Giles Swayne

Four Christmas carols that capture the distinctive contradictory and unmistakable choral style of Giles Swayne.Always plain-speaking challenging intense and emotionally honest Swaynes music also brims with wit melody and a sly playfulness that is both captivating and addictive. The Four Christmas Carols were written over several years. The first three are for unison voices with Piano and can be performed by the whole assembly. The fourth requires a larger SATB chorus and is a larger expressive and impressive setting of The Coventry Carol.This set of carols has it all - from grand unison melodies familiar tunes and rousing choruses to morepoignant challenging and unusual passages. It represents a hugely satisfying and entertaining addition to any festive performance or carol concert.

A setting of Christina Rossetti's poem for Soli SATB Quartet and SATB (divisi) chorus. Although this work would tax the most accomplished chamber choirs the composer remains true to rhythmic style and harmonic colour of previous works.

The Good-morrow which was written in 1971 is a setting for mezzo-soprano and piano of five poems by John Donne. These are not songs in the closed sense: the settings deliberately blur one poem into the next so as to form a little musical drama about a passionate but light-hearted love-affair. The model for this piece was the beautiful song-cycle The voice of love (1966) by Nicholas Maw who was my teacher from 1968 until 1971 and whose influence upon my development was both strong and fruitful. My debt to Maw (who died in 2009) is great and this song-cycle was my grateful acknowledgement of it. The Good-morrow was first performed in 1986 at the Purcell Room London by Linda Hibberd and Giles Swayne.1. I wonder by my troth2. 'Tis true 'tis day3. Come live with me and be my love4. So so breake off this last lamenting kiss5. Now thou hast lov'd me one whole day

Vocal Score of Giles Swayne's 'Cry' for 28 amplified voices. (SATB) a capella. Duration 78 minutes. Composed in 1978-79 and first performed by the BBC Singers under John Poole.

The Tiger is a 1995 piece based on the poem The Tiger by William Blake though it is not a straightforward setting of the work. Part of the poem appears in English and a second part in French German Italian and Spanish. The entire poem appears in a compressed central section which has been extracted for a shorter version entitled The Tiglet.British composer Giles Swayne broke into international consciousness with his huge work CRY for twenty-eight amplified Voices premiered by the BBC Singers. He has written many works for Chorus among his oeuvre. Swayne has travelled extensively in Ghana and Senegal and the percussiveness of The Tiger clearly manifests that influence.

Written by Giles Swayne in 1995 based around the poem ' The Tiger' by William Blake . The work is for SATB choir and SSSATB soloists. A separate line for hands and feet is included on the score with fingerclicking and foot stomping adding to the percussive feel of the work.This is the full score showing all vocal parts and the body percussion line. ...African influences are also felt in Swayne’s Blake setting The Tiglet which bristles with foot stamping finger clicking and sharp vocal projectiles... Robert Levett International Record Review 01 February 2007The Tiglet (part of Swayne's work The Tiger) features some 'wild syllabic interjections half sung and half shouted' which have to be heard to be believed!Church Music Quarterly 01 December 2006 Listen to a sample here

Work for SATB Choir and Organ commissioned by the Norwich Festival of Contemporary Church Music.

Short strophic carol both words and music by Giles Swayne for Unison Voice (with optional second part) and Piano accompaniment.

The Magnificat was written in 1982 in response to a commission from Christ Church College Oxford whose choir first performed it under their conductor Francis Grier in July of that year. At that time the composer was influenced by his belated discovery of African music. During a period of research in Senegal and The Gambia he recorded a working-song in a small village called Badem Karantaba about thirty miles south-east of Ziguinchor in the Casamance region of southern Senegal. Swayne used the opening call of this song to begin the Magnificat; it returns as a refrain towards the end.