for mixed choir (SSAATTBB) & piano
Text: English (John Newton)
Duration: 5'30''
Difficulty: 3/5


Composer's note
This arrangement was written for Andrew Earis and the choir of St Martin in the Fields, London. I have performed this in a variety of ways including the use of a soloing instrument (eg sax, trumpet, trombone) in the middle section after the 2nd time bar, using the chords for some gentle improvising. A bass player could also be used after verse 1, allowing the piano to play more chords in the left hand and improvise in the right hand.


First Recording: St Martin in the Fields SMITFCD02 Evensong in Blue, by The Choir of St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, conducted by Andrew Earis


Will Todd
Will Todd is a UK-based performer and composer whose music spans a variety of styles and genres. Best known for his choral works, his 2003 jazz mass setting Mass in Blue has been performed more than eighty times since its premiere by choirs in the UK, Europe and the USA. Other notable works for choir range from large scale oratorios such as Saint Cuthbert (recorded by the Hallé Orchestra in 2002) to the anthem Stay with Me Lord, commissioned for The Sixteen. He has worked on operas and stageworks for OperaGenesis at the Royal Opera House and the National Opera Studio, and his 2009 Jazz Concerto for Clarinet, written for Emma Johnson, has been performed in the UK, USA and Finland. As a performer, Will Todd leads his own Will Todd Trio from the piano and was recently an invited guest artist at the Lincoln Center in New York.