ALLAN BEVAN, COMPOSER

The Time Draws Near

4/30/2022

 
Voicing: SATB and piano
Text: Alfred, Lord Tennyson (1809-1892)
Published by: Canadian Music Centre
Notes: Commissioned by Pro Coro Canada in 2001. Something different and challenging for a Christmas concert, on a moving poem from Tennyson's In Memoriam.

The time draws near the birth of Christ:
The moon is hid; the night is still;
The Christmas bells from hill to hill
Answer each other in the mist.

 Four voices of four hamlets round,
From far and near, on mead and moor,
Swell out and fail, as if a door
Were shut between me and the sound:

 Each voice four changes on the wind,
That now dilate, and now decrease,
Peace and goodwill, goodwill and peace,
Peace and goodwill, to all mankind.

 This year I slept and woke with pain,
I almost wish’d no more to wake,
And that my hold on life would break
Before I heard those bells again:

But they my troubled spirit rule,
For they controll’d me when a boy;
They bring me sorrow touch’d with joy,
The merry merry bells of Yule.

Performed by: Pro Coro Canada, Jeremy Spurgeon, piano, Richard Sparks, conductor, "A Pro Coro Christmas" December 8, 2001
Picture
Tennyson, by C. F. Watts ca. 1863
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Ave Regina Caelorum

4/25/2022

 
Voicing: SSAA a cappella
Text: Anonymous antiphon, ca. 12th century
Unpublished: please contact the composer for copies

Notes: Composed in 2006 on a commission from Ariose Women's Choir, Edmonton, Marilyn Kerley, conductor.
​An ancient text excellent for Christmas concerts.
Ave, Regina Caelorum,
Ave, Domina Angelorum:
Salve, radix, salve, porta
Ex qua mundo lux est orta:

Gaude, Virgo gloriosa,
Super omnes speciosa,
Vale, o valde decora,
Et pro nobis Christum exora.


Hail, O Queen of Heaven.
Hail, O Lady of Angels,
Hail! thou root, hail! thou gate
From whom unto the world, a light has arisen:

Rejoice, O glorious Virgin,
Lovely beyond all others,
Farewell, most beautiful maiden,
And pray for us to Christ.
Performed by: Concerto Della Donna, Iwan Edwards, conductor

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Three Motets on Texts of Henry Vaughan

4/21/2022

 
Voicing: SATB unaccompanied
Text: Henry Vaughan (1662-1695)
Contact composer
Notes: The Three Motets are a cappella settings of three short poems (see below) by Welsh physician, translator, and poet, Henry Vaughan. Vaughan's poetry is sacred in nature and heavily influenced by the Anglican poet, George Herbert. Vaughan was studying law at Oxford when the English Civil War broke out. A royalist, Vaughan returned to the much less tumultuous Welsh countryside where he lived out his quiet and contemplative life.
The Motets may be performed separately if desired (see entries on the individual works elsewhere on this site) or together as follows: The Eclipse, The Revival, and Peace.
The composer views this poetry as representative of 1) The Passion 2) Easter 3) Heaven.
The Motets were composed between 1999 and 2001 and were grouped together by the composer upon completion of Peace in early 2001. 
All of the performances that follow are from My Soul, There Is a Country, by the University of Alberta Madrigal Singers, Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff, conductor. This recording was made shortly after the first performance of the work by this award-winning Canadian university choir. This CD is available thru the CMC. See also the separate entries on each of the three pieces below.
The Eclipse
Whither, O whither did’st thou fly 
When I did grieve thine holy Eye?
When thou did’st mourn to see me lost, 
And all thy Care and Councels crost.
O do not grieve where e’er thou art!
Thy grief is an undoing smart. 
Which doth not only pain, but break
My heart, and makes me blush to speak. 
Thy anger I could kiss, and will:
But (O!) thy grief, thy grief doth kill.


