New Publications

by Steve

All in the April Evening (DTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 10224
Sir Hugh Stevenson Roberton (1874-1952) was a Scottish composer and Britain's leading choral-master. He was particularly interested in folk song. He published over 300 of his own compositions and arrangements, the best known of which was ‘All in the April Evening’.

by Ann

Three Fantasias in 6 parts by Coprario (DDTrTTB) MHE 10424
Despite his Italian-looking name, Giovanni Coprario was an English composer, lutenist and viol player. His real name was John Cooper, and he italianised his name when Italian music became more fashionable in England. Coprario composed songs, as well as works for viols, such as these fantasias. He was a teacher of William Lawes. The total playing time is about eight minutes.

by Ann

Cave of the Black Spring (DTrTTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 10623
I read that there was a dramatic cave in the Swansea Valley which was surprisingly little-known. Surprising because it is the deepest in the UK, as well as the second longest in Wales. This cave is called ‘Cave of the Black Spring’ (‘Ogof Ffynnon Ddu’ in Welsh). It is called the ‘Black Spring’ because it flows through many chambers, passing through black limestone that, over the centuries, has produced waterfalls, rapids and deep potholes. Although I had no intention of visiting the cave myself, I often thought about it, in particular how the black water could be sometimes slow-moving, but then faster moving with water dripping from the roof. This eight-minute piece is not particularly difficult, but concentration is required because of the length of the piece, and because the speeds change frequently requiring attention to the conductor.

by Ann

Marine Life vol 1 (TrTrTB) MHE 11024
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.

by Steve

O Mater Mundi (Mundy) (DTrTrTTBBBG^tBC^tB) MHE 11123
William Mundy (1529-1591) wrote mostly sacred music. He was popular in his day, and his work is still played. He is not to be confused with his son, John Mundy. The original of the piece is in five parts, but my arrangement is in ten. It is hence not an authentic sound (as far as we know) but it produces a sound that is rich and stirring. Playing time is about four minutes.

by Ann

Shifting Sands (DTrTrTB) MHE 20224
The title ‘Shifting Sands’ may give the impression of something stormy on a wild coastline. Although my piece does suggest the sea, I have written something less dramatic. I had in mind a quiet beach in the late afternoon, with a rather mysterious beginning, becoming more unsettled, finally returning to the mood at the start. Total playing time is about six minutes.

by Steve

León (TTBBG^tBG^tBC^tBSubC^tB) MHE 20324
I composed ‘León’ as one of my offerings to Helen Hooker’s ‘METRO’ eight-foot orchestra. ‘León’ is a city in Spain, which I knew of because it stages a large annual jazz festival. I was inspired by the city to write some music, but not because of its jazz, but because of the feel of the place, the ever-present Spanish music, the heat, and how that heat gradually subsides as the evening wears on. I wrote ‘León’ in eight parts, including a contrabass in C (aka subcontra). At a pinch, that instrument could be omitted. Total playing time is about six minutes.

by Steve

Three Madrigals by John Wilbye (DTrTTBBG^tBC^tB) MHE 20424
John Wilbye (1574-1638) was an English composer of great renown. He seems to have restricted his compositions entirely to madrigals. For what it’s worth, Ann and Steve Marshall like his compositions very much! We particularly like his sometimes tart approach to love, which (it seems to us) can be heard in his music. Wilbye’s originals are in DTrTB, but my arrangements here are rather more vigorous. Total playing time is about eight minutes.

by Steve

Four York Miniatures (DTrTrTTB) MHE 20624
I wrote this set of pieces to be played as part of the celebration of the York Guildhall branch of the Society of Recorder Players. It was an interesting and enjoyable piece to write. I wrote for strong players, but for nothing lower than a bass. There are four sections, but with a duration of only six minutes. And the musical idiom could be described as mildly-jazzy.

