by Steve
Raft, Roost and Clowder (TTBGtBCtB (optSubCtB))
MHE 10123
Otters 
Red Kites
Cats
This music was written at the request of the 2023 Recorder Summer School. It is moderately difficult music at eight-foot. The three movements suggest British wildlife, using collective nouns of otter, red kite and the cat. Total performance is about eight minutes.
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by Steve
Lay a Garland (TTBBGtBGtBCtBCtB)
MHE 10324
'Lay a Garland' was originally part of an opera, written in 1608. In 1840 Robert Pearsall was inspired by the extremely sad text, and he composed a beautiful piece for choir in eight parts. The piece works well for recorders, and is even better for an eight-foot group. The playing time is only three minutes, but what a three minutes!
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by Ann
Marine Life vol 1 (TrTrTB)
MHE 11024
A Pod of Belugas
A Colony of Penguins
A Galaxy of Starfish
A Shiver of Sharks
I wrote this set of four pieces to suggest different species of marine life. (1) A pod of belugas (with both their strength and gentleness), (2) A colony of penguins (with their speed in the water, as well as their comical walking on land), (3) A galaxy of starfish (very slow pace) and (4) A shiver of sharks (with extreme changes from quiet to dangerous!). Total playing time is about ten minutes.
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by Steve
A Day at Barry Island (DTrTrTTBBGtBCtB)
MHE 11025
Early Morning
Storm on the Beach
Fun in the Arcade
This piece was written for Helen Hooker, to conduct at the massed playing at the 2025 Recorder Summer School. There are three movements on the theme of Barry Island - a well-known and bustling holiday seaside resort on the coast of south Wales. The first movement suggests early morning on the beach, the second is boisterous and stormy, and the third looks at the many noisy arcades in the evening. I would say the piece is of moderate difficulty. The total playing time is about eleven minutes.
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by Steve
Six Fughettas (DTrTB)
MHE 21024
Prelude
1
2
3
4
5
If you're not sure, a fughetta is like a fugue, but usually simpler and less rigorous. Each of my six fughettas lasts just a minute or so, but I hope that they are varied and interesting.
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by Steve
Canzonic Groove (DTrTB)
MHE 21025
'Canzonic Groove' makes a little nod to the canzonas of hundreds ago. A typical Gabrieli canzona began with a minim and two crotchets, and that motif was often found throughout many canzonas of the period. I thought it would be interesting to write my own canzona, using that same idea. It's pretty jazzy, but I conducted it a few times, and it was well-liked, so here we are, It's not a long (or expensive) piece, so why not give it a try - you may well enjoy it!
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by Ann
Ann's Choice Volume 14 (TrTrTB)
MHE 31024
O Sweet, alas, what say you?
Lady, when I behold the Roses
Still in frieth
Gently touching the warbling lyre
There is not much music for adults that is both interesting and easy. All too often music that is easy is also a bit childish. I hope that the series 'Ann's Choice' will help to fill the gap. Volume 14 comprises arrangements of music in TrTrTB by Wilbye, Geminiani and Morley. The music is about love (and why not!). Combined duration is about eight minutes.
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by Ann
Four Fancies (DTrTrTBGtBCtB)
MHE 31025
1
2
3
4
My set of four fancies comprises four pieces with four different time signatures and four different moods. Everyone is kept busy, particularly the big basses! The difficulty is a little more advanced that moderate. Total playing time is eleven minutes.
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by Ann
Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis (DTrTB)
MHE 40324
Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) was an English composer, considered to be one of the very finest of English composers. He was especially renowned for his vocal music. The work presented here is the Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis from the Short Service in the Dorian mode. It is elegant and yet straightforward to play. Total playing time is about five minutes.
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by Steve
Court Varieties (DTrTB)
MHE 41024
Prelude
1
2
3
4
5
Thomas Ravenscroft was well-known in his day, as a composer of folk music, vendor songs and the like. Nowadays he is probably best known as the composer of 'Three Blind Mice'. I came across some short songs by Ravenscroft that described the life of people who worked for the 'aristocracy'. The last song of the series described those workers at the end of their period of service, then making their way to London. It is quite likely that this 'song-cycle' was a first. The pieces take about eleven minutes to perform.
