Gordon Thornett

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Majestic Ride is a choral sequence for the beginning of Holy Week. It consists of three new hymn settings, linked by optional solo/choral passages and narration drawn from the Bible, centred mainly on the events of Palm Sunday. The three hymns are All glory, laud and honour, My song is love unknown, and Ride on, ride on in majesty! The sequence may be performed in a concert, or as an extended anthem in a church service.  The linking passages may be adapted to suit the occasion, or dispensed with altogether. Each of the three settings could stand alone as separate anthems.

Majestic Ride

SATB Vocal Score

This little song, originally composed for a children's choir in the USA, was adapted for a small community choir here in Birmingham, UK.  The words and music are simple and straightforward, about the joy of music and singing, and the song can be quickly learnt by choirs of all abilities.  It may be performed in unison, in 2 parts or in SAB, with a fairly easy piano accompaniment.

Viva la Musica! (Viva la Vida!)

SAB Octavo

One of the world's most loved songs, this arrangement was
    
    specially commissioned for the Nidaros Cathedral Boysi and
    
    Menis Choir of Trondheim, Norway for their 2019 Asia Tour.
    
    The World Premiere of this song was on 5 October 2019 in
    
    Kaohsiung Weiwuying Concert Hall, Taiwan.
    
     Its text, a poem written in 1772 by
  John Newton, describes the
    
     joy and peace of a soul uplifted
  from despair to salvation
    
     through the gift of grace.
    
    The first verse in this arrangement may be sung by a soloist, or
    
    by all the upper voices. The second features the tenors and
    
    basses in four-part harmony, and this is followed by an SATB
    
    a cappella verse 3. The final verse, ideally reinforced by the
    
    organ, brings the piece to a triumphant climax, although the
    
    closing bars return to a softer statement of the words, iHow
    
    sweet the sound!i
    
     The full orchestral score and parts
  are obtainable from

Amazing Grace

SATB Octavo

Instrument

One of the world's most loved songs, this arrangement was specially
  commissioned for the Nidaros Cathedral Boys' and Men's Choir of Trondheim,
  Norway for their 2019 Asia Tour. The World Premiere of this song was on 5
  October 2019 in Kaohsiung Weiwuying Concert Hall, Taiwan. 
    
    
    
    Its text, a poem written in 1772 by John Newton, describes the joy and
  peace of a soul uplifted from despair to salvation through the gift of grace.
  
    
    
    
    The first verse in this arrangement may be sung by a soloist, or by all the
  upper voices. The second features the tenors and basses in four-part harmony,
  and this is followed by an SATB a cappella verse 3.  The final verse, ideally reinforced by the
  organ, brings the piece to a triumphant climax, although the closing bars
  return to a softer statement of the words, "How sweet the
  sound!"
    
    The choral score, with piano or organ accompaniment, is available separately
  from jwpepper.com

Full Orchestra Score & Parts

The Ashgrove, a popular Welsh folksong, is here arranged for vocal duet  (soprano and tenor/baritone) with piano accompaniment. It could also be  adapted for a two-part choir (school or community). (See choral version)

The Ashgrove

Two-Part Octavo

Inspired by a visit to botanical gardens in California, this song is intended to reflect the beauty of nature around us, and to suggest that we should live in harmony, breaking through the barriers that can so often divide us. In its simplest form it is a unison song, which can be performed by a community chorus or a children's choir, but optional harmony (SATB) is given in places for a more advanced group.

It's a Beautiful, Wonderful world

Unison/Two-Part Octavo

This new setting of the Palm Sunday hymn is the final part of 'Majestic Ride', a choral sequence for the beginning of Holy Week. This consists of three new hymn settings, linked by optional solo/choral passages and narration drawn from the Bible, centred mainly on the events of Palm Sunday. Optionally the congregation may be invited to join in the final verse.

Ride On!

