Opening movement of St Paul's Mass (Missa Brevis) for choir and organ

Kyrie from St Paul's Mass

Setting of George Herbert's poem for SATB choir, semi-chorus and organ. Commissioned by Ipswich School Chapel Choir

Heaven

First movement of "Sun and Moon". First performed by Aldeburgh Voices in Snape Maltings, March 2011. Words by Garth Bardsley. Published by Peters Edition. www.edition-peters.com/composer/Parry-Ben 

Sun Soul

Written for the choristers of Ely Cathedral and first performed in Ely Cathedral, October 2011. Recording by Ely Cathedral Choristers conducted by Paul Trepte, with Jonathan Lilley, organ.

Magnificat from Ely Canticles

Nunc Dimittis from Ely Canticles

Christmas Carol with words by Garth Bardsley. Published by Peters Edition. www.edition-peters.com/composer/Parry-Ben
Performed by King's College Choir, Cambridge Christmas Eve 2012 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y5xPa_aKYrE

Three Angels

VENI EMMANUEL, a poem by Garth Bardsley and set for double SATB choir, is dedicated to the celebrated a cappella octet, VOCES8. Driven by rhythmic energy and contrasting textures, the music responds to Bardsley’s poem for Advent which evokes the excitement of the impending birth of Jesus. The relentless compound meter, and ostinato repetitions of Veni Emmanuel – first in one choir, then the other – reflect the mounting religious fervour as the arrival of the Christ-child is awaited. It reaches its final climax with lush eight-part harmony.

Veni Emmanuel

Commissioned by Cadenza Choir, Edinburgh for 8 part a cappella chorus. Words by Garth Bardsley. Published by Peters Edition http://www.edition-peters.com/composer/Parry-Ben

Bright Star

Recording by Worcester Cathedral Choir directed by Peter Nardone (from CD APCD4034). Published by Peters Edition.
Anthem dedicated to Peter Nardone on his installation as Director of Music at Worcester Cathedral. Words by Garth Bardsley (paraphrase of Psalm 150 forming an acrostic of NARDONE).

Now Let Us Sing

WENT THE DAY WELL? is a setting of the martial epitaph of the same name by poet and dramatist John Maxwell Edmonds (1875 -1958), commissioned by Ben’s former student Tom Jackson for Help For Heroes in 2010 to raise money for the Personnel Recovery Centre, Tedworth House. The piece is scored for upper voice choir, horn, percussion and organ. 

Went the day well?
We died and never knew.
But, well or ill,
Freedom, we died for you.
Went the day well?

When you go home,
Tell them of us and say,
"For your tomorrows,
These gave their todays".

The first performance took place on 29th June 2011 in St Paul’s Cathedral, London with the Choristers of St Paul’s Cathedral directed by Andrew Carwood in the presence of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Gloucester. Tom and his two brothers performed the première – Tom on horn, Jonathan on percussion and Harry as treble soloist. 

The recording took place on 25th May 2011 in St Alban’s Church, Holborn, the Choristers of St Paul’s Cathedral conducted by Andrew Carwood, with Matthew Martin (organ) Ian Stott (horn) and Matthew Dickinson (percussion). 

Went The Day Well?

Commissioned by Loughborough Schools. Published by Peters Edition Ltd. Performed by Peters Edition Chorale, Philip Berg, organ

Snow

New recording of Flame by the National Youth Choir of Great Britain. Recorded in Sage Gateshead August 2014.

Flame (NYCGB)

‘Career Paths' will capture the imagination of the young singer whilst at the same time creating verses that demand good diction as well as a legato line through the patter. The comic lyric is great to perform and can be approached in a variety of ways including the possibility of using gesture and staging. The melody sits within a sixth which is perfect for the transitioning voice or a limited range, yet the musical structure is sufficiently complex to require more advanced musicianship to navigate the melodic and rhythmic line. ‘Career Paths’ offers a breath of fresh air in the song repertoire and is the perfect ending or encore to any recital programme. The song has featured on the ARBSM Grade 5 singing syllabus since 2017.

Career Paths

Sunrise is a commission from Britten Pears Arts UK to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the Friday Afternoons educational initiative. This is a choral arrangement by the composer, performed live in concert by the Metropolitan Chorale under the direction of Lisa Graham in Boston, MA in May 2024. Words by Lara Wong.

Sunrise

Ben's setting of Walter de la Mare's poem for SATB choir and accompaniment. Performed by the Choir of Royal Holloway conducted by Rupert Gough with Simon Marlow (piano) and features on Signum Classics' album "The Hours" SIGCD629 https://signumrecords.com/product/ben-parry-the-hours/SIGCD629/

New Year Carol

This setting is a more straightforward version of the popular seasonal song, Jingle Bells (see Ben’s eight-part version written for The Swingle Singers) for choirs who don’t wish to be challenged too much! It was arranged at the request of the National Youth Choir (of which Ben was Artistic Director 2012-2023) for their annual Christmas concerts at the Royal Albert Hall, London every December since 2017. The key structure follows the original version, but is here reduced to five parts and with an absence of too many meter changes. 

This recording was sung by the National Youth Choir in July 2021, conducted by the composer. 


Dashing Through the Snow

The work was commissioned by VOCES8 and first performed by the ensemble at King’s Place, London on 26th January 2017. The piece, a setting of verses from Psalm 125, takes the form of a choral “motet”, contrasting sections both in texture, dynamics and tempo with each psalm verse. The scoring is for eight a cappella voices, in a virtuosic style as befits the abilities of VOCES8, and concludes with a Gloria echoing the opening theme and a harmonically rich Amen. 