The Revival
Unfold, unfold! take in his light,
Who makes thy Cares more short than night.
The joys, which with his Day-star rise,
He deals to all, but drowsy Eyes:
And what the men of this world miss,
Some drops and dews of future bliss.
Hark! how his winds have chang’d their note,
And with warm whispers call thee out.
The frosts are past, the storms are gone:
And backward life at last comes on.
The lofty groves in express Joyes
Reply unto the Turtles voice,
And here in dust and dirt, O here
The Lilies of his love appear!
Peace
My Soul, there is a Country
Far beyond the stars,
Where stands a wingèd sentry
All skilfull in the wars,
There above noise, and danger
Sweet peace sits crown'd with smiles,
And one born in a Manger
Commands the Beauteous files,
He is thy gracious friend,
And (O my soul awake!)
Did in pure love descend
To die here for thy sake,
If thou canst get but thither,
There grows the flower of peace,
The Rose that cannot whither,
Thy fortress, and thy ease;
Leave then thy foolish ranges;
For none can thee secure,
But one, who never changes,
Thy God, thy life, thy Cure.
Neal W. Woodruff provided this substantial review of the Three Motets in the May, 2007 issue of The Choral Journal:

"Award-winning Canadian composer Allan Bevan has set a marvelous triptych of texts by the seventeenth-century metaphysical poet Henry Vaughan. Texts of the first two motets are chosen from Vaughan's late publication, Thalia Redivivam, 1678 (revival of the muse of comic poetry), while the final text is culled from his most well-known collection entitled Silex Scintillans, 1650 (Flashing Flint). Specifically, the title of the 1650 work represents the "stony heart against which Divine flint strikes and produces fire." The fervor reflected in the poetry was stirred into flame during the various outbreaks of religious dissent and war in England."

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Fairest Lord Jesus, arr.

4/17/2022

 
Voicing: SATB, organ, brass and percussion audience (opt.)
Published by: Canadian Music Centre (2006)
Notes: This arrangement was commissioned by CBC Radio Two for their "Easter Sunrise Celebration", 2001. Although the program is now cancelled, in its time it was a magnificent celebration of Easter music that would emanate each year from a different city in Canada and be broadcast live throughout the country. The first performance of Fairest Lord Jesus took place at Edmonton City Hall, conducted by Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff,  with a 4:30am choral call so the concert could be broadcast live to Newfoundland and other earlier time zones. Fairest Lord Jesus was simulcast on CBC Radio 2 Choral Concert and CBC television that Easter morning April 15, 2001. The arrangement is intended for a massed choir with optional congregation or audience participation. The original scoring was for brass octet, while a smaller version was arranged for the 2007 Easter Sunrise Celebration in Toronto (both versions can be heard to the right). Score and parts for both versions are available thru the CMC (use the link above). The text is the public domain English translation of "Schön­ster Herr Je­su" done by Joseph Seiss in 1873. The melody is the famous Silesian folk song known as "Crusader's Hymn".

Fairest Lord Jesus, Ruler of all nature,
O Thou of God and man the Son,
Thee will I cherish, Thee will I honor,
Thou, my soul’s glory, joy and crown.

Fair are the meadows, fairer still the woodlands,
Robed in the blooming garb of spring;
Jesus is fairer, Jesus is purer,
Who makes the woeful heart to sing.

Fair is the sunshine,
Fairer still the moonlight,
And all the twinkling starry host;
Jesus shines brighter, Jesus shines purer
Than all the angels heaven can boast.

All fairest beauty, heavenly and earthly,
Wondrously, Jesus, is found in Thee;
None can be nearer, fairer or dearer,
Than Thou, my Savior, art to me.

Beautiful Savior! Lord of all the nations!
Son of God and Son of Man!
Glory and honor, praise, adoration,
Now and forever more be Thine.