I composed this setting in response to a request from a church in Toccoa, Georgia, USA. The poem was written by Dr. Henry Fields, a former minister of the church, now retired. It's quite a gentle setting, as befits the words, and is for mixed choir (SATB, with some divisions), with piano (or organ) accompaniment.  A light orchestration is also available from the composer if required.The music builds to a gentle climax at the end of the poem:As angels sing and shepherds praiseAnd wise men priceless treasures raise,O bow your head to the lowly sodFor you hold none other than the Eternal God.

A Christmas Poem

Set to a traditional Ukrainian folksong, this simple SATB setting has new
  English words. Accompaniment is for piano , with an optional solo part for
  oboe (or flute). One verse includes divisi for tenors and basses, though this
  is optional.
    
    'Long ago in Bethlehem
    
    In a lowly cattle shed,
    
    See a mother tend her baby
    
    In his manger bed.'

Ukrainian Carol

All three of these poems are by the Seventeenth Century English lyric poet, Robert Herrick (1591-1674). While flowers are referred to in each of them, their main common theme is time in particular the briefness of our lives here on this earth, and the need to use this time well. Written in response to a request by the University of Michigan Women's Glee Club for a song with the theme of time. It was premiered in Ann Arbor, Michigan in November 2013, and the accompanying recording is from this performance.

Three Flower Songs

SSA Octavo

Forget the traditional setting of We Three Kings of Orient Are! This is a much more reflective version, for choir and orchestra, given its first performance by the Nidarosdomens Guttekor in the splendid setting of Trondheim Cathedral in December 2017. They also performed the piece on their pre-Christmas tour, using just organ for accompaniment. It received its first performance in the USA this year (2018) by the Ember Ensemble, New Jersey. The setting may be performed effectively with piano, organ or orchestral accompaniment.

Star of Wonder

Kling No Klokka is a Norwegian folksong, about church bells ringing out
  at Christmastime. The words are in Norwegian, and the setting is for
  four-part choir (SATB), with organ or piano accompaniment.
    
    This arrangement was made for the Boys' Choir at Trondheim Cathedral in
  Norway, the Nidarosdomens Guttekor, and their conductor, Burn Moe, and now
  forms a regular part of their Christmas repertoire.
    
    An orchestration is also available from the composer at gtbham@me.com. (See
  youtube video at https://youtu.be/8T0xlU1uIw8.)
    
    A version in English is now available on the j w pepper website under the
  title, "Let the church bells ring!".

Kling No Klokka

Christmas Time in the Eyes of a Child is a light-hearted secular
  Christmas song for mixed choir (SATB). This version also incorporates an
  optional part for childrenis choir (in unison) if available. The piece
  would suit a community choir, or maybe a school choir.   There is also an S(A) version for
  childrenis choir, and a solo version for voice and piano.
    
    
    
    The words are by Linda Marcus (who wrote iRiver in Judeai) and the
  music is by Gordon Thornett. Described as icharmingi and ibeautifuli
  by choral directors and ibrimming with the spirit of the seasoni by a
  music publisher, this song should provide a pleasing addition to any holiday
  concert.

Christmas Time in the Eyes of a Child

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This short prelude was written as a processional to precede a festive arrangement of the ancient cherubic hymn, Let all mortal flesh keep silence, which received its first performance at Berlin Cathedral on November 29th 2017. This was commissioned to mark the 25th anniversary of John F Kennedy School's annual Advent services, in collaboration with the American Church in Berlin. The prelude incorporates themes from various Advent hymns, as well as elements of the fanfare theme from the main choral piece. As well as providing an introduction to a performance of the Cherubic Hymn setting, the prelude may also be performed as a stand-alone piece.

Advent Prelude

Organ Score

This setting would ideally suit a good chamber choir, with a high soprano soloist. Julie Myers’ beautiful poem suggests to the composer a journey from darkness to light, from despair to hope, and this is reflected in the music, which should be performed simply, but with expressiveness and conviction.

