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

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

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

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