Performed by: Massed Chorus, Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff, conductor; Jeremy Spurgeon, organ; brass octet and percussion.
Live Recording, Edmonton City Hall, April 15, 2001.
Performed by: Choirs of King's University College, Edmonton, Dr. Melanie Turgeon, conductor; Joachim Segger, organ; brass quintet and percussion. Recorded on, The Voice of My Prayer (2011).
Picture

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Gentle Mary Laid Her Child

4/1/2022

 
Voicing: SSA and piano with optional soprano solo; also SATB, TTBB, SAB versions
Text: Joseph Simpson Cook (1859 - 1933)
Published by: Canadian International Music, (Lorenz Corp.)
CIM 1015 (1997);
Retail: Sheetmusicplus; Cadenza One; J.W. Pepper; Amazon.com; Northwest Musical Services; Stanton's Music; Musical Resources Online; Musicmart;
Notes: This Christmas choral work is suitable for concert and/or church use and is published in four different voicings. In addition to the SSA, there are also settings for SATB (CIM 1004), SAB (CIM 1068) and TTBB (CIM 1069). Each piece begins with a mid-range solo (or section) followed by an a cappella verse two in four parts and a final verse in unison with a descant and powerful piano accompaniment. The first of the four pieces to be composed was the SATB in about1994 with the SSA version following soon afterwards. The SAB and TTBB settings were added in 2001. All of these can be obtained in North America thru the retailers J.W. Pepper and Sheetmusicplus.com. There are printed versions and instant downloads available thru both of these web-sites.
In 2005, Gentle Mary was translated into German and Dutch.  These are available thru the European Choral Club.
Gentle Mary laid her child
Lowly in a manger;
There he lay, the undefiled,
To the world a stranger,
Such a babe in such a place,
Can he be the Saviour?
Ask the saved of all the race
Who have found his favour.

Angels sang about his birth,
Wise men sought and found him;
Heaven's star shone brightly forth,
Glory all around him.
Shepherds saw the wondrous sight,
Heard the angels singing;
All the plains were lit that night,
All the hills were ringing.

Gentle Mary laid her child
Lowly in a manger,
He is still the undefiled,
But no more a stranger.
Son of God of humble birth,
Beautiful the story;
Praise his name in all the earth,
Hail the King of Glory.

Performed by: Ariose Women's Choir, Marilyn Kerley, conductor;
Performed by: The Bach Children's Chorus Chamber Youth Choir  (Toronto) (TTBB), Linda Beaupre, conductor
Performed by: The Connecticut Choral Artists (SATB), Richard Coffey, conductor
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Deep River, arr.

4/1/2022

 
Voicing: SA and piano
Text: Traditional Spiritual
Level: Easy
Published by: Colla Voce #20-96570 (Henry Leck's Indianapolis Children's Choir Series - 2004)
Retail: Musical Resources Online Store; J. W. Pepper
Notes: The famous spiritual in a short and straight forward arrangement for two-part voices, including an evocative role for the piano. A good piece for children's and women's choirs, or two-part mixed voices. Composed in 1994. Deep River has been featured at choral reading sessions in the USA, (e.g. the 2014 WA ACDA Summer Institute).

Deep River,
My home is over Jordan.
Deep River, Lord.
I want to cross over into campground.


Oh, don't You want to go,
To the Gospel feast;
That Promised Land,
Where all is peace?

Oh, Deep River, Lord,
I want to cross over into campground.



Performed by: Cantare Children's Choir, Catherine Glaser-Climie, conductor

Picture
Performed by: The Cincinnati Boychoir, conducted by Dr. Randall N. Wolfe, recorded on America Sings!

