Voice

Voc + SATTB. A piece in the form of a short history of the development of Spirituals, illustrated by six musical examples performed by voice and recorder quintet. The range of the voice is from A below the stave to G above. Written for use at meetings of the Society of Recorder Players, where the music (all quite easy) can be rehearsed, and then finished off with a 'concert performance' including the narrative.

3 ATB & narrator

3 ATB & voc. Cheerful, fun and easy arrangements of nursery rhymes which are very well-known in France. The voice part has a large range (from an F to the G over two octaves higher), but two people could share the line with a little ingenuity. The words are in French, but a translation is included.

Voc & ATTBB. This piece is a setting of a poem by Emily Bronte, and is for voice and recorder quintet. The poem is rather dark and mysterious, and I hope the setting reflects that. The range of the voice is from middle C to F#, and hence would suit a mezzo-soprano or a tenor.

Choir + 7 SATTBGb/BCb. This fairly easy setting of the poem by Alfred Tennyson is dedicated to Ann Lyall, who has done so much to popularise the combination of voices and recorders. The voices are soprano, mezzo, contralto and baritone; all vocal material is doubled within the recorder group.

Narrator, 6 SATTBB/Cb & koto. A beautiful traditional Japanese fairy tale, for narrator and recorder orchestra. The music has a strongly Japanese flavour, and is generally quite easy to play, although the (to our ears) unusual scales may lead to some tuning problems at first.

Narrator + SoSSAATTBBGbCb. A beautiful traditional Japanese fairy tale, for narrator and recorder orchestra. The music has a strongly Japanese flavour, and is generally quite easy to play, although the (to our ears) unusual scales may lead to some tuning problems at first. The piece is also available (MHE 40204b)
for recorder orchestra and koto, with additional music.

4 SATB & voc. Most people know Deep River and Down By The Riverside (and very good they are too), but this set contains three less-known but excellent spirituals, which may be new to you - Great Day, The Hammer Song and Hebrew Children. All bursting with rhythmic vitality (there are no soulful ballads in this set!). Not difficult to play. The range of the voice part is middle C to the G above the stave.

Countertenor & 3 ATB. These are settings of three poems by Judy Kendall, which are included in her book 'The Drier The Brighter'. The pieces were written at the request of the recorder trio Polyphonica, who were performing with a countertenor. Although the sound of a countertenor is unique, the voice part (from A to C, a 10th higher) fits most other voice types, and the pieces would work satisfactorily with them. Total performance time is about seven minutes.

4 SATB & narrator. The House at the Edge of the Forest  - Gathering White Pebbles  - Moonlight Through the Trees  - Locked in the House  - The Beautiful Cottage  - The Wicked Witch  - Be He Fat or Be He Lean  - They Lived Happily Ever After . Steve says: 'I was delighted when Helen Hooker asked me to write a piece for her ensemble at the 2012 Recorder Summer School, and I tried to produce something rather out of the ordinary. This ‘piece’ tells the famous story of Hansel and Gretel. The story is read out, and there are nine musical interludes (only eight can fit on this website!) that illustrate key parts of the story. This music is quite unusual in places, but is not difficult to play. It takes about five minutes to read the text, and the music takes about nine minutes, so a complete performance makes an interesting quarter of an hour for players and audience alike. The relationship of this publication to my 'Four Scenes from Hansel and Gretel' (MHE 50303) is that some of the musical ideas from that earlier piece have been reworked here.'

Narrator, SoSSAATTBBGbCb & koto

Alto voc, 3 TTB. 'The sun just touched the morning  / As imperceptibly as grief  /She sweeps with many-colored brooms  / On this wondrous sea .' Steve says: 'I wrote these settings of four poems by Emily Dickinson for the recorder trio Polyphonica and the countertenor Robert Cross. Although the sound of a countertenor is unique, the voice part (from A to C, a 10th higher) is ideal for a contralto, and indeed works with most other voice types as well. The poems concern the passing of time, a common subject in the work of Emily Dickinson. They may be performed singly or in groups. Total playing time is about eight minutes. See MHE 11110a for a much larger-scale version of this piece..'