Judith

Par WEIR JUDITH. Celebrate HM The Queen's 90th Birthday with your choir Sing Judith Weir's special new choral piece I Love All Beauteous Things Master of the Queen's Music, Judith Weir, has been commissioned by St Paul's Cathedral in London to write a piece for SATB choir and organ in celebration of HM The Queen's 90th birthday in 2016. The piece is now available from Chester Music, so that choirs all over the world can join in with the festivities. Churches and other local organisations are planning events on Sunday 12th June and many may want to include this approachable setting of Robert Bridges' poem. Directed by Andrew Carwood, the St Paul's Cathedral Choir will perform I love all beauteous things as part of the National Service of Thanksgiving which will take place on at 11am on 10 June in the presence of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. At the service the Archbishop of Canterbury will give the address and the Prime Minister will read a lesson. The event will be televised live on BBC1. Judith Weir comments: 'It is a particular honour to contribute new music for this great occasion, and a pleasure to write a choral version of Robert Bridges' beautiful verse.' Preview the score here Download the digital sheet music here COMPOSER'S NOTE At the suggestion of Michael Hampel, Precentor of St Paul's Cathedral, I have set words by Robert Bridges, who was Poet Laureate from 1913-1930. Bridges was an outstanding humanitarian and writer, whose poetry has inspired me before in The Voice of Desire, a song-cycle for mezzo-soprano and piano. This short, fast-tempo setting aims to emulate the swift, fleet-footed rhyme and metre of the two-verse poem, with its unobtrusive but telling reference to 'man in his hasty days'. J.W. Commissioned by the Chapter of St Paul's Cathedral to mark the 90th birthday of HM The Queen, generously supported by the Boltini Trust. Performed at the National Service of Thanksgiving for HM The Queen's birthday at St Paul's Cathedral, London, on Friday 10th June 2016 in the presence of HM The Queen and HRH The Duke of Edinburgh. Music by Judith Weir, Master of the Queen's Music, words by Robert Bridges, Poet Laureate in the year HM The Queen was born. Duration c. 3½ minutes I LOVE ALL BEAUTEOUS THINGS words by Robert Bridges OM (1844-1930) Poet Laureate 1913-30 I love all beauteous things, I seek and adore them - God hath no better praise, And man in his hasty days Is honoured for them. I too will something make And joy in the making - Altho' to-morrow it seem Like the empty words of a dream Remembered on waking. (I love all beauteous things, etc…)/ Feuillet / Choeur Mixte (SATB) et Orgue

Noel! is an exciting collection for mixed voice choirs, selected and edited by David Hill. The contents range from the Renaissance to the present: the polyphony of Victoria and Byrd, via Bach, familiar settings of traditional and lesser known carols through the ages, and works by today's composers including Richard Rodney Bennett, Judith Bingham, John Tavener and Judith Weir. Mixed voice choirs of all levels will find here new arrangements of favourite carols as well as stimulating works for the Christmas season, from the easy to learn to the more challenging and unconventional. / Choeur SATB

Judith Weir's The Tree Of Peace was composed in 2016 for Organ. Commissioned in loving memory of Richard Axtell (1952-2015) talented and much-loved organist at the Parish of St. Andrew West Tarring. 'It'senormously inspiring to see the Master of the Queen's Music turning her attention to the organ once again. Judith Weir's The Tree Of Peace is a short piece commissioned in memory of the organist Richard Axtell... Despite thesimplicity of the music it carries all the hallmarks of Weir's unmistakeably refined idiom.' - Stephen Farr Choir and Organ Jan 2018 From the Master of the Queen's Music Judith Weir comes The Tree ofPeace which was commissioned in memory of Richard Axtell organist of the parish church in West Tarring West Sussex. It was given its first performance there by Charles Harrison on the 17 June 2017. It lasts some 4 minutes andproves to be a thoroughly engaging piece in her customary refined idiom. It is in three main sections with a graded increase of tempo throughout. Thematic material is presented at the start cantabile. The central sectionprovides an energetic development marked animato leading to the conclusion molto mosso which gives the theme as in the opening but in augmentation. Throughout I feel an orchestral sense of colour and interrelationships inthe music - and have found it delightful to play. A modest two manual and pedal instrument with some contrasted quiet colours available will suffice and the technical demands are by no means severe. A delightful addition to therepertoire of short self-contained delightful pieces. - Organists' Review Duration: Approx 4 minutes.

