Voicing: SATB unaccompanied

Duration: 3' 00"

A setting (in English) of an 8th century Japanese poem by Lady Heguri. Pentatonic harmonies and a haunting melody make this an arresting concert piece. 

A thousand years you said,

as our hearts melted.

I look at the hand that you held

And the ache is hard to bear.

Voicing: SSAATTBB a cappella

Duration: 3' 40"

An atmospheric setting of a poem by Sara Teasdale describing her pity for the homeless in winter.

Chromatic 8-part harmonies make this a piece for more confident or advanced choirs.

A setting of Edward Thomas' much loved poem set in the Cotswolds on a still, hot day in late June 1914. The piece was written on a similar day in June 2020.

Voicing: SATB with divisi and piano (or organ)

Duration: 4' 45"

Written in: 2021

This piece was commissioned in March 2021 by Tricia Rees-Jones for the Somerset-based chamber choir Swan Singers to celebrate their return to live performance after the Covid-19 lockdown. It begins very gently and opens up gradually, like a flower. The text is by the composer.

 "The words capture the moment perfectly and I think the piece is incredibly moving.” - Tricia Rees-Jones

... After the locked and shuttered doorways,

After the dark and empty spaces,

And after the silence, singing.

Voicing: SATB a cappella

Duration: 2' 56"

An emotionally-charged setting of the old testament Psalm 137, heavily influenced by the style of Jewish liturgical music. The harmony is quite chromatic, making this setting more suitable for experienced choirs.

Voicing: SATB, or SAB, and piano

Duration: 2' 50"

A reflective and ethereal original setting of the first verse of the ancient hymn text based around Ralph Vaughan Williams' beautiful melody Down Ampney.

This work was written the commemorate the 60th anniversary of RVW's death and was premiered on the occasion by The Vaughan Williams Singers in his childhood home, Leith Hill Place.

Voicing: CCBar and piano. This work is also available in a verson for SATB and piano

Duration: 4'21"

This song was composed during the Covid-19 lockdown originally for ‘cambiata’ choir, i.e. a choir for boys with changing voices. Inspired by remarks made on social media by Martin Ashley, of Boys Keep Singing, I was looking forward specifically to a time when boys, who might have still been trebles when the pandemic hit, will be able to sing with others again, albeit now with voices that have begun to change.

I later arranged and filled it out to create a version of the work suitable for all SATB mixed choirs.

The idea of the song is to acknowledge the multiplicity of sadness and tragedy represented by, in this case, a global pandemic, and yet to provide a sense of hope and consolation.

Voicing: SATB and piano. This work is also available in a verson for CCBar and piano

Duration: 4'21"

This song was composed during the Covid-19 lockdown originally for ‘cambiata’ choir, i.e. a choir for boys with changing voices. Inspired by remarks made on social media by Martin Ashley, of Boys Keep Singing, I was looking forward specifically to a time when boys, who might have still been trebles when the pandemic hit, will be able to sing with others again, albeit now with voices that have begun to change.

I later arranged and filled it out to create a version of the work suitable for all SATB mixed choirs.

The idea of the song is to acknowledge the multiplicity of sadness and tragedy represented by, in this case, a global pandemic, and yet to provide a sense of hope and consolation.

Voicing: SATB and piano. ( TTBB, and SSA arrangements of this piece are also available)

Duration: 3' 00"

A lyrical setting of Tennyson's farewell poem.

The original TTBB version of this work won the 2014 Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival composition competition. Adjudicator Alan Bullard called it 'An effective and moving work which represents the best of the Male Voice Choir tradition'.

The SATB and SSA versions capture all the lyrical qualities of the original voicing.

A virtual choir video of Epsom Male Voice Choir performing the piece during Covid lockdown is available on YouTube.

Voicing: TTBB and piano. (SATB, and SSA arrangements of this piece are also available)

Duration: 3' 00"

A lyrical setting of Tennyson's farewell poem.

This work won the 2014 Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival composition competition. Adjudicator Alan Bullard called it 'An effective and moving work which represents the best of the Male Voice Choir tradition'.

A virtual choir video of Epsom Male Voice Choir performing the piece during Covid lockdown is available on YouTube.

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 2' 20"

A setting of words from Charles Darwin's On The Origin Of Species in which he describes, in loving detail, the characteristics of different types of pigeons. The music is energetic, highly rhythmical and occasionally comic. The rapidly changing time signatures make this piece more suitable for experienced and confident choirs.

