Cecilia McDowall

A setting of one of the seven Advent 'O' Antiphons, O Oriens makes use of luxurious and exotic harmonies, creating a shimmering texture. The focus on human enlightenment in winter's darkness means the...

pour SATB (avec divisions) sans accompagnement Ce chant de l'Avent est basé sur des paroles tirées des Holy Sonnets de John Donne. McDowall crée une atmosphère captivante tandis que les voix explorent...

A setting of one of the seven Advent 'O' Antiphons, O Oriens makes use of luxurious and exotic harmonies, creating a shimmering texture. The focus on human enlightenment in winter's darkness means the...

Written to commemorate the centenary of the foundation of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Brightest Star sets a powerful text by Seán Street. The poem describ...

McDowall's setting of Isaac Watts' Cradle Hymn is beautifully tender, coloured by its rich harmonies, suspensions, and chromatic notes. The melodies are complemented by sustained 'oo's and 'ah's and r...

This is an evocative setting of a powerful text by Seán Street describing the call for assistance made by the occupied Channel Islands in 1944 and the response of the Red Cross ship, the Vega, which c...

McDowall's setting of Isaac Watts' Cradle Hymn is beautifully tender, coloured by its rich harmonies, suspensions, and chromatic notes. The melodies are complimented by sustained 'oo's and 'ah's and r...

Traditionally sung on Christmas Eve, 'O Virgo virginum' is often described as the eighth ‘O' Antiphon and praises Mary, ‘O virgin of (amongst) virgins.' McDowall's setting is vigorous and joyful, with...

McDowall donne vie à un texte mystique et sombre de Nicholas Dakin sur la nativité, avec des mélodies octatoniques dramatiques et des mouvements parallèles en quartes et quintes. Le rythme propulsif e...

McDowall brings to life a mystical, brooding nativity text by Nicholas Dakin with dramatic octatonic melodies and parallel movement in fourths and fifths. The propulsive 6/8 metre is decorated with du...

Ce chant jubilatoire reprend un texte évocateur du XIVe siècle célébrant la naissance du Christ. Avec son rythme médiéval et sa métrique changeante, Of A Rose a été enregistré par The Sixteen sur leur...

Cette œuvre à la fois solennelle et dramatique reprend une prière latine traditionnelle louant la Vierge Marie, avec des lignes mélodiques intenses qui sont à la fois inébranlables et saisissantes, re...

Make we joy now in this fest is a lively and vibrant setting of a 15th-century macaronic text. An eminently memorable and energetic chorus frames expressive verses that vividly illuminate the medieval...

From the collection For Him all Stars, 'Cradle Song' is a wistful 3/4-time Christmas lullaby which sets a text by William Blake. Scored for SA and piano, it features gentle but persistently discordant...

For this joyous piece, McDowall set a text from the Ambrosian Rite celebrating the Virgin Mary's recent motherhood. The lively organ accompaniment and strong rhythmic drive create an instantly celebra...

For this joyous piece, McDowall set a text from the Ambrosian Rite celebrating the Virgin Mary's recent motherhood. The lively organ accompaniment and strong rhythmic drive create an instantly celebra...

O Antiphon Sequence was conceived as a recital piece, although each of its individual movements would also work in a liturgical context. Each movement is a response to an extract of liturgical text fr...

O Antiphon Sequence was conceived as a recital piece, although each of its individual movements would also work in a liturgical context. Each movement is a response to an extract of liturgical text fr...

La mélodie originale, charmante et vibrante, de ce joli chant glisse sur des harmonies presque entièrement diatoniques, mais dont l'inventivité et les fréquentes dissonances passagères font que la pré...

This tender carol sets an affecting text by Christina Rossetti that tells the story of Jesus's birth. In classic McDowall style, the setting explores a variety of choral textures and is interspersed w...

Through luminous choral harmonies, images of a winter night, and echoes of scripture, Advent Moon evokes deep human longing and the promise of the coming of light. The delicate organ accompaniment and...

This engaging carol cantata combines several popular carols to create a performance full of Christmas spirit. Through creative re-harmonization, rhythmic variation, and imaginative linking passages, M...

Written for the 2018 BBC Advent broadcast from St John's College, Cambridge, A Prayer to St John the Baptist sets an artfully crafted text that combines Guido d'Arezzo's Ut queant laxis (itself a Hymn...

Written for the 2018 BBC Advent broadcast from St John's College, Cambridge, A Prayer to St John the Baptist sets an artfully crafted text that combines Guido d'Arezzo's Ut queant laxis (itself a Hymn...

This setting of the evocative poem by Chesterton is atmospheric and powerful. Showcasing McDowall's distinctive style, its minor tonality, subtle chromaticisms, and whole-tone scales portray the contr...