Holy Innocents is a work by Judith Weir for 2-part Soprano Chorus and Organ Accompaniment. This piece lasts around 3 and a half minutes. 'Judith Weir has composed a setting of ChristinaRossetti's poem Holy Innocents in which a continuous and flowing Organ part underpins two Soprano lines heard either in dialogue or unison. Composed for the 20th anniversary of the St. Albans Abbey Girls Choir it would besuitable for any type of children's choir.' - Geoffrey Webber Choir & Organ Magazine 

Judith Weir's Day Break Shadows Flee for solo Piano.This 10 minute work was commissioned by BBC Radio 3. It was first performed by Benjamin Grosvenor on 1st September 2014 as part of the PromsChamber Music Series at Cadogan Hall.'Day Break Shadows Flee written for Benjamin Grosvenor is a Two-Part Invention a Piano solo composition in which the two hands work in close co-ordination butindependently. My intention was generally to avoid using thick chords (although octaves and other clear sonorities are included) while allowing both the right and left-hand lines to be free mobile and expressive. The treble andbass sectors of the keyboard are clearly contrasted and often widely separated. In atmosphere and expression the music is another kind of two-part invention contrasting bright upwards-arching phrases (heard at the opening andevoking the arrival of light at the beginning of the day) with veiled mysterious scurryings suggesting the stranger more nervous life lived at night and in the early morning.' - Judith Weir

The Song Sung True was expertly composed by Judith Weir. The piece was commissioned by Lawyers??? Music in memory of Helen M. Sibthorp singer and promenader.The first performance ofThe Song Sung True was on the 4th December 2013 at St Lawrence Jewry London performed by London Lawyers??? Chorus and conducted by Christopher Oakley.Judith Weir is a British composer best known for her Operas and Theatrical works although she has also achieved international recognition for her Orchestral and Chamber works. Weir???s music is often created from ideas from medieval history as wellas the traditional stories and music of her native Scotland.

Judith Weir's a blue true dream of sky engages the singers in three separate parts ? solo Soprano unaccompanied Chorus and the pivotal pair of Alto soloists who act as a hinge to the others? to create an intricate yet clear setting for this ecstatic poem by e. e. cummings. Judith Weir is one of Britain?s most prolific and successful composers widely known for her operas like TheVanishing Bridgegroom and A Night At The Chinese Opera and her many Choral works as well as her pieces for Strings and Piano. She was Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival and is a professor at Cardiff University.

The Vocal Score for Judith Weir's Truly I Tell You a setting of three different Biblical passages from Psalms and Mark's gospel. This work was first performed by the Choir of Westminster Abbey at theCommonwealth Day Observance on the 9th of March 2015. It is arranged for SSATB Chorus and Organ. Truly I Tell You is a setting of Psalms 8: 4-10 and 34: 1-4 and Mark 10: 15. The thread thatmarries these three texts together is the comparison between man and the name of God the literal exposition of the word of God (working beautifully within the context of such a brilliantly-composed piece of music) and thehopeful entering of God's kingdom in general. In the December 2015 edition of RSCM Church Music Quarterly Magazine the reviewer states that this piece is 'highly recommended' and is a 'useful churchanthem that is not too difficult'. Judith Weir is a British composer whose music often draws influence from her many extra-musical interests such as medieval history and Scottish traditionalmusic. In 2005 Weir received a CBE for her services to music and in 2014 she was appointed the Master of the Queen's Music becoming the first female holder of a post which dates back to 1626.