Cecilia McDowall (1951- )
London
born Cecilia McDowall has been described by the International Record
Review as having "a communicative gift that is very rare in modern
music." Often inspired by extra-musical influences, her writing
combines a rhythmic vitality with expressive lyricism and is, at times,
intensely moving. She has won many awards as well as being short-listed
for the 2005 and 2008 British Composer Awards.
Her music has been commissioned and performed by leading choirs,
including the BBC Singers, ensembles and at major festivals both in
Britain and abroad and has been broadcast on BBC Radio and worldwide. A
recent commission, Five Seasons (2006),
for which she was selected from a large list of composers by the
Bournemouth Sinfonietta Choir, received its first performance in
Sherborne Abbey. This exciting and
unique project involved McDowall and the novelist and poet,
Christie Dickason, taking up mini residences at five organic farms
(under the auspices of the Soil Association). The work
was commissioned to "celebrate the organic landscape." Much
of McDowall's
music is on disc (see below).
She is currently composer-in-residence at Dulwich College School,
and has just been signed as an Oxford University Press composer.COMPOSITIONS McDowall Links ~ ~ ~ Works by Genre
Six Pastiches, flute (or oboe) and piano (1985) [educational]
Three Pastiches, clarinet and piano (1987) [educational]
Two Negro Spirituals, sop, 3-part female or male chorus and piano (1991)
Every Winter Change to Spring, Christmas cantata, sop, 3-part female or male chorus & orch/or org or pf (1991)
Four Shakespeare Songs, soprano and piano (1991; arr. for soprano and string orchestra, 1992; rev. 1999)
Shuffle by the Seaside, 4 flutes in C and 2 piccolos (1991) [educational]
8 Folk Songs for 4 Flutes (1992) [educational]
Winter Music, wind quintet (1992)
King Leo, an eco musical or cantata, 7 solo parts, chorus and ensemble or orchestra (1993)
[w/ piano, clarinet and percussion; or flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion; or for full orchestra]
Christmas Bells, a Christmas carol, female chorus and organ (1993)
Of a Rose, a Christmas carol, chorus (1993)
Save the Jungle, female chorus and piano (1993) [educational]
Seven Impressions, piccolo and piano (1993) [educational]
Christ Child, a Christmas carol, chorus and organ (1994)
Concert Studies, flute and piano (1994) [educational]
Divine Pursuits, a mythological musical (1995)
Three Bronte Songs, soprano and piano (1995)
The Mice Will Play, a mini-mouse drama, three-part upper voice chorus and piano (1996)
Two Ratushinskaya Songs, high or medium voice and piano (1996; rev. 2002)
Piper's Dream, flute and piano (1997)
On Angel's Wing, sop., bar., chorus, unison children's choir, 2 pf, timpani & 3 perc (or 1 pf & 1 perc) (1998; rev. 2002)
Hotfoot, 3 flutes in C and alto flute (1998)
Sandslip, string quartet (1998)
Le Temps Viendra, oboe/cor anglais, clarinet/bass clarinet and piano (1998)
Upstaged, violin and viola (1998)
Anaphora, violin (1998)
Soundtracks, flute and piano (1998) [educational]
Four Piano Solos, piano (1998-1999)
- Shades of Solace, piano (1999) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
- Vespers in Venice, piano (1998) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
- Pavane, piano (1999) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
- Tapsalteerie, piano (1999) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
Pavane, orchestra (1999; rev. 2004)
Play Ground, orchestra, and 7 narrators and 1 singer (m/f) (1999)
Seraphim (trumpet concerto), trumpet, string orchestra and percussion (1999; rev. 2002)
To the Stars, wind ensemble (1999)
Cool It, trumpet in C and percussion (1999)
Eleven, flute and harp (or piano) (1999)
Not Just a Place, dark memories from an old tango hall, viola, dbl bass & piano (1999) [see "Chamber" for other inst combos]
- Tango Oscuro, dark memories from an old tango hall, brass quintet (2000) [from "Not Just a Place", 1999]
- Not Just a Place Dark, memories from an old tango hall, solo violin, solo double bass and string orchestra (2001)
- Salon Argentina, dark memories from an old tango hall, solo trumpet & brass nonet (rev. 2002) [from "Not Just a Place", 1999]
Inferno, dramatic scena, counter tenor, trumpet and percussion (1999)
Deep Waters Go Fish, children's opera (2000)
Time Piece, string orchestra and percussion (2000)
Tongues of Fire Missa Brevis, chorus, organ, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones and tuba (2000)
Bells in the Air, fanfare, trumpet and horn (2000)
A Draught of Fishes, string quartet and piano (2000)
Jeu à Treize, 13 wind instruments (2000)
Ta ta, my sweet, flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone and piano (2000)
Ave maris stella, soprano, chorus and string orchestra (2001)
Arctic Circle, wind quintet and piano (2001)
Hodie Gloriosa, brass octet/4 tpts 4 tbns (2001)
Piano Forty, 2 pianos 8-hands (2001)
Christus Natus Est, Christmas cantata, sop (opt.), children's choir (opt.), chorus & chmbr orch/or brass qnt, org & perc/
or org (2002; rev. 2003)
Dream City, flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet (2002)
The Night Trumpeter, trumpet, violin, cello, clarinet, bassoon and piano/or trumpet and piano (2002; rev. 2004)
Street Café, violin, cello, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet and piano (2002)
White Fox Woman, dramatic scena, high or medium voice and oboe (2002)
Dance the Dark Streets, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass (2003)
- Dance the Dark Streets, concerto grosso, string orchestra with piano obbligato (2003; rev. 2005)
Magnificat, soprano solo, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (2003)
A Fancy of Folksongs, chorus and harp or piano (2003)
St Martin's Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, chorus and organ (2003)
The Moon Dances, flute and piano (2003)
The Buzzard, soprano and piano (2003)
Dancing Fish, soprano saxophone and string quartet (or str orch) (2004; rev. 2005)
Stabat Mater, baritone, 2-part children's choir, chorus and orchestra (2004)
Ave Maria, female chorus (2004)
Ave Regina, chorus (2004)
Three Latin Motets, chorus (2004)
Regina Caeli, chorus (fp. 2004)
String Quartet, "The case of the unanswered wire", string quartet (2004)
Annunciation, a carol for Advent, chorus (2005)
Cradle Song, a Christmas carol, high chorus (2005)
Deus, qui claro lumine, chorus or female chorus (2005)
Lonely Hearts, 3 songs, female chorus and harp or piano (2005)
The Angels for the Nativity, a Christmas carol, chorus and organ (2005)
Century Dances, oboe, clarinet and bassoon (2005)
If there are angels, middle voice and piano (2005)
Radnor Songs, soprano and piano (2005; rev. 2009 for soprano and chamber orchestra)
Rain, Steam and Speed, orchestra (2006)
Cantate Astra, a Christmas carol, chorus (2006)
Five Seasons, a cantata to celebrate the organic landscape, chorus, oboe/cor, harp and str qt/or str orch (2006; rev. 2009)
I have done what is mine to do, chorus (2006)
Mein blaues Klavier, soprano saxophone and piano (2006)
Three Antiphons, trumpet and organ (2006)
Christmas Eve at Sea, baritone and piano (2006)
A Canterbury Mass missa brevis, chorus (2006)
Great Hills, solo violin, two flutes and string orchestra (2007)
Now may we singen, a Christmas carol, chorus (2007)
Talking Turkeys, chorus, piano, double bass and glockenspiel (2007)
Y Deryn Pur, oboe, violin, viola and cello (2007)
Song and Dance, flute and piano (2007) [educational]
Colour is the Keyboard, piano (2007)
Falling Angels, cello and piano duo (2008)
Laudate, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (2008)
The skies in their magnificence, chorus (fp. 2008)
Cavatina at Midnight, clarinet (or violin), cello and piano (2008)
Strange violin, are you following me?, violin and piano (2008)
The Descending Blue, flute, harp and string orchestra (2008)
Rise heart; thy Lord is risen, female chorus (2008)
Towards the morning, chorus (2008)
I know that my Redeemer Liveth, chorus (2009)
Colour of Blossoms, violin, cello and piano (2009)
Framed, trumpet and piano (2009) [collection of 7 pieces inspired by works of art]
The Night is Still, a Christmas carol, 2 voices and organ (2009)
Thy voice, O Harmony, is divine, chorus (2009)
Ad Lucem – a canticle of light, a cantata, soprano, chorus and strings/string orch/or organ (2009)
Nocturne, horn quartet (2009)
Deus, Portus Pacis, chorus (2009)
Skerry and Fjord, trombone and piano (2010)
After the Rain, chorus and chamber orchestra (2010)
Time Between Tides, string trio (2010)
Psallite Domino, chorus (2010)
Sounding Heaven and Earth, organ (2010)
WORKS BY GENRE McDowall Links ~ top of page ~
Dramatic/Theater
King Leo, an eco musical or cantata, 7 solo parts, chorus and ensemble or orchestra (1993)
[w/ piano, clarinet and percussion; or flute, clarinet, violin, cello, piano and percussion; or for full orchestra]
Divine Pursuits, a mythological musical (1995)
Deep Waters Go Fish, children's opera (2000)
Orchestra
Pavane, orchestra (1999; rev. 2004)
Play Ground, orchestra, and 7 narrators and 1 singer (m/f) (1999)
Time Piece, string orchestra and percussion (2000)
Dance the Dark Streets, concerto grosso, string orchestra with piano obbligato (2003; rev. 2005) [from chamber work, 2003]
Rain, Steam and Speed, orchestra (2006)
The Descending Blue, flute, harp and string orchestra (2008)
Band
To the Stars, wind ensemble (1999)
Soloist(s) w/Orchestra
Seraphim (trumpet concerto), trumpet, string orchestra and percussion (1999; rev. 2002)
Not Just a Place Dark, memories from an old tango hall, solo vln, solo dbl bass & string orch (2001) [from chamber work, 1999]
Dancing Fish, soprano saxophone and string orchestra (2004; rev. 2005) [from chamber work, 2004]
Great Hills, solo violin, two flutes and string orchestra (2007)
The Descending Blue, flute, harp and string orchestra (2008)
Chorus w/Orchestra
Every Winter Change to Spring Christmas Cantata, sop, 3-part female or male chorus & orch/or org or pf (1991)
[see: Two Negro Spirituals]
Ave maris stella, soprano, chorus and string orchestra (2001)
Christus Natus Est Christmas Cantata, sop (opt.), children's choir (opt.), chorus & chmbr orch (2002; rev. 2003)
Magnificat, soprano solo, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (2003)
Stabat Mater, baritone, 2-part children's choir, chorus and orchestra (2004)
Laudate, mezzo-soprano, chorus and orchestra (2008)
Ad Lucem – a canticle of light, a cantata, soprano, chorus and strings/string orch/or organ (2009)
After the Rain, chorus and chamber orchestra (2010)
Choral
Two Negro Spirituals, sop, 3-part female or male chorus and piano (1991)
Every Winter Change to Spring, Christmas cantata, sop, 3-part female or male chorus & orch/or org or pf (1991)
Christmas Bells, a Christmas carol, female chorus and organ (1993)
Of a Rose, a Christmas carol, chorus (1993)
Save the Jungle, female chorus and piano (1993) [educational]
Christ Child, a Christmas carol, chorus and organ (1994)
The Mice Will Play, a mini-mouse drama, three-part upper voice chorus and piano (1996)
On Angel's Wing, sop., bar., chorus, unison children's choir, 2 pf, timpani & 3 perc (or 1 pf & 1 perc) (1998; rev. 2002)
Tongues of Fire Missa Brevis, chorus, organ, 4 trumpets, 3 trombones and tuba (2000)
Christus Natus Est, Christmas cantata, sop (opt.), children's choir (opt.), chorus & chmbr orch/or brass qnt, org & perc/
or org (2002; rev. 2003)
A Fancy of Folksongs, chorus and harp or piano (2003)
