SSATB unaccompanied

Commissioned by Ralph Woodward and the Fairhaven Singers in memory of Dora Kemp, one of the choir’s sopranos, God is Light sets lines from Psalm 139, 1 Thessalonians, and 1 John. It moves from an unsettled tonality at the beginning, through anguished false relations and wistful expressivity, to find triumphant resolution in a blazing A major at the end. Like all of McDowall’s music, it is well crafted and singable.

Programme note

Link to Score:
https://global.oup.com/academic/product/god-is-light-9780193415652

Link to recording: