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Ian Assersohn
Choral and Vocal catalogue
2014
ian.appletreemusic.net
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Contents
Longer Works
3
Shorter pieces
5
Christmas
10
Choral arrangements
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Thank you for your interest in the music of Ian Assersohn.
Ian Assersohn studied composition with John Lambert at the Royal College of Music in
London and with Peter Schaat and Louis Andriessen at the Koninklijk Conservatorium, Den
Haag.
Following a lifetime of involvement as a choral director, Ian today specialises in writing
choral music which is accessible and rewarding to sing for amateurs and professionals
alike.
Ian is Musical Director of Leatherhead Choral Society, Concordia Singers and Epsom Male
Voice Choir.
For more information about any of these works, including free sample page downloads and
audio extracts, please visit ian.appletreemusic.net or email [email protected]
All shorter works are available as pdf files except the Christmas song Light A Candle
published by Shawnee Press and the solo song Echo which is published by Recital Music.
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Longer Works
A Drop O' Nelson's Blood
A collection of arrangements of sea shanties and forebitters for SATB choir and piano.
Duration 25-30 minutes.
The work's eight movements are available, and can be performed, independently, or
as the set. They are: Ten Thousand Miles Away; Maggie May; Haul away Joe (with
optional solo); A Drop O' Nelson's Blood; A-Rovin' (with optional solo and audience
involvement); Spanish Ladies; The Capstan Bar; Leave Her Johnny
In Memoriam
A humanist requiem in one continuous movement for soprano and baritone soli, small
orchestra and SATB chorus.
The moving text interweaves poetry by Tennyson (from In Memoriam A.H.H) and
Wordsworth (Intimations of Immortality) with part of the Jewish memorial service for
the dead.
Duration 35 minutes.
Songs of Catullus
A cycle of settings, in Latin, of poems by the Roman poet Catullus for SATB and
chamber ensemble (fl, ob, timp, glock, hp, organ, vc) or small orchestra. The work
was commissioned by Concordia Singers and first performed by them in 2013.
The eight movements are called: Hymn to Diana; Let us live and love; His brother's
grave; A Prayer: To Lesbia; Wedding Dance (instrumental); Lesbia's sparrow (soprano
solo); The Old Falernian and Homecoming.
The songs may also be performed individually
Duration 30-35 minutes.
The Song of Songs
A full-length setting of one of the Old Testament's most glittering treasures and the
world's most beautiful and mysterious love poem. Scored for soprano and tenor soli,
SATB chorus, ensemble or two pianos and percussion
Duration 40 minutes.
The Song of Songs (in Hebrew Shir ha-Shirim), also known as the Song of Solomon,
is collection of verses on the theme of love. Probably written about 3,000 years ago,
the book appears in the Old Testament, despite having no obvious religious
connotation.
The main characters are a woman (the “Shulammite") and her mysterious lover,
represented in this piece by the soprano and tenor soloists. The chorus variously
represents the coupleʼs friends or comment on the action.
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Lancelot Wins Again!
A full-length musical for children loosely based on the legends of King Arthur,
with story, dialogue and lyrics by the composer. Originally written for
Cottesmore School in Sussex the musical has received multiple performances
and is ideally suited to Year 6 or 7 productions.
The characters are: Merlin (non-singing role), King Arthur, Guinevere, Sir
Lancelot, Sir Galahad and Sir Mordred with chorus of knights and ladies.
The action is fast-paced, the music is tuneful and memorable and
incorporates a range of styles, and the lyrics are witty, and often very funny.
from "The Ballad of Tristan And Isolde"
When Sir Tristan met Isolde he went right ahead and told her
That he loved her and he didn't care who knew,
Then he took her by the shoulder and began to kiss and hold her
And Isolde told Sir Tristan "I love you".
Well the only awkward thing was she was married to the king,
And he found out that she's been seeing someone new,
And he nearly hit the ceiling when he learned what she was feeling
For a man she'd only known since half past two.
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Shorter Pieces
As the rain hides the stars - Shortlisted for the 2014 Nicola Dando prize
SATB a cappella
Duration 4' 55"
A sonorous setting of a Gaelic prayer.
Blow northerne wynd
SSAATTBB or TTBB
Duration 3'33"
A lively, rhythmical setting in a modal style of an anonymous fourteenth century English
text.
By the rivers of Babylon
SATB a cappella
Duration 2'55"
An a cappella setting of the opening of Psalm 137.
Corinna's lute
SATB a cappella
Duration 3'24"
A setting of a love poem by the sixteenth century composer and poet Thomas Campion.
Crossing the bar - winner of the 2014 CIMVCF competition
SATB, TTBB or SSA and piano
Duration 2'56"
A rhapsodic song with a warm harmonic texture to the text by Alfred, Lord Tennyson.
Originally written for men's voices but also available for upper or mixed voices. Suitable for
mixed, male voice or community choirs.
