Nobody knows the trouble I see

Scoring: TTBB barbershop quartet

Date: 2026

A setting of the popular African-American Spiritual "Nobody knows the trouble I see" arranged for TTBB barbershop quartet. There are at least two major melodies to this song and many versions of each. I have taken the version used by Michael Tippett in his "A Child of our Time" Oratorio and made it my own. It is designed to be relatively easy to sing, while retaining its vitality and rhythmic drive.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Lyrics

Chorus:

Nobody knows the trouble I see, Lord,

nobody knows the trouble I see.

Nobody knows the trouble I see, Lord,

nobody knows like Jesus.

1.

O brother, pray for me,

O brother, pray for me,

O brother, pray for me,

help me to drive ol' Satan away.

2.

O sister, pray for me,

O sister, pray for me,

O sister, pray for me,

help me to drive ol' Satan away.

3.

O mother, pray for me,

O mother, pray for me,

O mother, pray for me,

help me to drive ol' Satan away.

Infant lowly, infant holy

Scoring: SATB choir and piano

Date: 2026

"Infant lowly, Infant holy" is a traditional Polish Christmas carol with a very beautiful, simple melody. David Willcox's arrangement in OUP's "Carols for Choirs" with its slightly complex cross-rhythms is well known. In this setting I have re-cast the carol in three verses with a piano accompaniment and a more straighforward rhythmical structure. However, it includes a richer harmonic accompaniment and a running piano line over the top of the melody. It should be played and sung with a lilt, as indicated by the dynamic hair-pins so that it retains its rocking gentleness.

The words were translated into English by Edith M Reed in the early twentieth century.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

O Lord, you have searched me out

Version 1

Scoring: SATB a cappella

Date: 2024

Here is a setting of Psalm 139, in two versions, which begins "O Lord, you have searched me out and known me." The psalm is a deeply personal reflection by the psalmist on the "wonder of my being" and on the inescapability of God's love, wherever we might try to hide, and whatever we might do ourselves or might experience - even death. This gentle setting uses the full range of all four/three choral voices, with just a few divisi passages near the end of the composition in the lower parts. The pslam should be sung meditatively, without too much drama, even in the fortissimo passages, aiming for a sense of wonder and inner peace.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

YouTube video scores for practice:
Full version
Soprano
Alto

Tenor

Bass

Version 2

Scoring: SABar and piano

Date: 2024

Here is a setting of Psalm 139, which begins "O Lord, you have searched me out and known me." The psalm is a deeply personal reflection by the psalmist on the "wonder of my being" and on the inescapability of God's love, wherever we might try to hide, and whatever we might do ourselves or might experience - even death. This gentle setting uses the full range of all four choral voices, with just one divisi passage at the end of the composition in the alto and baritone parts. The piece should be sung meditatively, without too much drama, even in the fortissimo passages, aiming for a sense of wonder and inner peace.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

YouTube video scores for practice:
Full version
Soprano
Alto

Baritone

Psalm 139

O Lord, you have searched me out and known me;

you know all my sitting down and rising;

you discern my thoughts from afar.

You mark all journeys and my resting place

and are acquanited with all my ways.

For not a word is on my tongue

but, Lord, you know it altogether.

You encompass me, behind and before me,

you lay you hand upon me.

O where can I go from your spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I climb up to heaven you are there;

you are there if the grave is where I lie.

If I take the wings of the morning,

or dwell in the depths of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

your right hand hold me fast.

You created my innermost parts;

you knit me together in my mother's womb.

I thank you for the wonder of my being,

I marvel at all your works.

Amen.

Praise the Lord from the heavens

Scoring: SAB choir and piano

Date: 2023

A joyful, upbeat setting of Psalm 148 to celebrate the coronation of King Charles III. Although the time signatures may at first seem daunting, this is quite simple to perform and the piano part is deliberately supportive. I hope singers will find it fun to sing and perhaps a church congregation might be encouraged to join in with the refrains!

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words (from Ps 148):

Refrain:

Praise the Lord from the heavens;

Praise the Lord from the heights!

Praise him all his angels;

Praise him all his host!

Verses:

Praise him, praise him, sun and moon,

praise him all you shining stars,

praise him highest heavens,

praise the name of the Lord.

Great sea monsters, ocean deeps,

fire and hail at his command,

snow and frost and stormy wind,

praise the name of the Lord.

Praise him, hills and mountains,

cattle and wild animals,

creeping things and flying birds,

praise the name of the Lord.

He commanded, they were made,

fixed their bounds as he decreed,

founded them for ever.

Praise the name of the Lord.

Kings of the earth and princes,

rulers of every nation,

women and men together

praise the name of the Lord.

March of the Kings (Bizet)

Scoring: SABar choir and organ

Date: 2022

An arrangement of a thirteenth century French Christmas carol from Provence harmonized by Jean-Baptiste Lully (1632-87, attrib.) and, more famously, by Georges Bizet (1838-75, in his L'Arlesienne Suite of 1872). In France the melody is still tightly associated with Christmas, and French audiences start singing their own Christmas words whenever they hear the melody (I have heard them!) The English translation used here is adapted from a variety of sources. The three kings (or more precisely the "magi" from St Matthew's gospel) are seen marching towards Bethlehem with their fantastic golden wealth and grandeur. But why are they going to see a low-born baby and why do they worship this child who will die on a cross?
The organ sets the scene from the beginning with its marching accompaniment, and the first verse is sung in unison by all three parts. The second begins with a canon, as used by Bizet, and then breaks into harmony. The first section of the third verse is much quieter and legato, sung by the sopranos and altos, using wonderful chromatic harmonies based on another section from Bizet's suite. The lyrics express wonder at the beautiful music heard from the camp of the kings. The second section, sung in differentiated unison then begins to wonder why the kings "stoop so low to a baby in a manger". Finally the fourth verse, sung in full harmony, returns to the marching accompaniment and reiterates the amazement of meeting these kings with their mysterious mission.

Files: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Cradle Song

Scoring: Unison voices (with occasional divisi) and piano

Date: 2022

A new Christmas carol, setting the words of William Blake's poem "A Cradle Song" from his collection entitled "Songs of Innocence".

The very title of Blake's poem calls out for it to be set to music. Indeed the poem is a straightforward lullaby for the first few stanzas, sung softly by a mother over her sleeping baby, as she marvels at the wonder of this beautiful infant and expresses her love for the child. Her own anxieties and weeping for the child remind her of the Christ-child who also wept as a vulnerable baby. But as God incarnate he "wept for me, for thee, for all", and brought peace to heaven and earth. (Blake perhaps uses the word" beguile" to indicate the paradoxical nature of a weeping God bringing redemption to a suffering world by becoming a vulnerable human baby himself.)

The composition aims to avoid unnecessary complexity in the vocal parts, so that it can be sung easily particularly by a parish choir. However, it also attempts to capture some of the beauty, drama and mystery of the scene expressed by Blake. The piece begins and ends in stillness, and there are gentle climaxes here and there, reflecting some of the rise and fall of the poem's lyrics.

It could be sung by a mixed or single-voice choir, but note should always be taken of the predominantly quiet dynamics of the piece, especially in the first half.

Files: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

A Cradle Song
from Songs of Innocence
by William Blake (1757-1827)

Sweet dreams, form a shade
O'er my lovely infant's head!
Sweet dreams of pleasant streams
By happy, silent, moony beams!

Sweet Sleep, with soft down
Weave thy brows an infant crown!
Sweet Sleep, angel mild,
Hover o'er my happy child!

Sweet smiles, in the night
Hover over my delight!
Sweet smiles, mother's smiles,
All the livelong night beguiles.

Sweet moans, dovelike sighs,
Chase not slumber from thy eyes!
Sweet moans, sweeter smiles,
All the dovelike moans beguiles.

Sleep, sleep, happy child!
All creation slept and smiled.
Sleep, sleep, happy sleep,
While o'er thee thy mother weep.

Sweet babe, in thy face
Holy image I can trace;
Sweet babe, once like thee
Thy Maker lay, and wept for me:

Wept for me, for thee, for all,
When He was an infant small.
Thou His image ever see,
Heavenly face that smiles on thee!

Smiles on thee, on me, on all,
Who became an infant small;
Infant smiles are His own smiles;
Heaven and earth to peace beguiles.

Brother James' Air

Scoring: SABar choir and organ

Date: 2022, revised 2024

An arrangement of a popular and simple melody by James Leith Macbeth Bain (1860-1925) - Brother James - with the words of Psalm 23 ("The Lord's my shepherd") for 3-part choir and piano. There are many existing arrangements, but most tend to be rather sophisticated (e.g. by Gordon Jacob and Alan Bullard), requiring four competent parts, or else it is simply sung as a congregation hymn. Here it is set for SABar choir so that it becomes more accessible to small parish choirs, who may lack tenors and basses. It has five verses, the second and fourth providing an opportunity either for a cappella or for accompanied part singing. The other verses are varied particularly by the piano, although the ending is also in parts.