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by Steve
Bluesleeves (DTrTBGtBCtB)
MHE 41025
Everyone knows the tune of 'Greensleeves'. I present the piece 'Bluesleeves' (which has some definite, but jazzy, similarities). It's written in a spirit of fun, but it still requires some careful jazz style.
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by Ann
Six Irish Folksongs (arr. Stanford) (DTrTB)
MHE 51024
Oh! Breathe not his name
What the bee is to flowiret
At the mid hour of night
The sword of Erin
It is not the tear
Oh the night entrancing
Stanford's arrangements for choir were published in 1901. His arrangements are interesting and have definite feel for the period (in other words, they are quite difficult in places). Of course that also means that Ann's recorder parts also have their difficulty. Total duration is about eleven minutes.
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by Ann
Recorder Septet No.5 (DTrTrTBGtBCtB)
MHE 51025
Allegretto
Adagio
Andante
Allegro
My fifty Recorder Septet is of moderate difficulty (and occasionally tricky in places). There are four movements, with a different feel to each - not just in tempo. The piece works well one-to-a-part or in a larger group. The total playing time is about eleven minutes.
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by Steve
The Cathedral in the Forest (TTBBGtBGtBCtB optSubCtB)
MHE 61024
This piece is an entertainment for an eight-foot orchestra and a narrator. The piece is difficult to categorise - it is a spooky story (but not an unpleasant one) and the music may be a little unsettling (although not particularly hard to play). I wrote the piece for a specific event, but it has found favour, and so I have decided to publish it. Including the narration, the piece lasts about fifteen minutes.
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by Steve
Excuse My Blues (DTrTrTTBBGtBCtB)
MHE 61025
This is an orchestral piece, in the style of a 12-bar blues. In brief 12-bar blues is a very form of blues, which has a clear structure of twelve simple chords. The 12-bar blues is still very popular. My blues follows the traditional form pretty closely, but I have slipped in a couple of unusual blues subtleties. See if you can spot them! Playing time is about four minutes.
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by Steve
The Older Driver (DTrTTB)
MHE 70324
Introduction
Reading
Corley
Knutsford
The Quiet Drive
This piece began as a joke, moved to a poem, gave birth to a drawing, and is now recorder music with bits of speaking! It is very hard to categorise, but on the occasions that I have wheeled it out, it has gone down well. It’s only six minutes long (including the speaking), so why not give it a try?
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by Steve
Two Fantasies for Recorder Orchestra (nos 9 and 8) (TrTrTTBBBGtBGtBCtB)
MHE 71024
Fantasy (no 9)
Fantasy (no 8)
These 10-part fantasies are expanded versions of two of my five-part versions. A friend suggested this to me, and I was very pleased with the result. I like the 'purity' of the five-part versions, but the ten-part version is robust and exciting. The only small snag may be to find the number of players to make everything work. These two particular versions take about ten minutes to perform.
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by Steve
Concertino for Helen and Milton Keynes (soloD DTrTBGtBCtB)
MHE 71025
1
2
3
This concertino was written for a massed playing (70, I believe) at an event at Milton Keynes in 2025. The soloist was Helen Hooker. The playing session would be about 50 minutes, and we therefore had to rehearse and then perform the piece, without struggling to master difficult music. Of course, the soloist's part could be nicely difficult! It all worked out well. This all means that a group of players of no more than modest skill could play this three-part piece (as long as a very good player could play the solo part). Total playing time is about eight minutes.
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by Steve
Two Motets by Palestrina (DTrTB)
MHE 91024
Sicut Cervus
Fuit homo missus a Deo
The Italian composer Palestrina was (and is) regarded as one of the finest composers of the late 16th century. He wrote a great deal of music, including more than three hundred motets. The two motets in this set are beautiful, as well as easy to play. Combined playing time is five minutes.
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