St Martin's Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis, chorus and organ (2003)
Ave Maria, female chorus (2004)
Ave Regina, chorus (2004)
Three Latin Motets, chorus (2004)
Regina Caeli, chorus (fp. 2004)
Annunciation, a carol for Advent, chorus (2005)
Cradle Song, a Christmas carol, high chorus (2005)
Deus, qui claro lumine, chorus or female chorus (2005)
Lonely Hearts, 3 songs, female chorus and harp or piano (2005)
The Angels for the Nativity, a Christmas carol, chorus and organ (2005)
Cantate Astra, a Christmas carol, chorus (2006)
Five Seasons, a cantata to celebrate the organic landscape, chorus, oboe/cor, harp and str qt/or str orch (2006; rev. 2009)
I have done what is mine to do, chorus (2006)
A Canterbury Mass missa brevis, chorus (2006)
Now may we singen, a Christmas carol, chorus (2007)
Talking Turkeys, chorus, piano, double bass and glockenspiel (2007)
The skies in their magnificence, chorus (fp. 2008)
Rise heart; thy Lord is risen, female chorus (2008)
Towards the morning, chorus (2008)
I know that my Redeemer Liveth, chorus (2009)
The Night is Still, a Christmas carol, 2 voices and organ (2009)
Thy voice, O Harmony, is divine, chorus (2009)
Deus, Portus Pacis, chorus (2009)
Psallite Domino, chorus (2010)
Chamber
Shuffle by the Seaside, 4 flutes in C and 2 piccolos (1991) [educational]
8 Folk Songs for 4 Flutes (1992) [educational]
Winter Music, wind quintet (1992)
Hotfoot, 3 flutes in C and alto flute (1998)
Sandslip, string quartet (1998)
Le Temps Viendra, oboe/cor anglais, clarinet/bass clarinet and piano (1998)
Upstaged, violin and viola (1998)
Cool It, trumpet in C and percussion (1999)
Eleven, flute and harp (or piano) (1999)
Not Just a Place, dark memories from an old tango hall, viola, double bass and piano (1999)
- arr. for violin, double bass and piano (1999; rev. 2000)
- arr. for flute, cello and piano (1999; rev. 2004)
- arr. viola, double bass and piano (2000)
- Tango Oscuro, dark memories from an old tango hall, brass quintet (2000)
- Salon Argentina, dark memories from an old tango hall, solo trumpet and brass nonet (rev. 2002)
Bells in the Air, fanfare, trumpet and horn (2000)
A Draught of Fishes, string quartet and piano (2000)
Jeu à Treize, 13 wind instruments (2000)
Ta ta, my sweet, flute, oboe, clarinet, alto saxophone, trumpet, trombone and piano (2000)
Arctic Circle, wind quintet and piano (2001)
Hodie Gloriosa, brass octet/4 tpts 4 tbns (2001)
Dream City, flute, clarinet, harp and string quartet (2002)
The Night Trumpeter, trumpet, violin, cello, clarinet, bassoon and piano (2002; rev. 2004)
Street Café, violin, cello, clarinet, bassoon, trumpet and piano (2002)
Dance the Dark Streets, piano, 2 violins, viola, cello and double bass (2003)
Dancing Fish, soprano saxophone and string quartet (2004)
String Quartet, "The case of the unanswered wire", string quartet (2004)
Century Dances, oboe, clarinet and bassoon (2005)
Y Deryn Pur, oboe, violin, viola and cello (2007)
Falling Angels, cello and piano duo (2008)
Cavatina at Midnight, clarinet (or violin), cello and piano (2008)
Colour of Blossoms, violin, cello and piano (2009)
Nocturne, horn quartet (2009)
Time Between Tides, string trio (2010)
Solo Instrument
Six Pastiches, flute (or oboe) and piano (1985) [educational]
Three Pastiches, clarinet and piano (1987) [educational]
Seven Impressions, piccolo and piano (1993) [educational]
Concert Studies, flute and piano (1994) [educational]
Piper's Dream, flute and piano (1997)
Anaphora, violin (1998)
Soundtracks, flute and piano (1998) [educational]
The Night Trumpeter, trumpet and piano (2002)
The Moon Dances, flute and piano (2003)
Mein blaues Klavier, soprano saxophone and piano (2006)
Three Antiphons, trumpet and organ (2006)
Song and Dance, flute and piano (2007) [educational]
Strange violin, are you following me?, violin and piano (2008)