Files: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

God be in my head (Walford Davies)

Scoring: SABar Choir and organ

Date: 2022

An arrangement of a very simple and well-loved anthem by H Walford Davies (1869-1941) for three-part choir and organ. The original was written for SATB choir. As the original is very short, the whole anthem is repeated, but shifted up a minor third, from the original key of A major to C major. This gives a much brighter and more passionate rendition the second time, and encourages a more fulsome climax on "God be in my heart and in my thinking" before returning to a pianissimo "God be at mine end, and at my departing."

Files: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Quiet Peace

Scoring: Choir (3 versions: SSABar, SATB, SSA) and piano

Date of composition: 2016 (latest update: 2022)

An original setting of a poem by Amy Carmichael (1867-1951), in the form of a prayer.

The piano here provides a constantly flowing ritornello throughout the verses, while the voices weave around it in a gentle wave of prayerful reflection. The poet feels an interior "quiet peace" while all around her there are storms and disquiet, because she knows that her Lord hears her voice. The setting is deliberately simple and undemanding, and it should be sung quietly, meditatively and without rushing.

My wife, Rev Canon Anne Le Bas, speaks about the poet in the following way, helping to put the words of the poem in perspective: "Amy Carmichael worked as a Christian missionary in India in the early twentieth century, among the poorest of the poor. She often felt despair, just as we may do when we see the devastation of war, still, again, tearing lives apart in our world. She wrote of her despair, but also of her trust that God heard her. That was what gave her the peace she needed, that gave her strength to go on."

SSABar version: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

SATB version: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

SSA version: pdf  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

O Lord my heart is all a prayer,
But it is silent unto thee;
I am too tired to look for words,
I rest upon thy sympathy
To understand when I am dumb;
And well I know thou hearest me.

I know thou hearest me because
A quiet peace comes down to me,
And fills the places where before
Weak thoughts were wandering wearily;
And deep within me it is calm,
Though waves are tossing outwardly.

Amy Carmichael (1867-1951)

Christ the Lord is risen again (descant)

 Scoring: Soprano descant, unison choir, and organ

Date: 2022

A descant written to supplement the last verse (v.4) of Anthony Foster's "Christ the Lord is risen again" from The New Oxford Easy Anthem Book, OUP 2002, p.39.

The original Easter hymn/anthem itself is lovely: very straightforward for the top line, with interesting simple harmonies for altos, tenors and basses. This descant, with its organ accompaniment incorporating some extended harmonies, was written to give some added interest for the sopranos to sing (as well as providing more variation for listeners!) The rest of the choir are to sing the main melody in this verse.

The words are by Michael Weisse (c.1480-c.1530), translated by Catherine Winkworth (1827-78).

Links: pdf - pdf (part) - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

The cold winds are blowing (Ave Maria)

VERSION 1: 

Scoring: SATB choir and organ

Date: 2021

Words: Christian W J Catsanos

This carol is the result of a kind commission by Christian Catsanos (Australia) to set the words of a Christmas poem of his own. It has three verses with a repeated refrain, and a straightforward meter. 
To create interest the verse and refrain are set in different time signatures: 3/4 and 6/8. Verses are in a modal minor key, while the lilting refrain begins and ends in the relative major. The organ part is used to provide support for the choir and plenty of musical colour, especially in the arpeggiated accompaniments which characterize two of the three refrains. Harmonies are rich, allowing plenty of opportunity for the composer to vary the presentation of each section. The piece definitely has the feel of Christmas!

At present there are two versions of the piece: SATB/organ and a hymn-style single sheet (see below.)

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

VERSION 2: 

Scoring: Hymn sheet

Date: 2021

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

1. The cold winds are blowing, the stars shine so bright,
The angels are singing on this holy night;
A beautiful mother, so gentle and mild,
Now lays in a manger her heavenly Child.
Ave Maria, Ave Maria
Jesus thy Child is the hope of the earth.
Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria,
Sing we in chorus the joy of His birth.

2. A manger His cradle, the beasts pressing round,
In Him is no glory, no majesty found;
Yet Mary his Mother, so tender with bliss,
Adores her sweet Saviour and gives him a kiss.
Ave Maria, Ave Maria
Jesus thy Child is the hope of the earth.
Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria,
Sing we in chorus the joy of His birth.