They That Put Their Trust in the Lord

Written for four voices of The Swingle Singers for the group’s Christmas US tour of 1990, AND IS IT TRUE is a relaxed, intimate setting of the final three stanzas of John Betjeman’s affectionate seasonal poem, “Christmas”.

And is it true,
This most tremendous tale of all,
Seen in a stained-glass window's hue,
A Baby in an ox's stall?
The Maker of the stars and sea
Become a Child on earth for me?

And is it true? For if it is,
No loving fingers tying strings
Around those tissued fripperies,
The sweet and silly Christmas things,
Bath salts and inexpensive scent
And hideous tie so kindly meant,

No love that in a family dwells,
No carolling in frosty air,
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells
Can with this single Truth compare -
That God was man in Palestine
And lives today in Bread and Wine.


And Is It True?

MY HEART’S IN THE HIGHLANDS for three-part upper voices and piano is an original setting in folk song style of the Robert Burns poem of the same name. It reveals the composer’s fondness for Scotland, where he lived for eight years, and its Celtic character is derived from the prevailing mixolydian (flattened 7th) modality. 
The piece received its premiere at a youngchoirs.net massed singing day in June 1998 at Dunfermline City Hall, conducted by Malcolm Goldring (1949-2021).

My Heart's in the Highlands

Written for the choir of St Paul’s Juniors School, London (formerly Colet Court) and first performed at their carol service in December 2006, conducted by their Director of Music, Philip Berg. The poem is by lyricist and poet Garth Bardsley and the music is scored for two-part upper voice choir and organ. 

The Christ Child is Born

Sheet music purchase link: https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/66036/Preces-and-Responses--Ben-Parry/

This set of Preces and Responses for Choral Evensong were originally written in 2004 for the Chapel Choir of St Paul’s School in London, when the composer was Director of Music at the School. The set was revised in 2012 with the addition of a setting of The Lord’s Prayer and Final Responses. 

The set is sung regularly across the UK, including a number of times on the BBC Radio 3 series of Choral Evensong.

Preces and Responses

Arrangement of Mozart's famous overture to The Marriage of Figaro for a cappella singers.
Performed by Five Live (1995)
Published by Peters Edition

Take it from Figure O

Sheet music purchase link: https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/67873/We-Three-Kings--Ben-Parry/

WE THREE KINGS is an original setting of the famous carol by John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1820-1891) for eight-part unaccompanied choir. The irregular, incessant 7/8 metre suggests the kings’ perilous journey, with contrasting verses and choruses, culminating in rich, eight-part harmony for the final verse. 

We Three Kings of Orient are,
Bearing gifts we traverse afar,
Field and fountain,
Moor and mountain,
Following yonder Star.

O Star of Wonder, Star of Night,
Star with Royal Beauty bright,
Westward leading,
Still proceeding,
Guide us to Thy perfect Light.

Born a King on Bethlehem plain,
Gold I bring to crown Him again,
King for ever,
Ceasing never
Over us all to reign.

Refrain

Frankincense to offer have I,
Incense owns a Deity nigh:
Prayer and praising
All men raising,
Worship Him God on High.

Refrain

Myrrh is mine; its bitter perfume
Breathes a life of gathering gloom; —
Sorrowing, sighing,
Bleeding, dying,
Sealed in the stone-cold tomb.

Refrain

Glorious now behold Him arise,
King, and God, and Sacrifice;
Hallelujah, hallelujah:
Earth to heaven replies.

Refrain

John Henry Hopkins Jr.

We Three Kings

Sheet music purchase link: https://www.wisemusicclassical.com/work/65465/Make-We-Merry--Ben-Parry/

MAKE WE MERRY is an original double choir work for The Swingle Singers, setting words of two medieval texts – “Make We Merry” from the Commonplace Book (1500) and “Lullay, Mine Liking” from the Sloane Manuscript. The combination of a secular and sacred text into one piece is intriguing and offers the opportunity of performance in church or concert hall. 

Make we merry, both more and less,
For now is the time of Christmas.

Let no man come into this hall,
Nor groom, nor page, nor yet marshall,
But that some sport he bring withal.

If that he say he cannot sing,
Some other sport then let him bring,
That it may please at this feasting.

I saw a maiden sitten and sing:
She lulled a child, a sweete Lording.

This very Lord he made alle thing:
Of lordes the Lord, of kinges the King.

Lullay, my liking, my dear son, my sweeting.
Lullay, my dear heart, my own dear darling.

Angels bright they sang that night and saiden to that child:
Blest be thou and she, both meek and mild.

Pray we to that child and to His mother dear,
Grant them his blessing that now make cheer.

Make we merry, both more and less,
For now is the time of Christmas.

If he say he naught can do,
Then, for my love, ask him no more
But to the stocks then let him go.

For now is the time of Christmas.

This work is part of the Kikapust Choral Series curated by The Swingle Singers. The series offers choirs an extensive choice of close-harmony a cappella arrangements. All the arrangers/composers Jonathan Rathbone, Ben Parry & Mark Williams were long-standing members of The Swingle Singers.

Make We Merry

Scottish Traditional song, arranged for SATBB by Ben Parry. Performed live by Dunedin Consort. 

The Wee Cooper O' Fife

Evening Canticles in G written for Choir of St Martin-in-the-fields in 2013. Live performance by Choir of Royal Holloway directed by Rupert Gough.

Magnificat in G

Swingle Singers original recording of Jingle Bells from their album "The Story of Christmas" (1998)

Jingle Bells

Composer, conductor, singer, arranger and producer, Ben is director of the professional choir, London Voices. His music is published by Peters Edition, OUP, Faber and Stainer & Bell. www.benparry.net

Ben Parry Music

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