Framed, trumpet and piano (2009) [collection of 7 pieces inspired by works of art]
Skerry and Fjord, trombone and piano (2010)
Piano/Organ
Four Piano Solos, piano (1998-1999)
- Shades of Solace, piano (1999) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
- Vespers in Venice, piano (1998) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
- Pavane, piano (1999) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
- Tapsalteerie, piano (1999) [also in "Four Piano Solos"]
Piano Forty, 2 pianos 8-hands (2001)
Colour is the Keyboard, piano (2007)
Sounding Heaven and Earth, organ (2010)
Vocal
Four Shakespeare Songs, soprano and piano (1991; arr. for soprano and string orchestra, 1992; rev. 1999)
Three Bronte Songs, soprano and piano (1995)
Two Ratushinskaya Songs, high or medium voice and piano (1996; rev. 2002)
Inferno, dramatic scena, counter tenor, trumpet and percussion (1999)
White Fox Woman, dramatic scena, high or medium voice and oboe (2002)
The Buzzard, soprano and piano (2003) [one of 12 especially composed songs from the cycle "A Garland for Presteigne"
commissioned to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Presteigne Festival]
If there are angels, middle voice and piano (2005)
Radnor Songs, soprano and piano (2005; rev. 2009 for soprano and chamber orchestra)
Christmas Eve at Sea, baritone and piano (2006)
The Night is Still, a Christmas carol, 2 voices and organ (2009)
McDOWALL LINKS Works by Genre ~ top of page ~
The Balancing Dance & The Five Seasons (Christie Dickason)
Up-and-Coming Composer Born to Make Music (Carl Yapp, Western Mail)
Composer's website
McDowall Catalog of Works
McDowall @ Wikipedia
McDowall @ Answers.com
McDowall @ Paul Archibald
McDowall @ Bachtrack
McDowall @ ChamberMusic2000
McDowall @ Choral Connections
McDowall @ Classical Archives
McDowall @ ClassicsToday
McDowall @ composition:today
McDowall @ Dilettante Music
McDowall @ Ensemble Lumière
McDowall @ Music & Vision
McDowall @ MusicWeb International
McDowall @ NMC Recordings
McDowall @ Oxford University Press
McDowall @ W11 Opera
McDowall @ Woodlands Farm
Streaming Audio
McDowall @ Composer's website
McDowall @ James Black Management/Katherine Allen
McDowall @ Classical Archives
McDowall @ Music & Vision
McDowall @ Rhapsody
Recordings
McDowall @ ArkivMusic
McDowall @ ClassicsOnline
McDowall @ Dutton Vocalion (via google)
McDowall @ NMC Recordings
McDowall @ Presto Classical
The Deux-Elles label has recorded her works for flute and piano and wind ensemble, performed by Ensemble Lumiere and pianist, Richard Shaw (Piper's Dream, 2002 - DXL1033) and includes the specially commissioned Arctic Circle (for piano and wind quintet).
In 2004 Dutton Epoch released the first CD of her choral works performed by the Rachel Nicholls (soprano), Frances Bourne (mezzo-soprano), City of Canterbury Chamber Choir, Orchestra Nova and conductor, George Vass (CDLX 7146) and in 2005 a CD of orchestral and chamber music (CDLX 7159).
In 2006 Three Antiphons were recorded by an international trumpet ensemble consisting of players from the Berlin Philharmonic and Vienna Philharmonic and released on the trumpeter Paul Archibald's label (Brass Classics 3005).
In 2007 the Dutton label recorded a further CD (CDLX 7197) of McDowall's choral work with City of Canterbury Chamber Choir and the Joyful Company of Singers.
Four more CDs of McDowall's music were released in 2008, including the Chandos recording of the highly renowned American choir, Phoenix Chorale; this recording, Spotless Rose (Hymns to the Virgin Mary) (Chandos 5066) won a Grammy award in February, 2009, and was nominated for Best Classical Album.
In 2009 Dutton Epoch released another Choral CD ('Laudate' CDLX 7230).
McDowall @ YouTube
First Rehearse
Annunciation
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