastoral timelessness while retaining his unique voice. These are delightful, very approachable pieces.
‘Spring all the Graces’. Commissioned by Warwick Arts Society, this work for choir and wind band sets text from Ben Jonson’s Neptune’s Triumph for the Return of Albion. 10 minutes
3 minutes
Music SATB unaccompanied
9780193448872
Ralph Waldo Emerson’s secular text concerning music’s omnipresence (‘But in the darkest, meanest things there always something sings’) is set with affecting and arresting simplicity. 3 minutes
Orpheus with his lute SATB unaccompanied
9780193398658
This is a simple and elegant miniature in characteristic Skempton style, with graceful choral homophony, seamlessly fluctuating time signatures, and hypnotic, meandering harmonies. The text, by William Shakespeare, is an homage to music. 3.5 minutes
Roundels of the Year SATB unaccompanied
9780193355811
9780193381537
The text is a set of six poems by John Drinkwater (18821937). Drinkwater had close associations with Warwickshire and much of his poetry reveals his love of the countryside. The first and last of six roundels serve as introduction and postscript. The central four describe the seasons, beginning with spring.
The Voice of the Spirits SATB unaccompanied
9780193432512
The text is taken from Shelley’s epic poem Prometheus Unbound. Skempton sets passages in which a Chorus of Hours and a Chorus of Spirits celebrate in ecstatic language the unshackling of the human spirit through the enlightenment of science. Written in his customary style of great simplicity, Skempton’s hypnotic score beautifully captures the visionary lyricism of the poetry: long lyrical sections in two different keys distinguish the hopes and fears of the Hours and the Spirits, before they are united in song at the end of the piece. 10 minutes
We who with songs SATB & organ
9780193432116
A setting of typically deceptive simplicity: understated but poignant harmonies allow the colourful imagery of Flecker’s poem (The Golden Journey to Samarkand) to make its full impact on the listener’s imagination. 4 minutes
9 minutes
That Music Always Round Me SATB & piano/orchestra Vocal score
9780193359727
Vocal and instrumental scores and parts on 9780193588691 hire/rental Walt Whitman’s poetry abounds in references to music and song but nowhere more so than in ‘That Music Always Round Me’. Skempton’s captivating setting acknowledges the serenity and timelessness of these opening words and the pertinence of the complete text. 7 minutes
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