Beyond Grief

A Children's Christmas Suite, also known as "A Child's Christmas" is a fun piece in six short movements, which incorporates a number of well-known Christmas tunes. Although written to appeal to young people with such favourites as Jingle Bells, Little Jesus, Sweetly Sleep, The Birds Carol, Away in a Manger, and the Huron Carol, it can be enjoyed by people of all ages. The whole piece lasts about 9' 30", but the individual movements may be performed separately. For full orchestra (2,2,2,2; 2.2; timps, perc., harp strings).
The piece has been recorded, under the title "A Child's Christmas", by the Royal Ballet Sinfonia, and issued by Heritage Records (HTGCD139). A version for concert band is also available from Bandmusicpdf.net.

A Children's Christmas Suite

These simple folksong arrangements were made for two community choirs based in Selly Oak, Birmingham, but they would be equally suitable for school choirs or other groups. Included are well known songs from England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland, which are woven into a continuous piece lasting about six and a half minutes. The medley starts with the English song, Early one morning, one verse of which re-appears at the end to round things off.The harmonies range from three to four parts (SAB/SATB), with some unison sections as well.

A Medley of British Folksongs

'Prelude and Cherubic Hymn' was commissioned by the John F Kennedy School
  in Berlin, to mark the 25th anniversary of their Advent services held in
  Berlin Cathedral every year. It was performed by joint choirs, drawn from
  students, parents and staff, together with choir members from the American
  Church in Berlin on 29 November 2017. The accompaniment was provided by the
  John F Kennedy School Orchestra.
    
    The piece is built around the ancient hymn, 'Let all mortal flesh keep
  silence'. After an opening fanfare- like section (played by brass instruments
  if the orchestral accompaniment is used), the hymn starts gently, with
  sopranos singing in unison, a cappella (or with accompanying oboe), with
  successive verses using contrasting choral forces to reflect the words. The
  music builds to a big climax, with a return of the fanfare opening, for the
  final verse, 'At his feet the six-winged seraph', ending with joyful
  'Alleluias'.
    
    The piece may alternatively be performed without orchestra, using just
  organ or other keyboard instrument for accompaniment. In this case, it is
  suggested that the first six bars be omitted - and also the reprise of this
  passage (i.e. the first six bars at rehearsal letter F).

CHERUBIC HYMN

Originally written for the CBSO Children's Chorus, and first performed by
  them in Symphony Hall, Birmingham, with the City of Birmingham Symphony
  Orchestra, this light-hearted piece describes a day-dreaming shepherd boy,
  who suddenly finds himself drawn into the Christmas story. It has also been
  performed by a youth chorus in Liverpool, accompanied by the Royal Liverpool
  Philharmonic Orchestra, and by children's choirs in Portugal, Canada and the
  USA. It has been warmly received by performers and audiences on all
  occasions. The song works equally well with just piano accompaniment, as it
  is here presented.  
    
    As this piece seems to have proved a popular choice for Christmas/holiday  concerts, I've made this arrangement for
  SATB (no divisi), to extend its potential usefulness. The attached recording,
  however, is of the version for children's choir.
    
    An orchestration of this piece is available from the composer at
  gtbham@me.com.

The Sleepy Shepherd Boy

This Christmas song is based on a Norwegian folksong, "Kling no
  Klokka" (Hear the Church Bells), and the setting was originally made for
  the Nidaros Cathedral Boys' Choir in Trondheim, Norway, where it has been
  performed a number of times, with the original Norwegian words. It has also
  been performed in Singapore, Russia and Scotland (in Norwegian). I have now
  made a new setting, with my own English words, "Let the church bells
  ring" to make it more approachable for English speaking choirs.  The attached youtube video is of a
  performance given by the Norwegian choir in Singapore. Accompaniment is for
  organ or piano. An orchestration is also available from the composer at
  gtbham@me.com.
    
    The SATB setting is moderately easy, with some divisi in all parts.

Let the Church Bells Ring

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