Dona nobis pacem
Soprano solo, choir and piano (or chamber orchestra)
Duration 4'32"
A call for peace with a touching melodic line which builds to a stirring climax.
Echo
Mezzo-soprano solo
Duration 3'55"
Echo is an austere and evocative setting of Christina Rossetti's words. "Its simple and
accessible vocal line is contrasted by a more restless accompaniment offering music of
great clarity and atmosphere. The slow moving and adventurous chordal harmonies help to
create a bleak and static effect producing a song of powerful intensity and depth."
Evening song
SATB and piano
Duration 2'39"
A simple anthem with a memorable melody on a text from Luke's gospel.
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Fear no more
One or two solo voices and piano
Duration 3'24"
A gently lyrical setting of the famous song from Shakespeare's Cymbeline. This flexible
arrangement may be sung by either one or two mezzo-soprano or baritone solo voices.
Feste's song
SATB (with solo) a cappella.
Duration 2'
A lilting setting, with a call-and-response structure, of a song from Shakespeare's Twelfth
Night. The solo may be sung by either one or two singers of any voice.
From So Simple A Beginning
SATB and piano
Duration 3' 50"
A setting of the final few words from Darwin's The Origin of Species. Written for the British
Humanist Choir.
Futility
SATB a cappella
Duration 2'41"
The bleakness and anger of Wilfred Owen's text is both offset and highlighted by the
music's warm harmonies and tender dissonances. Suitable for Remembrance-themed
concerts.
High flight
SATB and piano
Duration 2'36"
Written to a text by John Gillespie Magee, the song expresses the joy and exuberance of a
young airman tasting the freedom of flight. Suitable for Remembrance-themed concerts.
In Flanders fields
SATB a cappella
Duration 4'15"
A melodic setting of the famous threnody by John McCrae which evokes both the poem's
evocative, elegaic mood and its fervent call to arms. Suitable for Remembrance-themed
concerts.
Leisure
2-part upper-voices and piano
Duration 2'36"
The famous text by William Henry Davies begins: "What is this life if, full of care, We have
no time to stand and stare?". Popular with school or community choirs, this simple but
memorable song can quickly be learned by rote but, through the use of canonic imitation
between the parts, builds up an impressively textured effect.
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Loveliest of trees
SA Men (with soprano solo) and piano
Duration 3'15"
A straighforward setting of the A.E. Housman's paean to the cherry tree, poem XXIII from A
Shropshire Lad.
Lullaby
SATB a cappella
Duration 1'20"
A gently melodic setting, with luxuriant harmonies, of a song from "The Woman Hater" by
Jacobean playwrights Francis Beaumont & John Fletcher.
Mary Bateman
SATB and piano
Duration 3'46"
A melodic setting of John Clare's folksong-like poem of lost love.
My true love
SATB or Upper voices and piano
Duration 2'13"
A gentle setting with a simple, graceful melody of the beautiful poem by Sir Philip Sidney,
this was written for the BHA Choir as a humanist wedding song
Now winter nights enlarge
SATB a cappella
Duration 2'30"
An approachable, contemporary-with-a-hint-of-madrigal, setting of a text by the sixteenth
century composer and poet Thomas Campion.
O Death! Rocke me asleep
SATB (with optional soprano solo)and piano
Duration 5'11"
A gentle, lilting song, with a hint of a slow gospel feel, on a text attributed to Anne Boleyn.
Prayer
SA Men and piano/organ
Duration 1'50"
A simple yet affective anthem in three parts to a text by the metaphysical poet George
Herbert.
Remember
SATB a cappella
Duration 2'21"
Written for Leatherhead Choral Society, this is a contemplative setting of the haunting poem
by Christina Rossetti.
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Sing as one
SATB, TTBB or SSA, with piano
Duration 3'15"
A joyful song about the pleasures of choral singing. Winner of the 2010 Making Music
composition competition.
Sing as one was selected as a competition piece for the 2013 Leith Hill Musical Festival.
"The jewel of the short pieces was undoubtedly Sing as One. It was wonderfully rhythmic
and uplifting, as it celebrated the joys of singing together. Nothing could better express the
pleasure of participating in the Festival."
Soles occidere
SATB a cappella
Duration 2'59"
This is a setting, in Latin, of lines from poem 5 by the ancient roman poet Catullus. "Suns
may set, and suns may rise again: but when our brief light has set, our night is one long
everlasting sleep."
The passionate shepherd
SATB and piano
Duration 3'51"
A light-hearted setting in the style of a drinking song of the famous text by Christopher
Marlowe which begins "Come live with me and be my love".
The soldier
SATB with optional organ or piano
Duration 3'31"
Rupert Brooke's poem which begins "If I should die, think only this of me" is familiar to
many, and this setting captures all the poem's wistful, elegiac mix of sadness and
optimism. Suitable for Remembrance-themed concerts.
The song of the flowers
SA Men and piano
Duration 2'13"
This gentle, simple 3-part song, with text by the composer, was written for the Wisley RHS
workplace choir and is suitable for community choirs.
