Musical compositions by Neil V. Hawes
I compose choral music, mostly for four-part choir.

I publish and print the music myself using Mozart music notation software.
All the examples on this page are created using this software and the midi files are also generated by it.
Note that the tone and quality of the midi files will depend solely on your sound card.

Some of the music linked to below is not complete, it is missing the last page or two.
If you are interested in getting a full version, or in using any of the music, please email me.
(I am slowly converting old gif file links below to pdf)

I wrote anthems for three- and four-part choirs that have mostly only been sung at St. Mary’s Church, Osterley while I was the organist and choirmaster there.
I also wrote pieces for Whitton Choral Society while I was the Musical Director, and I have written pieces for a few other choirs.
I have made arrangements of music that is out of copyright of various styles including folk songs and madrigals.
I had a psalm setting published in a book of Responsorial Psalms in 1994 by Harper Collins.


Communion Setting
    A communion setting I wrote has been sung regularly since 1982 at St. Mary's, Osterley, and a small number of other churches in the UK have also had copies and have sung it.
    You can hear a midi version of the Gloria by clicking here, and the whole setting is available here.
    It was originally written for the Anglican "Series 3" service, was adapted for the "Alternative Service Book" of 1980, and in 2001 I adapted it for use with the "Common Worship" service book.
Descants
Anthems for church choirs
Many of these are arrangements of well-known hymn tunes, all are for 4-part choirs (SATB), unless otherwise stated.
The following have all been sung by the choir of St. Mary's, Osterley:

Anthems that are based on well-known hymn words and tunes have a number of advantages:
  • I find them a lot easier to write
  • they are easier to learn for the singers
  • the words are often familiar
  • where the singers have the tune, that section can be sung with just one run-through
I think a listener will often get more out of them on one hearing
  • they may already be familiar with the words, so they know what is being sung about
  • they may be able to follow the words in a hymn book
  • if they know the tune, they may then be able to get more out of the nuances of performance
  • even a relatively non-musical listener may find themselves remembering it afterwards
I generally feel that hearing an unknown anthem once is not enough for a listener to get much out of it.
Arrangements of Christmas carols for church choirs:
Pieces arranged for solo trio (Soprano, Alto and Baritone) that were sung at Good Friday devotional services over a number of years:
Other religious works
    An arrangement for four part choir and organ (from the original 7 parts, plus solos, with piano) of "Someone's going to change my world" by Andrew Parmley, words by Terry Rogers, arranged with permission for the Mothers' Union service in 2004 - See first verse
    An arrangement of O Lord increase our faith by Henry Loosemore (previously attributed to Orlando Gibbons) for three parts (S/A/Bar).
    An edited version of Crux fidelis attributed to King John of Portugal.
    New words to Elgar's Nimrod from the Enigma Variations The Song of Simeon for SATTB, although the first tenor part is optional.
Arrangements of Folk Songs
Secular pieces for SATB choir
    Three light-hearted pieces for SATB choir:
    New words to two Madrigals by Thomas Weelkes on the theme of the London Olympic Games in 2012
      Go for the gold - a more healthy version of "Come, Sirrah Jack, ho!" concerning the joys of tobacco.
      Olympic sport (London 2012) - from the original "Lo country sports"
    The madrigal To shorten winter's sadness by Thomas Weelkes, with new words that are rather in the style of "The Gasman Cometh" by Flanders and Swann.
Instrumental music