Deep River, arr. Bevan - The Contemporary Choir of the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen, Baltimore, Maryland
See the Deep River score, listen to a sample and read more at Colla Voce Music
Deep River arr. Bevan on Choral Tracks

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Then Farewell, World

3/24/2022

 
Voicing: SATB a cappella; or SATB Double Chorus
Text: 1) Philip Sidney (1554 - 1586) 2) Thomas Campion (1567 -1620)
Published by: Canadian Music Centre
Notes:
Then, Farewell World was composed on a commission from Pro Coro Canada in 2003, and sung by the choir in Edmonton, Toronto, and Ottawa the following year. The work sets two texts by English Renaissance poets on the subjects of love and faith, departure, and heaven. This is a challenging piece, a big sing, requiring an outstanding choir capable of maintaining intonation over the eleven or twelve minutes it takes to sing the work. Other choirs besides Pro Coro that have sung the work include Calgary's Spiritus Chamber Choir (please enjoy their outstanding recording to the right) and the Vancouver Chamber Choir who rehearsed the work in my presence (to my great delight) at one of their wonderful Interplay offerings for choral composers. In 2006, I rescored it for double chorus, so performance in either form is possible. The two works that comprise Then Farewell, World are inter-connected as material from the first number (Leave Me, O Love) returns at the end of the second (Never Weather-Beaten Saile). However, it is still possible to sing the two numbers separately, as they can stand on their own. The title is taken from the penultimate line in Philip Sidney's sonnet.
Leave me, O Love, which reachest but to dust,
And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things;
Grow rich in that which never taketh rust; Whatever fades but fading pleasure brings.
Draw in thy beams, and humble all thy might
To that sweet yoke where lasting freedoms be; Which breaks the clouds and opens forth the light, That doth both shine and give us sight to see.
O take fast hold; let that light be thy guide
In this small course which birth draws out to death, And think how evil becometh him to slide,
Who seeketh heaven, and comes of heavenly breath.

Then farewell, world; thy uttermost I see;
Eternal Love, maintain thy life in me. 
Sir Philip Sidney from Certaine Sonnets, 1582

Never weather-beaten saile more willing bent to shore,
Never tyred pilgrim’s limbs affected slumber more,
Than my wearied spright now longs to flye, out of my troubled breast:
O come quickly, sweetest Lord, and take my soul to rest.  
E’er-blooming are the joys of Heaven’s high Paradice,
Cold age deafes not there our ears, nor vapour dims our eyes:
Glory there the sun outshines, whose beams the blessed only see:
O come quickly, glorious Lord, and raise my spright to thee.              
Thomas Campion


Performed by: Spiritus Chamber Choir, Terry Edwards, conductor (2006).
Picture
Sir Philip Sidney
Picture
Thomas Campion

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Ave Maria

2/24/2022

 
Voicing: SA with two soprano soloists and piano
Published by: Cypress Choral Music , CP 1049 (2000; reprinted 2020)
Retail: The Leading Note ; Choral Sheet Music ;
Leslie Music Supply;  Sheet Music Plus (listen, view score); J. W. Pepper; Stanton's;  Panamusica;
Notes: Winner of the ACCC 1999-2000 Composition Competition and sung for the first time by Canada's National Youth Choir, at the Winspear Centre for Music in Edmonton, conducted by Dr. Leonard Ratzlaff.

Ave Maria, gratia plena, Dominus tecum.
Benedicta tu in mulieribus,
et benedictus fructus ventris tui, Iesus.
Sancta Maria, Mater Dei,
ora pro nobis peccatoribus,
nunc et in hora mortis nostrae. Amen.

Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee.
Blessed art thou among women,
and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus.
Holy Mary, Mother of God,
pray for us sinners,
now and in the hour of our death. Amen.


Performed by: Ariose Women's Choir, Dr. Marilyn Kerley, conductor from Joy Shall Be Yours, 2001
Picture
 See the complete score at Cypress Choral Music
Rollin Smith's review of Ave Maria appeared in the January, 2005 issue of The American Organist:
"Allan Bevan is an extremely talented composer of ravishing sacred choral music in a traditional style. This Ave Maria won first prize in the equal voices category of the 1999-2000 Association of Canadian Choral Conductors Associated Publishers Composition Competition, and if your choir can’t sing it you should hire two good sopranos to perform it just so your congregation can hear something as beautiful as this. The two soloists rest after the first eight measures while the two-part trebles continue. Then the soloists sing to the end, and the “choir” only joins with them to provide harmony for the last three measures. The piece could be sung by a two-part choir or just two soloists. This is beyond recommended".  


