Musicatlas
Music
Works by Andrew Downes in Opus number order:
1973
- Casterbridge Fair (song cycle) Opus 1 (1973)
- O Magnum Mysterium (motet & mass SATBB) Opus 2 (1973)
1974
- Sonatina for Piano Opus 3 (1974)
- Christmas Cantata (for school choir & orchestra) Opus 4 (1974)
- What can I do to show how much I love her (song AATTBB) Opus 5 (1974)
- Ave Maria (motet AATTBB) Opus 6 (1974)
1975/6
- Toccata for Brass Band Opus 7 (1976)
- Overture for St Cere Opus 8 (1975)
- Prelude, Fanfare & Postlude for Organ Opus 9 (1975)
- Five Movements for Piano & String Orchestra Opus 10 (1976)
- Five Holy Songs (song cycle) Opus 11 (1976)
- Sonata for Piano Opus 12 (1976)
1977
- Fanfare for a Ceremony Opus 13 (1977)
- String Quartet No.1 Opus 14 (1977)
- Lost Love (song cycle) Opus 15 (1977)
1978
- Sonata for 13 Brass Instruments Opus 16 (1978)
- The Death of Goliath (cantata — soloists & piano) Opus 17 (1978)
1979
- Veni Emmanuel (choral arrangement with brass) Opus 18 (i) (1979)
- The Coventry Carol (unaccompanied SATB) Opus 18 (ii) (1979)
1980
- The Temple of Solomon (SATB chorus, brass band, soloist) Opus 19 (1980)
- Series 3 Mass for Church Congregation Opus 20 (1980)
1981/2
- Cain and Abel (cantata — soloists, SATB chorus, piano) Opus 21 (1981)
- Sonata for 4 Horns Opus 22 (1982)
- O Vos Omnes (unacc. SSA) Opus 23 (1981)
- A Child is Singing (cantata — SATB choir & piano) Opus 24 (1981)
- Odysseus and the Cyclops (children’s opera) Opus 25 (1982)
- Toccata for Small Orchestra Opus 26 (1982)
- Symphony No.1 (for organ, brass, percussion & strings) Opus 27 (1982)
1983
- Suite for Brass Quintet Opus 28 (1983)
- Old Love’s Domain (song cycle) Opus 29 (1983)
1984
- Symphony No.2 (for chamber orchestra) Opus 30 (1984)
- O Love the Lord all ye His Saints (anthem SATB) Opus 31 (i) (1984)
- The Souls of the Righteous (anthem SATB) Opus 31 (ii) (1984)
- In Peace I will lie down and sleep (anthem SATB) Opus 31 (iii) (1984)
1985
- “Piano” (part song SSA) Opus 32 (1985)
- The Marshes of Glynn (soloist, SATB chorus, orchestra) Opus 33 (1985)
- Festival Fanfare Opus 34 (1985)
1986
- I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (anthem SATB & organ) Opus 35 (1986)
- In the Cotswolds (overture) Opus 36 (1986)
- Preces and Responses (SATB) Opus 37 (1986)
- Meditations for Solo Trumpet Opus 38 (1986)
- Songs from Spoon River (song cycle) Opus 39 (1986)
1987
- String Quartet No.2 Opus 40 (1987)
- Sonata for Two Pianos Opus 41 (1987)
1988/9
- Dreamland (soprano soloist, soprano saxophone, piano) Opus 42 (1988)
- Centenary Firedances (symphony orchestra) Opus 43 (1988)
- Song of the Prairies (SATB soloists, chorus, semi chorus, orchestra) Opus 44 (1988)
1990-94
- Symphony No.3 (full symphony orchestra) Opus 45 (1992)
- The Last Trumpet (solo trumpet) Opus 46 (1990)
- Earth Dances (saxophone quartet) Opus 47 (1991)
- The Dancers of Huai Nan (high voices) Opus 48(i) (1992)
- Gibraltar, our Homeland (high voices) Opus 48(ii) (1994)
- Ballads for Christmas (high voices & harp) Opus 49 (1992)
- A St Luke Passion (baritone soloist, SATB chorus, orchestra) Opus 50 (1992)
- O Praise the Lord (anthem SATB & Organ) Opus 51 (1993)
1994/5
- Sonata for Violin & Piano Opus 52 (1994)
- Sonata for 8 Horns Opus 53 (1995)
- String Quartet No.3 Opus 54 (1994)
- Sonata for Oboe & Piano Opus 55 (1995)
- Fanfare for Madam Speaker Opus 56 (1995)
- Brass Quintet No.2 Opus 57 (1995)
1996
- Sonata for 8 Flutes Opus 58 (1996)
- Symphony No.4 (scored for concert wind band) Opus 59 (1996)
- Concert Overture: “Towards a New Age” Opus 60 (1996)
1997/8
- Concerto for Two Pianos & Strings Opus 61 (1997)
- Concerto for Guitar, Bass Guitar & Strings Opus 62 (1998)
- Fantasia for Alto & Bass Flute Solos with 5 Part Concert Flute Choir Accompaniment Opus 63 (1998)
- Concerto for Native American Flute (or Alto Flute) & Strings Opus 64 (1998)
- Runnymede Millennium Evensong Service (SSAATTBB & organ) Opus 65 (1997)
- O Sing unto the Lord a New Song (anthem — SSAATTBB & organ) Opus 66 (1997)
- Sonata for Flute & Piano Opus 67 (1998)
- Sonata for Horn & Piano Opus 68 (1998)
1999/2000
- Suite for 6 Horns Opus 69 (1999)
- New Dawn (SATB soloists, SATB chorus, symphony orchestra) Opus 70 (1999)
- Song of the Eagle (for flute choir) Opus 71 (1999)
- The God Marduk (violin & piano) Opus 72 (1999)
- Sonata for Brass Sextet Opus 73 (1999)
- Sonata for Piccolo & Piano Opus 74 (1999)
- Sacred Mass for Solo Violin Opus 75 (2000)
- Sonata for 8 Pianists Opus 76 (1999)
- Concerto for 4 Solo Horns and Symphony Orchestra Opus 77 (2000)
2000-03
- The Forest at Dawn (organ solo) Opus 78(a) (2000)