The street sounds to the soldiers' tread
SATB and piano or brass quintet
Duration 1'38"
One of several A.E. Housman settings, this is an evocative setting of poem XXII from A
Shropshire Lad. Like many of the poems in A Shropshire Lad this text touches on the theme
of war and soldiering, making this setting, with its march-like rhythms and slightly dissonant
harmonies, very suitable for Remembrance-themed concerts.
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The widow bird
TTBB and piano
Duration 1'34"
A setting for men's voices of a beautiful and deceptively simple poem by Percy Bysshe
Shelley, which evokes the wintry scene and the ceaseless turning of the mill-wheel
described in Shelley's text.
The winds out of the west land blow
SATB a cappella
Duration 4'07"
One of several A.E. Housman settings, this setting of poem XXXVIII from A Shropshire Lad
captures the poem's wistful, slightly bitter, mood.
Waving
SSA and piano
Duration 3'52"
A moving song, with text by the composer, about the women left behind when the men go
to war. Suitable for community choirs and for Remembrance-themed concerts. Written for
the Culdroses Military Wives Choir
White in the moon
SATB a cappella
Duration 2'11"
One of several A.E. Housman settings, this is an evocative setting of poem XXXVI from A
Shropshire Lad: "White in the moon the long road lies That leads me from my love.
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Christmas
Beautiful star of Bethlehem
SATB and piano
A carol arrangement in an American country style.
Blah blah Bethlehem
SATB and Piano
"The only choral carol you will ever need". A warm-hearted satire on traditionally cosy
carols.
Deck the hall, stairs and landing
SATB or 2-part mixed voices and piano
A humorous song in which a husband and wife discuss her lavish Christmas decoration
plans.
Deo gratias
SATB (div) and piano
An energetic and rawly powerful 8-part setting of the fifteenth century macaronic verse
"Adam Lay Ybounden".
Every Christmas has a new beginning
SATB and piano
An original Christmas song in which an unhappy man is inspired with new hope when he
hears distant voices singing Christmas songs.
Light a candle
SATB and piano
A humanist carol reflecting on the symbolic meaning of a midwinter festival of light.
Light a candle was a finalist in the 2010 Waverley Care Carol Competition and is published
in the US by Shawnee Press.
Te harinui
SATB (or SAMen) and piano
This simple but very effective arrangement of New Zealand's favourite carol is Ian's most
frequently requested arrangement.
The new year child
SATB and piano
An original Christmas song on the connection between the turning of the year and the
image of rebirth.
Try to remember
Unison voices and piano
An original Christmas song about a nostalgic yearning for the excitement that Christmas
held when we were children.
Suitable for children's and community choirs.
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Choral Arrangements
A drop o' Nelson's blood
SATB and piano.
A rollicking stamp-and-go shanty.
A-rovin'
SATB with optional solo and audience involvement and piano.
An ever-popular sing-along folk song.
Cambric shirt
SATB a cappella.
Cambric shirt is an old folksong with a mysterious character. This arrangement, based on a version by Craig,
Morgan, Robson, uses simple, authentic harmonies to tell the story.
Haul away Joe
SATB with optional solo and piano.
A tack-and-sheet shanty with an authentic call-and-response structure.
High Barbaree
SATB and piano.
An arrangement of an old sea-faring ballad.
It's a long way to Tipperary
TTBB or SATB and piano
An arrangement of the famous WW1 song by Judge & Williams, complete with a verse of the alternative,
soldiers', lyrics (That's the wrong way to tickle Mary...").
I want to go home
TTBB or SATB a cappella
An arrangement that captures both the surface humour and the darker emotion behind this WW1 soldiers'
song.
John Anderson, my jo
SATB and piano.
A short, simple (mainly 2-part) setting of the Robert Burns poem to an original melody in a folksong style.
Keep the home fires burning
TTBB or SATB and piano
A stirring arrangement of Ivor Novello's youthful masterpiece.
Leave her Johnny
SATB and piano.
A pump shanty sung as the last song on a voyage.
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Maggie May
SATB and piano.
A lively foc'sle song from Liverpool.
Scarborough fair
SA Men a cappella.
An authentic-sounding arrangement in three parts, suitable for community choirs.
Spanish ladies
SATB and piano.
In its minor key version this eighteenth-century naval song has a wistful atmosphere all its own.
Ten thousand miles away
SATB and piano.
A broad and atmospheric shanty.
The capstan bar
SATB and piano.
A capstan shanty evoking the slow, heavy work of heaving the capstan round.
There's a long, long trail a-winding
TTBB or SATB a cappella
A barbershop/Edwardian partsong style arrangement of a song by Zo Elliott popular in WW1 and which
features in Oh What A Lovely War.
Yarmouth town
SATB and optional ukulele and/or percussion.
A fast-paced, light-hearted arrangement of this famous folk song.