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.

Five songs of innocence and experience based on poems by William Blake for unaccompanied mixed chorus. Includes a Piano accompaniment for rehearsal purposes.

These two songs were written between December 1994 and January 1996. Swayne has said that there will be eventually three songs as he will hopefully include a version of La Belle Dame sans merci.

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.

Described by the composer as 'a prayer for sanity a cry in the wilderness to a god who may or may not be there' this unconventional Mass (with new words) is written in the context of a world where millions of people die of hunger every year where 10% of living species are under threat of extinction. The Mass is angrily critical of the intolerance injustice and corruption of our world and those who control it.Duration c. 24 mins. For SATB chorus a cappella.Vocal score.