- The Mercies of our Lord (anthem SATB, 2 trumpets, organ) Opus 78(b) (2001)
- Symphony No.5 (flute orchestra) Opus 79 (2001)
- Five Dramatic Pieces for 8 Wagner Tubas Opus 80 (2002)
- Celtic Rhapsody (soprano soloist, symphony orchestra) Opus 81 (2002)
- Piano Sonata No.2 Opus 82 (2002)
- Anna’s Bridal March (2 horns, 2 trumpets, organ) Opus 83 (2003)
- Mountain Song (flute choir, harp or piano, string bass) Opus 84 (2003)
- Songs of Autumn (children’s voices with instrumental ensemble or CD) Opus 85 (2003)
- Sonata for Cello & Piano Opus 86 (2001)
2004-05
- Far from the Madding Crowd — opera (soloists, chorus, chamber ensemble) Opus 87 (2005)
- Songs of the Skies (children’s voices with instrumental ensemble or CD) Opus 88 (2005)
- 7 Preludes for Piano Opus 89 (2005)
2006
- Sonata for Double Bass & Piano Opus 90 (2006)
- Songs of Love (song cycle) Opus 91 (2006)
- Sonata for Organ Opus 92 (2006)
2007
- Sonata for Violin, Horn and Piano Opus 93 (2007)
- Introduction and Allegro for Solo Organ Opus 94 (2007)
- Forgotten Fields (song cycle) Opus 95 (2007)
- Sacred Mass for Solo Voice Opus 96 (2007)
Life
Andrew Downes was born in Birmingham, England, in 1950. He won a choral scholarship to St John’s College, Cambridge (in 1969), where he also specialised in composition; and in 1974 went on to study with composer Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music, London. Between 1990 and 2005, he was Head of the School of Composition and Creative Studies at Birmingham Conservatoire. He now works as a freelance composer.
Andrew Downes’ music has been performed throughout the world, in many leading concert halls and cathedrals, and has been broadcast on BBC Radios 2,3 & 4, BBC TV, “France Musique”, Italian TV, Austrian Radio, Dutch Radio, Central Peking Radio and Czech Radio. 15 CDs have been made of his music as well as a DVD of his opera Far from the Madding Crowd.
His past commissions have included: The Marshes of Glynn for the Royal opening of the Adrian Boult Hall in Birmingham UK in 1986; Centenary Firedances for the City of Birmingham’s Centenary Festival of Fireworks and Music; an Overture for the UK Three Choirs Festival; songs for “Cantamus” Girls’ Choir; song cycles for mezzo-soprano Sarah Walker and tenor John Mitchinson for broadcast on BBC Radio 3; anthems for the BBC Radio 4 Daily Service; Sonata for 8 Horns for the Horn Octet of the University of New Mexico (recorded for Czech Radio and CD by the horns of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and performed by the Czech Philharmonic Horns many times both in the Czech Republic and UK); Suite for 6 Horns for the Vienna Horn Society; Song of the Eagle for the James Madison University Flute Choir of Virginia USA; Concerto for Two Pianos for the Parisian Duo Scaramouche; Sonata for 8 Pianists for soloists from France, Italy and Britain; Mela Kamavardhani for performances by Indo-Jazz Fusions in Calcutta, Delhi and Bombay; Fanfare for Madam Speaker, for the Installation of the Rt Hon Betty Boothroyd MP as Chancellor of the Open University of the UK; Concert Overture “Towards a New Age” for the 150th anniversary of the British Institution of Mechanical Engineers, premiered by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra; and Suite for Brass Sextet for the Czech Philharmonic Brass Sextet premiered in the Dvořák Hall, Prague in 2001.
In 2002, Andrew composed Concerto for 4 Horns and Orchestra for soloists Radek Baborak, Ondrej Vrabek, Stanislav Suchanek and Zdenek Divoky and the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, who gave two performances of the work in the Dvořák Hall, Prague, in February and March 2002. In March 2003, the work was recorded for Czech Radio, and was broadcast in 2004. Andrew returned to Prague in October 2005 to attend the world premiere, by the Czech Philharmonic Horns, of his 5 Dramatic Pieces for 8 Wagner Tubas.
Andrew’s most recent compositions include Sonata for Double Bass and Piano commissioned by David Daly (principal Double Bass Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra); Songs of Love for Paula Downes and David Trippett, first performed at Harvard University, USA; Introduction and Allegro for Organ for the American organist Carson P Cooman and Sonata for Violin, Horn and Piano for the Brahms Trio Prague (Ondrej Vrabec, principal Horn, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Monika Vrabecova, Violin and Daniel Wiesner, Piano).
Andrew Downes’ music is published by Lynwood Music. In addition, Faber Music include his motet O Vos Omnes in a compilation of works entitled Thirty Choral Masterworks for Upper Voices.