Voicing: SATB and piano. (This work is also available in versions for SAB, SSA or 2-part mixed voices)

Duration: 2' 18"

A humorous Christmas song, with original words, in which a husband a wife discuss her lavish decoration plans. The poor husband doesn't get much of a word in - until the end. A real audience-pleaser.

Watch the Virtual choir video by James Davy and Amici Cantate.

"This music is so funny and fabulous and singable. Spot on. Thank you." - Stephanie Pirrie, community choir MD.

Voicing: SATB (with divisi) unaccompanied

Duration: 4' 13"

Written in: February 2023

A setting of a poem by Sara Teasdale in 8 parts. Soaring climaxes and rich, shimmering harmony makes this a highly effective concert piece.

Shortlisted for the Ensemble Altera Composition Competition 2023

Voicing: SATB with divisi a cappella

Duration: 3' 45"

A setting of the optimistic sonnet 'Do not stand at my grave and weep'.

The poem's authorship is uncertain. It is often attributed to Mary Elizabeth Frye, but it is also claimed to be by Clare Harner.

Voicing: Baritone solo, SATB and piano

Duration: 7' 50"

This is a substantial setting of Matthew Arnold's famous Victorian poem "Dover Beach". The poem is full of vivid imagery, contrasts and unexpected turns and the music faithfully follows each twist and turn.

The work includes optional scoring for string quartet (in addition to the piano) - conductor's score and parts available on request.

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 2' 30"

Written in: 2022

A sweet and gentle setting of a song from Kenneth Grahame's charming, timeless classic Wind in the Willows.

All along the backwater

Through the rushes tall

Ducks are a-dabbling

Up tails all!

Voicing: SATB unaccompanied

Duration: 2' 30"

Written in: 2017

A setting of lines from Oscar Wilde's early transcendental poem Panthea, this piece forms one movement of the longer work called Verses from Panthea, also available on this site.

Voicing: SATB and piano. A TTBB version of this work is also available.

Duration: 3' 52"

A gently lyrical setting of the famous funeral song from Shakespeare's Cymbeline - Fear no more the heat o' the sun, nor the furious winter's rages.

This piece forms a poignant movement in the "Cantata of Remembrance" Dies Irae.

Voicing: SATB a cappella

Duration: 3' 22"

The bleakness and anger of Wilfred Owen's text is both offset and highlighted by the music's warm harmonies and tender dissonances. Suitable for Remembrance-themed concerts.

Voicing: SATB a cappella. (Versions for SSA and TTBB are also available)

Duration: 3' 22"

The world of the English madrigal collides with South American-inspired melody and rhythm in this playful setting of the famous poem by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674) which begins 'Gather ye rosebuds while ye may'.

Voicing: SATB a cappella

Duration: 4' 15"

An arrangement for unaccompanied mixed voices of the famous 16th century English ballad, often attributed to Henry VIII.

This version is straightforward enough to be tackled by any choir but retains a renaissance atmosphere and charm.

Voicing: SATB a cappella

Duration: 3' 30"

An atmospheric song with words by the composer inspired by the sight of the northern lights shimmering above Iceland's famous Gullfoss waterfall in winter.

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 3' 48"

Written to a text by John Gillespie Magee, the song expresses the joy and exuberance of a young airman tasting the freedom of flight. Suitable for Remembrance-themed concerts

Voicing: SATB and piano. This work is also available in an arrangement for TTBB and piano

Duration: 4' 43"

A melodic setting of the famous WW1 poem by John McCrae which evokes both the poem's evocative, elegaic mood and its fervent call to arms. Suitable for Remembrance-themed concerts.

Voicing: SATB and piano, or SABar and piano

Duration: 2' 00"

Written in: 2021

A setting of a poem by the Victorian poet Gerard Manley Hopkins describing a scene in the Scottish countryside. The final verse of the poem concludes with a surprisingly modern appeal for the conservation of natural beauty and wildness.

Voicing: SATB a cappella

Duration: 3' 28"

A bittersweet setting of Shakespeare's sonnet number 104 which begins: 'To me, fair friend, you never can be old'.

Voicing: SSATB a cappella

Duration: 4' 45"

An original setting, with a gospel feel, of the Easter song by John Macleod Campbell Crum that begins "Now the green blade riseth". 