by Steve

Three Paintings by Millais (S^noDDTrTrTTBBG^tBC^tB) MHE 21019
The North-West Passage 
Ophelia 
The Boyhood of Raleigh 
John Everett Millais was born in Southampton in 1829, and I chose three of the paintings by this 'local lad' as inspiration for pieces to mark the Hampshire Recorder Sinfonia's thirtieth anniversary. The first piece shows an old sailor and his daughter, probably suggesting that the sailor attempted the notorious sea route round North America via the Canadian Arctic. The second attempts to suggest the character of Ophelia in Shakespeare's Hamlet. I wanted to capture the eeriness of this scene right from the start, and that music is also hinted at elsewhere in the piece. Finally, the music is rousing, suggesting the boisterous character of Walter Raleigh. The whole work has many dramatic moments!

by Steve

Six Fughettas (DTrTB) MHE 21024
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.

by Ann

Mini Metro Suite (DTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 21123
Lento 
Allegro 
Andante 
Allegro 
I originally wrote Mini Metro Suite for Helen Hooker’s eight-foot orchestra – METRO. I later re-wrote the piece as a small (DTrTBGtCt) orchestra. There are four movements and they are not too difficult. I even tried hard (with success I think) to make the third movement playable, despite being in 5/4. The total duration is about nine minutes.

by Steve

Love Leads To Battle (TrTTB) MHE 30224
Bononcini was an Italian Baroque composer (1670-1747). Although little-known today, he was a prolific composer and well-regarded in his day. ‘Love Leads to Battle’ is a pleasant instrumental piece from one of Bononcini’s thirty operas. Playing time is about three minutes.

by Ann

Longhope Suite (TrTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 30324
I wrote this set of pieces to use at the Rural Recorder Course. That course was of moderate difficulty only, but the Longhope Suite is a little more advanced than that. The four movements are varied, not least because each movement is in a different time signature. Total playing time is about six minutes.

by Steve

Welsh Folk Songs (Holst) Set 1 (DTrTB) MHE 30424
In 1932 Gustav Holst published his set of twelve traditional Welsh folk songs. We really took to these songs, as well as to Holst’s treatment of them, and we have arranged six of the songs for recorders. Holst rarely writes easy music, and so our recorder versions are not easy either – maybe they should be described as slightly harder than averagely difficult! Total playing time is about eight minutes.

by Ann

Ann's Choice Volume 14 (TrTrTB) MHE 31024
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.

by Ann

Pavan (DTrTTB) MHE 31123
Gabriel Fauré wrote his ‘Pavan’ in 1887. It was originally for piano, but the piece immediately found favour, and he composed a version for orchestra and choir. It is that latter version that is still played today. Ann's arrangement for five recorder parts looks fairly easy, but it has its difficulties, despite the change of key from the original F# minor to A minor. But whatever the difficulties, it is well worth persevering with this beautiful music. Playing time is about five minutes.

by Ann

Three Pieces by Vásquez (DTrTB) MHE 40224
Juan Vásquez (1500-1560) was a priest and composer. Little is known about him, other than he wrote a great deal of varied and well-written music. This set comprises three secular villancicos, whose subject is – broadly – love. Total playing time is about six minutes.

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.

by Steve

Old Dances in New Clothes (DTrTB) MHE 40424
I wrote this set of five pieces for the Orchestra on the Hill. Each piece in the suite has a passing resemblance to the style of a dance of hundreds of years ago, but also has a clear whiff of Marshall! A version for DTrTBGtCt is available as MHE 40424a. Total playing time is about six and a half minutes.

by Steve

Old Dances in New Clothes (DTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 40424a
I wrote this set of five pieces for the Orchestra on the Hill. Each piece in the suite has a passing resemblance to the style of a dance of hundreds of years ago, but also has a clear whiff of Marshall! A version for DTrTB is available as MHE 40424. Total playing time is about six and a half minutes.

by Steve

Court Varieties (DTrTB) MHE 41024
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.

by Steve

Music Divine (Tomkins) (DDTrTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 50224
Music Divine has been arranged for recorders several times. I have added two big bass parts for my new arrangement. This gives a pleasing richness to the piece. Playing time is about four minutes.