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Hide Thy Face

2/1/2022

 
Voicing: SATB a cappella
Text: Psalm 51: 9-10
Unpublished: please contact composer
Notes: Completed in 2008, this anthem was first performed by the Concordia University College Concert Choir, Dr. John Hooper, conductor.  Hide Thy Face sets two verses from Psalm 51, (Miserere Mei Deus) using the English translation from the King James’ Bible. It is set in a straight-forward, three-part form with the words of verse ten ("Create in me a clean heart, O God") providing the text for the contrasting middle section.  

Hide thy face from my sins,
and blot out all mine iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God;
and renew a right spirit within me.
Performed by: King's University College Choir, Edmonton, Dr. Melanie Turgeon, conductor, from The Voice of My Prayer (2011)

Performed by: The Canadian Chamber Choir, Dr. Julia Davids, conductor, from Sacred Reflections of Canada: A Canadian Mass (2015)


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The Huron Carol, arr.

12/25/2020

 
Voicing: SATB a cappella
Melody: Une jeune pucelle (Trad. French Carol melody)
Text: St. Jean de Brebeuf (1593-1649) Tr. by J. E. Middleton (1872-1960)
Published by: Lorenz CIM 1016 (1997)

Retail: The Leading Note ; Sheet Music Plus; J. W. Pepper; Music 44; Opus Two;
2) Voicing: SSAA a cappella
Contact the composer
Notes: Composed and first performed in 1994, this arrangement is a setting of three verses of the original Canadian Christmas carol, as translated by Jesse Edgar Middleton, a journalist and choral singer who lived in both Toronto and Montreal. Brebeuf's verses were in Algonquian, while Middleton made his translation from an earlier version in French. St. Jean de Brebeuf wrote the carol in 1643 as part of his mission to the Hurons.

'Twas in the moon of wintertime when all the birds had fled,
That mighty Gitchi Manitou sent angel choirs instead;
Before their light the braves drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high:

Jesus, your King is born,
Jesus is born,
In excelsis gloria.


Within a lodge of broken bark the tender babe was found.
A ragged robe of rabbit skin enwrapped his beauty round;
But as the hunter braves drew nigh,
The angel song rang loud and high:

O children of the forest free, On sons of Manitou,
The holy child is born this day for you.
Come, kneel before the radiant boy,
Who brings you beauty, peace, and joy:


Performed by: Spiritus Chamber Choir, Dr. Timothy Shantz, conductor

Performed by: AccordEnsemble
Performed by: Heruvymy Ukrainian Female Quartet
from: And On Earth Peace

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The Souls of the Righteous

2/10/2015

 
1) Voicing: TTBB a cappella
Text: Wisdom 3: 1-3
Published by: Cypress Choral Music
Notes: This work was composed in 1999 and first performed by Chor Leoni, Vancouver. It is the second of three settings that I have done of this particular text. The recording to the right was submitted by the choir as an entry for the 2002 CBC Choral Competition. It is conducted by the legendary Diane Loomer.  The text is a famous passage from the Apocryphal Book of Wisdom.
Performed by: Chor Leoni, Diane Loomer, C.M. conductor.
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God,
There shall no torment touch them.
In the sight of the unwise, they seemed to die:
But they
are in peace.

Wisdom 3: 1, 2a, 3b
see the complete score at classica Music Publishers

2) Voicing: SATB a cappella
Published by: Cypress Choral Music, Vancouver CP 1075
Retail: J. W. Pepper; Foxes Music

Notes: This is an SATB scoring of the original TTBB version above. Text is identical but the ending is different. You may view this score at Cypress Choral Music.

Listen to Ensemble Phoebus of Montreal sing The Souls of the Righteous at CBC Music. This beautiful recording is from the 2015 CBC Choral Competition.
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