3. His courtiers are shepherds and sages so wise,
Who found Him by starlight they saw in the skies;
Their gifts are so rare, yet His Mother most mild
Sees no greater treasure than Jesus her Child.
Ave Maria, Ave Maria
Jesus thy Child is the hope of the earth.
Sancta Maria, Sancta Maria,
Sing we in chorus the joy of His birth. 

by Christian W J Catsanos, 2021

Ecce quam bonum

 Scoring: SABar choir and piano

Date: 2021

A new composition setting the words of Psalm 133 for three-part (SABar) choir and piano. This cheerful, perhaps even rather idealistic psalm expressing the joy of "kindred dwelling in unity" has long been used to give voice to a human longing for acceptance by others, whether in a family or a community. Its verses compare this familial unity to the tradition of pouring expensive ointment over the head of visitors. Far from our modern use of oil for lubrication, this is an ancient middle-eastern oil of welcome and washing and feeling part of a community. Dwelling in unity is also compared to cloudy mist which regularly descends on the heights of Mount Hermon in Zion, providing moisture to an otherwise arid land and enabling life across the whole country. This setting is unashamedly playful, popular and romantic, with verses adding a more mysterious, metaphorical quality to the piece, and bringing to expression the deep joy of living in harmony with others..., even if finding this is not always easy. The composition is ideal for use by a parish choir, employing relatively easy part singing with a supportive piano part.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

Psalm 133: Ecce quam bonum et quam iucundum, habitare fratres in unum. Behold, how good it is, how pleasant, for kindred to dwell in unity. It is like precious ointment upon the beard, running down upon the beard of Aaron; like the dew of Hermon, which falls upon the mountains of Zion. For there the Lord bestows his blessing: life for evermore.

Pie Jesu (Fauré)

Scoring: SABar choir and organ

Date: 2017 (revised 2021)

The beautiful "Pie Jesu" by Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) is scored for solo soprano/treble and orchestra or organ. This arrangement for choir (with just one lower part) and organ aims to make it more accessible to choirs, while keeping its sublime simplicity. Taken from Fauré's Requiem, it could perhaps be used in churches at funerals and memorial services.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

Pie Jesu Domine, Dona eis requiem sempiternam. (English translation from the Latin: Sweet Lord Jesus, Grant them everlasting rest.)

Hosanna to the Son of David

Scoring: SABar Choir

Date: 2021

Here is an acclamation for Palm Sunday. Jesus is entering Jerusalem riding on a donkey and the people acclaim him as the long-awaited Messiah (the "Son of David".) We, in hind-sight, know that they will turn on him within a few days and will have him crucified. It is a moment of excitement and celebration, as the people see all their hopes fulfilled. The Christian liturgy reflects this, often with a congregational procession into the church accompanied by the words below. 

The music is simple and joyful, and is scored for just three different voices, typical of those available in parish churches. After an initial syncopated section, there follows a middle section of dotted rhythms, before returning to the syncopated theme, and ending in a glorious rising Tierce de Picardie. The work is short, breathless and exciting, matching the mood of that early moment in the Palm Sunday celebration.

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Version with piano practice part:

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

Hosanna to the Son of David.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

I lift up my eyes to the mountains

Scoring: SABar choir and piano

Date: February 2021

A short, attractive setting of Psalm 121 for three-part (SABar) choir and piano. It is written with parish choirs in mind (with their abundance of soprano and alto voices, but relative lack of male voices!), and consists of three sections. The first part presents the richly harmonised piano accompaniment in the form of a ritornello and the principal, rising melody from the choir, looking "to the mountains" for an answer to life's challenges and asking "from where shall come my help?" The second section presents short, pithy phrases sung by each voice separately expressing different ways in which God comes to their aid. The initial melody and accompaniment, repeating the first lines of the psalm, finally return in an altered form (both harmonically and melodically), and the setting ends with a celebration of confidence in the Lord "who made heaven and earth."

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Deep River (piano solo)

Scoring: piano solo

Date: 2020

"Deep river, my home is over Jordan. I want to cross over into camp ground.

Oh, don't you want to go to that gospel feast, that promised land where all is peace?

Deep river, my home is over Jordan. I want to cross over into camp ground."

The River Jordan is not in fact very deep, nor is it very wide. However, the longing to cross over it into "campground" in the "promised land" is very deep indeed! Based on the biblical story of Moses and the tribes of Israel wandering in the desert for forty years, this song is about exile and yearning for somewhere to belong. It applies to everyone, not just to the African-Americans who first sang this song, with their own history of heartache over so many centuries. Anyone who feels alienated by life and who is searching for inner peace is invited to respond to its soulfulness. Surprisingly - says the song - there are those who don't want to go "to that gospel feast". But the song just continues its own search for the promised peace, convinced that the answer lies deep within us, perhaps across our own, personal "deep river". The old African-American Spiritual "Deep River" is here set for piano solo in a relatively straightforward arrangement, based on the arranger's own barbershop quartet setting of the same song. It is to be played soulfully!

