Michael Finnissy

For clarinet in C/violin, cello and piano. As is typical of Finnissy, this piece is demanding for the performers. The tempo is slow and much of the music of the upper two parts consists of sustained n...

A simple yet subtle and thought-provoking text, written from the perspective of a child present at the Nativity, communicates the wonder of Christ's birth. Orchestral material is on hire.

Gounod's classic Christmas anthem is published here with a new arrangement of the Chorus part for SATB, alongside the Soprano and Alto soloists, Piano and optional Organ/Harmonium.

This arrangement of the well-known Christmas carol uses rich four-part harmonies with some canonic textures. This is an offprint from Benedict Sheehan's musical dramatization of A Christmas Carol.

This work can be considered a partner work to the Finnissy/Grieg Piano Quintet completion. Rather than writing in the style of Grieg, as he did with the Piano Quintet completion, Finnissy starts from...

This poignant and reflective carol is set to a poetic text by Richard Wilbur inspired by verses from St Luke's Gospel. The poem foretells not only of Christ's birth, but also his death; the contrastin...

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...

For solo harp. An arrangement of Scenes 5 and 12 from a projected stage-work on the life of Tchaikovsky. They are identical in structure and draw on the set of Russian folk songs that Tchaikovsky arra...

This reflective and affirmatory communion motet features fluid shifts between 3/4 and 4/4 time signatures and expressive melodic lines that are often underpinned by a drone.

John Sheppard's Verbum caro factum est is perhaps the most magnificent of his Responds, as befits its Christmas context. The music alternates between polyphony and plainchant, and the text is one that...

For countertenor & guitar. These two motets were written at the request of the Park Lane Group. They are both settings of contemplative, religious (but non-liturgical) texts and both are cast in a rep...

On one level it is an evocation of the vast spaces of the Australian desert . . . on another it is a metaphysical journey through the emotions . . . First and foremost, though, it is a hugely impressi...

On one level it is an evocation of the vast spaces of the Australian desert . . . on another it is a metaphysical journey through the emotions . . . First and foremost, though, it is a hugely impressi...

Same as We is a 'scena', a 'theatrical monologue', rather than a 'song'. Using text from Alfred Lord Tennyson's The Promise of May, it is intended that the piece be both dramatic and, albeit in a gene...

The text is drawn from the various editions of Whitmans's 'Leaves of grass' (1855-97), and interspersed with excerpts from 'Specimen Days'. Together they form an autobiography, in which both singer an...

For voice and piano. The text is drawn from the various editions of Whitmans's 'Leaves of grass' (1855-97), and interspersed with excerpts from 'Specimen Days'. Together they form an autobiography, in...

Michael Finnissy's John the Baptist won the 2015 British Composer Award in the Liturgical Category. Commissioned by St John's College, Cambridge, for Advent 2014, the piece recalls the folk music of t...

For small two-part choir (sopranos and basses), accordion, and piano. The work is a setting of a text by William McGonagall which provides a miniature tour of London, from London Bridge to the Tower,...

For alto and tenor soloists, SATB chorus, and organ. Both the texts, an anonymous one from the 14th century and one attributed to Pope Clement XI, are prayers. Very simple choral sections, using susta...

This enchanting setting of the well-known medieval text combines expressive harmonies with gently interweaving lines for solo or soli voices. A beautifully written Advent miniature, Rose of such virtu...

Ben Okri's poem is a hopeful vision of understanding and co-operation between the peoples of the Earth. It is matched by Bullard's imaginative, dynamic, and skilful choral writing. The result is inspi...

A short movement from Vaughan Williams's Christmas cantata, 'Hodie'.