Voicing: SATB and piano. This work also exists in versions for SSA, TTBB, or SABar choirs and piano

Duration: 2' 25"

A romantic setting of Shelley's love poem which begins 'The fountains mingle with the river'.

The TTBB version of this work was a "highly commended" runner-up in the Cornwall International Male Voice Festival's composition competition in 2016. Alan Bullard, the competition adjudicator, said of it: "This is a lovely lyrical setting of this famous poem. There is much to enjoy in this beautifully flowing song which would grace many a concert. "

Voicing: SATB and piano or S(A)(B) and piano

Duration: 2' 50"

A lyrical, wistful and instantly appealing setting of poem 33 from A.E. Housman's 'A Shropshire Lad'.

The three-part version is flexibly arranged, meaning that it can be sung as a unison song, or with one or two lower parts. (Note: this inspection copy is the SATB version)

Voicing: SATB a cappella

Duration: 1' 57"

A gently melodic setting, with luxuriant harmonies, of a song from 'The Woman Hater' by Jacobean playwrights Francis Beaumont & John Fletcher.

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 4' 29"

Written in: 2012

A melodic and wistful setting of John Clare's folksong-like poem of lost love.

Voicing: SATB and piano. An SSA version of this work is also available

Duration: 3' 00"

Text by Sir Philip Sidney. A gentle song with a simple, graceful melody. Originally written for the London Humanist Choir as a wedding song. This is Ian's most popular and most frequently performed work.

The SSA version was selected as a set work for both the 2016 Leith Hill Musical Festival and the 2017 Scunthorpe Musical Festival.

Voicing: Soprano solo, SATB and piano

Duration: 5' 28"

Written in: 2013

A lyrical, passionate setting, with a slightly syncopated rhythm, of a heart-rending Tudor-era text often attributed to Anne Boleyn.

A beautiful recording by London Choral Sinfonia, along with a moving-score video is available - select the final image above.

Voicing: SSAATTBB unaccompanied

Duration: 3' 59"

Written in: March 2023

An intense, emotional work with words by the composer. Ian says of Pavane: 'This is my most personal and emotional work to date and the one of which I am most proud.'

The term Pavane suggests a slow, processional couples' dance, but it also calls to mind, deliberately, Maurice Ravel's 'Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte'

Voicing: SATB unaccompanied

Duration: 3' 00"

Written in: 2024

A setting for a cappella voices of a poem by Sara Teasdale.

I am a pool in a peaceful place,

I greet the great sky face to face,

I know the stars and the stately moon

And the wind that runs with rippling shoon...

This work reached the final list in the Japan International Choral Composition Competition

Voicing: SATB and piano with optional percussion (shaker, hand drums, guiro)

Duration: 2' 48"

Written in: 2024

A light-hearted setting of the song from Much Ado About Nothing with a Latin twist.

Voicing: SATB and piano. Versions for SSA, 2-part upper voices and TTBB are also available

Duration: 5' 07"

A joyful song about singing, with words by the composer.

This piece won the Making Music 75th birthday composition competition and was chosen as a competition piece for the Leith Hill Musical Festival.

Voicing: SATB a cappella

Duration: 1' 57"

This is a setting, in Latin, of lines from poem 5 by the ancient roman poet Catullus. Suns may set, and suns may rise again: but when our brief light has set, night is one long everlasting sleep.

Voicing: SATB (with some divisi) a cappella

Duration: 3' 30"

An unusual and haunting setting of Dante Gabriel Rossetti's dreamlike poem on déjà vu. 

I have been here before, But when or how I cannot tell:
I know the grass beyond the door, The sweet keen smell,
The sighing sound, the lights around the shore.

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 3' 06"

This work, which is the fourth movement of Ionian Mass, also works well as a standalone piece.

The complete mass is available to purchase here.

Voicing: SATB (with divisi) and piano

Duration: 4' 10"

Written in: 2024

This is a setting of a poem by Pavel Friedmann, a Jewish Czechoslovak poet murdered in The Holocaust. His poem "The Butterfly" was written on June 4th 1942 in Theresienstadt and discovered there after the camp was liberated.

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 4' 07"

An uplifting setting, in an approachable style, of George Eliot's impassioned poem. Suitable for most mixed choirs, including more experienced community choirs.

Voicing: Soprano Solo, SATB and cello

Duration: 5' 10"

Written in: 2023

A setting for soprano solo, cello and choir of the fantastical poem The Song of Wandering Aengus by Irish poet W.B.Yeats. An atmospheric work, with a Celtic feel, combining a strong melody and soaring climaxes.