In the mp3 file here, and the video score below, the piano is played by me (as computers don't do soulful!)

Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Hail, Gladdening Light

An evening hymn of confidence and faith in the Son of God

Scoring: SATB choir and organ

Words: Phos hilarion (3rd century [or earlier] Greek hymn), based on the translation by John Keble (1792-1866)

Date: 2020

This ancient hymn is about "gladdening light", in particular the light of Jesus Christ who comes from God the Father into our dark world. It is intended to be sung in the evening. What is unusual about the hymn is the position of its doxology ("Father, Son and Holy Ghost") in the middle of the hymn, rather than after the last verse, as is common in most settings of psalms, canticles and many hymns from the last 200 years. This enables it to retain a biblical freshness, in which the Son of God is the main focus of attention, with theological reflection secondary to the primary reality that he is the "giver of life".

The musical setting is here based around a major seventh chord, and it uses deliberately chromatic harmonies, both of which illustrate the words with sparkle and colour. The first verse is sung by soprano and alto soloists, and its words are then repeated by the whole choir a cappella. After a shortened, quiet second verse, with its reflective doxology, the organ performs a brief, noisy and celebratory cadenza, before launching into the final verse with the full choir in exuberant praise. The anthem ends, as it started, with the phrase "gladdening Light" extending as if to the furthest ends of the world.

Links:  pdf (score)  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:

1.

Hail, gladdening Light, of his pure glory poured

from the immortal Father, heavenly, blest,

holiest of holies, Jesus Christ our Lord.

2.

Now we are come the sun's hour of rest,

the lights of evening round us shine,

we hymn the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.

3.

Worthiest art Thou at all times to be sung

with undefiled tongue,

Son of our God, giver of life:

in all the world thy glories, Lord, they own.

Out of the Depths

A psalm for difficult times

Scoring: SATB choir and piano

Words: Psalm 130

Date: 2020
This setting of Psalm 130 ("Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord") was written as a response to the Covid-19 lockdown crisis. It is a prayer for help in the midst of difficulty, waiting for God with hope in his compassion and forgiveness. Its marking of "soulful, but rhythmic" indicates the weary, bluesey theme in B flat minor and its falling chromatic accompaniment. However, there are signs of hope throughout and the last verse mixes the main key of G major with the original rise and fall of the minor third interval (G to B flat). Hope is, after all, "sure and certain", yet it is trust in a God who is ultimately unseen and unknowable.

Links:  pdf (score)  - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib - sib 6

Words:  

Out of the depths have I cried to you, O Lord, Lord, hear my voice O let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If you, O Lord, should mark our iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared. I wait for the Lord, I wait for the Lord. My soul waits, and in his word I hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than those who watch for the morning, more than those who watch for the morning. O Israel, hope in the Lord, for with the Lord there is steadfast love and great power to redeem. The Lord will redeem you, O Israel, from all your iniquities.

(Psalm 130)

Nunc Dimittis (3 versions)

1) Scoring: SATB choir and organ
Date: 2016 (revised 2018)
The "Nunc Dimittis" is sung at every choral Evensong or Vespers, with the words of the prophet Simeon (Luke 2:29-32) on seeing the child Jesus in the Temple at Jerusalem. Here the canticle is set in English ("Lord, now your servant depart in peace") for SATB choir and organ. 
It has a grand opening in D minor ("My eyes have seen your light"), followed by the main canticle text set in a rich D flat major tune. The opening theme returns towards the end, and the piece finishes with a glorious "Glory be to the Father... Amen." 
The canticle would also be particularly appropriate at Candlemas celebrations, as well as at services expressing "letting go..."
Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib

2) Scoring: SSA choir and organ
Date: 2016 (revised 2018)
Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib

For a lovely, live rendition of the SSA version sung by the Ladies of Eglantine see https://youtu.be/EPbR178t0vU?si=gG2QWZVqQioMnkLx

3) Scoring: Mixed voices and organ (simplified version)
Date: 2023
Links: pdf - mp3 - midi - mxl - sib

Words:

My eyes, O Lord, have seen your light.

Lord now let your servant depart in peace,
according to your word,
For my eyes have seen your salvation,
which you have prepared in the sight of every people.

Lord now let your servant depart in peace,
according to your word,
A light to reveal you to the nations,
and to be the glory of Israel your people.

My eyes, O Lord, have seen your light.
The light of your salvation reveals you to the nations.
Glory be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
as it was in the beginning, is now and ever shall be.

My eyes, O Lord, have seen your light.

Amen.

Based on translations from the Church of England's "Book of Common Prayer" and "Common Worship"