by Steve

Mean to Me (DTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 50324
Frederick Ahlert (1892-1953) was an American composer and songwriter. His first hit song was in 1920 and he set up his own publishing company in 1928. ‘Mean to Me’, composed in 1929, was one of his best-known songs. It is rarely easy to take a piece of jazz and arrange it for recorders, but I think that my arrangement is not too tough, especially after some jazzy practice! Playing time is about three minutes.

by Ann

Six Irish Folksongs (arr. Stanford) (DTrTB) MHE 51024
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.

by Steve

Quam Pulchra Es (Dunstable) (DTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 60224
John Dunstable (1390–1453) is often regarded as the most influential English composer of all time. This fame is based on his being seen as a major musical figure throughout the whole of Europe. Quam Pulchra Es (How Beautiful You Are) is a setting of the Song of Songs. Unless you are a Latin scholar, an English translation is required to reveal the piece’s erotic nature. If you are not familiar with such early music, the sensuousness of Dunstable’s writing may not be evident. But this three minutes of music is well worth exploring. Dunstable’s piece is in three parts, but I have also added another three (lower) recorder parts.

by Steve

My Love's an Arbutus (DTrTTB) MHE 60324
This touching love song is a traditional Irish one. For those who don’t know, an arbutus is a slow-growing strawberry tree. In 1882 the song was arranged for piano and voice by Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Forty years later he rearranged it for SATB. I have now arranged it for recorders. To our modern ears the idiom may perhaps sound a little soppy, but the harmonies (all Stanford’s I hasten to add) are not only clever, but also gorgeous. Total playing time is about three minutes.

by Steve

The Cathedral in the Forest (TTBBG^tBG^tBC^tB optSubC^tB) 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.

by Steve

Feline Adventures (DDTrTB) MHE 70224
I often try to write music that can be readily played and enjoyed by people who have skills up-to-and-including average. ‘Feline Adventures’ is not one of those! In fact it is really quite difficult, including delights such as fast music in 5/4, jazz that is laden with plenty of crotchet triples and brisk dissonances with most notes that are staccato (but a few that are not). These difficulties are, however, not written to be awkward, but are there to conjure up behaviours of cats in the evening. I hope that you enjoy it! Total playing time is about eight minutes

by Steve

The Older Driver (DTrTTB) MHE 70324
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?

by Steve

Two Fantasies for Recorder Orchestra (nos 9 and 8) (TrTrTTBBBG^tBG^tBC^tB) MHE 71024
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.

by Ann

Five Fantasias by Michael East (TrTrTB) MHE 80224
Michael East (1580-1648) was an English composer who worked at Lichfield Cathedral for a large part of his musical life. His fantasies for viols were (and are) highly regarded. This set comprises my arrangements for recorder of five of his four-part fantasies. Total playing time is about sixteen minutes.

by Ann

Three Chansons by Guyot (DTrTrTTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 80324
Jean Guyot (1512-1588) was Franco-Flemish. He travelled widely, but in 1564 he finally settled down in Liège. He was highly regarded by his contemporaries. The rich arrangements of these three rather sad chansons are particularly suited to large forces. The combined duration is ten minutes.

by Steve

Two Fantasies for Recorder Orchestra (nos 13 and 12) (TrTrTTBBBGtBGtBCtB) MHE 81024
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.

by Steve

Fuga Prima (Haussmann) (DTrTBG^tBC^tB) MHE 90224
Haussmann (1560-1613) was a German composer, music editor and poet. Very little is known of his life, except that he seems never to have had a permanent position. Instead he travelled throughout Germany, composing as he went. His publications were evidently popular, because collections of his music went through several editions within a few years. This four-part fugue was written for viols, but works well on recorders. I like the addition of parts for great bass and contrabass, but these two parts may be omitted. Playing time is about five minutes.

by Ann

Three Chansons by Josquin (DTrTrTTB) MHE 90324
Josquin des Prez (1450–1521) was a highly regarded Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance. To give you some idea of the serious nature of these pieces, some of the words are (approximately): (1) You will not have it if I can help it, that which you demand from me, (2) My only wish is for health and a long life, and (3) I have good reason to lament and to abandon all hope and joy. Total playing time is about five minutes.

by Steve

Two Motets by Palestrina (DTrTB) MHE 91024
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.