Richard Eteson
Composer
Richard's writing is formed from a classical choral heritage but is very much shaped by the large variety of "crossover" vocal work he has taken part in during his professional singing career.
His compositional work naturally focuses on the voice, how the music likes to be sung, and how the setting fits the occasion and the place. He writes always with particular voices / choirs in mind rather than generically.
Compositions
Oculi Omnium - a Temple Grace (2008)
Using words from Psalm 144 v.15
8 part a cappella (SSAATTBB)
First Performance:
5th November 2008 by The Swingle Singers in Inner Temple Hall, London
not yet published / recorded
An introit/grace written for The Swingle Singers at The Inner Temple's Grand Night Dinner in the presence of H.R.H. The Princess Royal.
An expansive setting of the words featuring the full vocal range of the octet, with a nod to Lotti, Duruflé and Martin.
A Phantasy (2018)
A Poem by Wilf Hastwell
8 part choral anthem (SSAATTBB), organ and (optional) trumpet
An anthem for Remembrance Day, written for the choir of The Temple Church setting a poem by Wilf Hastwell (former choirboy of the Temple killed at the Western front on Easter Day 1917), this dramatic work has echoes of classic choral Victoriana (Walford-Davies, Mendelssohn and Stanford) and features a solo treble voice and distant trumpet call.
with grateful thanks to The Temple Music Foundation
First Performance:
11th November 2018 by The Temple Church Choir, directed by Roger Sayer, at The Temple Church London
not yet published / recorded
Under The Hawthorn Tree - a song cycle from Wind & Light (2019-2023)
A Song Cycle of poems by Hywel John
solo voice (countertenor/mezzo) and piano
A Song Cycle of 7 songs (setting 8 poems of Hywel John), in the “English Song” style:
1) The Lively Air
2) Under the Hawthorn Tree
3) The Swallows
4) Crow
5) One For Sorrow
6) Dark bursts up into the dusk blue deep / The Wind and the Light
7) The Wren’s Song
First Performance:
27th April 2023 King’s Place, London by James Hall and Dylan Perez
self published - contact composer for a score
Hywel John’s poem “Under The Hawthorn Tree” emerges from around the hawthorn tree in the Preseli hills, Wales
Archive Recordings from The Premiere Concert (Kings Place, London 27th April 2023)
Countertenor: James Hall / Piano: Dylan Perez
1) Soundscape (poet and the sounds of the landscape) - an audio and visual setting of the scene
2) Elemental Prelude (piano only)
3) Under The Hawthorn Tree - a song cycle from Wind and Light (voice and piano)
[links open in new windows - listen on headphones to experience a true depth of sound)
Please click HERE to view the full perusal score (opens in another window - please be patient whilst 49 pages load!)
©RichardEtesonMusic 2023 - all rights of artists reserved
2 Descants (2019)
Lord of All Hopefulness - SLANE: Trad Irish Melody / Erik Routley (S)
Let all the World - LUCKINGTON: Basil Harwood (SS)
Descant parts written for hymns sung at a memorial service, fitting the existing harmonisations to the hymns.
First Performance:
8th June 2019 by The Temple Singers at St. James’ Church, Leckhampstead
not yet published / recorded
The Holy Innocents (2020)
words by Christina Rossetti and Aurelius Prudentius Clemens
6 part choral anthem (SATTBB) and organ
An anthem suitable for The Feast of the Innocents or Epiphany. The setting is for a choir that is more “bottom heavy” and is macaronic (Latin and English text). With a nod to Duruflé, the latin text is featured as a plainsong hymn (Baritone voices) that “solves” the sorrow of the Rossetti poem, before the texts unite at the conclusion.
with grateful thanks to The Salopian Club
First Performance:
15th January 2020 by The Salopian Club Epiphany Choir, directed by Patrick Craig, at St. Mary-le-Bow, London
not yet published / recorded
A Jolly Wassel-Bowl (2020)
Words: Traditional
4 part (SATB) carol and organ
First Performance:
20th December 2021 Garrison Church, Millers Point, Sydney Australia by The Song Company
not yet published / recorded
A traditional wassailing carol using ancient words (possibly from the time of Henry VI) and a long-lost melody (“Gallants Come Away”), here recreated in a strophic rendition for 4 part (SATB) choir and organ accompaniment.
Originally commissioned by the Worshipful Company of Horners
The source of the words is from Joseph Ritson’s 1790 publication Ancient Songs from the Time of King Henry The Third
to the Revolution. According to Ritson, the carol is from ‘about the time of Henry VI’, and sung ‘to the tune of
“Gallants Come Away”’, appearing in a manuscript once owned by Anthony á Wood and transferred to the Bodleian
Library in 1858. The tune of “Gallants Come Away” exists only in fragmented form so I have re-imagined it.