Voicing: SATB unaccompanied

Duration: 2' 15"

Written in: 2023

A tuneful and playful setting of the Edward Lear poem featuring a relaxed style and plenty of humour.

Sing it at an animal-themed concert - or any time you want the choir to hoot and meow!

Voicing: Solo voice, SATB and piano (other voicings are available)

Duration: 4' 11"

A comic song with an important message about the joy of choral singing. Original words by the composer. See the virtual choir video created by Leatherhead Choral Society, Epsom Male Voice Choir and Vaughan Williams Singers.

This song would be perfect for an event designed to celebrate a choir's anniversary or as part of a recruitment drive.

You might also enjoy Sing As One

Voicing: TTBB and piano

Duration: 2' 55"

Written in: April 2023

A song of farewell to an old friend and comrade, with words by the composer.

"When the sun was high in the noon-day sky

He sang as walked on the dusty path;

And when darkness fell like a sounding bell,

He sang to the moon and stars."

Voicing: SATB unaccompanied

Duration: 4' 30"

Written in: 2022

A setting for unaccompanied mixed choir of a poem by Sara Teasdale.

There will come soft rains and the smell of the ground,

And swallows circling with their shimmering sound;

Voicing: Soprano solo and SATB, or SATB without solo, a cappella

Duration: 2' 40"

A version of a song from Verses from Panthea arranged for soprano solo and SATB, or for SATB divisi without solo. The work from which it is taken is a set of 4 settings for SATB a cappella of verses from Oscar Wilde's early transcendental poem Panthea (1881).

Verses from Panthea received an honourable mention ("exemplary and deserving of special recognition") in the Boston Choral Ensemble Commission Competition 2017.

Voicing: SATB and piano (other voicings are also available)

Duration: 3' 25"

A klezmer-inspired arrangement of a traditional Yiddish folksong - a riddle song - with a wonderful melody. Sudden key and tempo changes help to make this song a real crowd-pleaser.

You may also like:

Papir iz Dokh Vays

Sha, Shtil

Voicing: SA and piano

Duration: 3' 30"

Written in: 2024

A setting for upper voices of an unsettling poem by Christina Rossetti. The poem, which takes the form of a series of questions and answers, is deliberately ambiguous, but deals, with the lightest of touches, on the nature of death and the afterlife.

"Does the road wind up-hill all the way?

Yes, to the very end...."

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 4' 23"

Written in: 2023

A song about the magic of song. With words by the composer.

Voicing: SAB and piano

Duration: 3' 52"

A tender, original and moving song, in an approachable style, with text by the composer, about loss.

Suitable for both experienced and less experienced choirs, and particularly appropriate for Remembrance-themed concerts.

This is a flexible arrangement for solo, unison voices,  or up to 3-part mixed voices. The work is also available in versions for SSA and piano or TTBB and piano

Voicing: SSA, SAB or TTBB, and piano

Duration: 3' 52"

A tender, original and moving song, in an approachable style, with text by the composer, about loss.

Suitable for both experienced and less experienced choirs, and particularly appropriate for Remembrance-themed concerts.

Voicing: SSAATTBB a cappella

Duration: 3' 20"

A highly singable 8-part setting of Lord Byron's gloomy, folk-like poem in a deceptively pop-like style.

(N.B. Not to be confused with "A-Roving" which is a folk-song arrangement)

Voicing: SATB and piano

Duration: 4' 15"

Written in: 2022

A setting of William Wordsworth's "Lines Written in Early Spring". Wordsworth's poem was written during the French Revolution and, alongside the pastoral imagery inspired by the coming of spring, he dwells sadly on "what man has made of man". The music reflects this dual sensibility with a bittersweet melody and deceptively simple harmonies.

Voicing: TTBB and piano. This product is also available in a version for SATB and piano

Duration: 2' 44"

A setting of an poem by Thomas Hardy - an unusually sunny, joyful text for the often rather gloomy author. The text refers to Hardy's first visit to Cornwall in March 1870 when he met his first wife Emma. "Lyonnesse" is the name of a fictional county in Arthurian legend.

This work won 3rd prize in the Cornwall International Male Choral Festival composition competition 2018. Adjudicator Alan Bullard called it: "A captivating setting with an interesting piano part and well-shaped voice parts which responds well to the changing moods of the poetry."