Magnificat And Nunc Dimittis: Choral Octavo

Howells brings extraordinary tonal warmth to these two cornerstone texts from Anglican Evensong. The writing sits comfortably for singers while demanding real sophistication in blend and sustained tone; your choir will sound genuinely accomplished without drowning in technical complexity. This is music that deepens every time you rehearse it.

Serene and inward, with moments of gentle luminosity. Howells's harmonic language creates a sense of spiritual openness without sentimentality, as if light is filtering through stained glass rather than flooding the space. The music invites listeners into contemplation.

This is ideal for choirs with a season committed to sacred music and singers comfortable with sustained English harmonic language. The 23-page octavo makes it accessible to experienced secondary ensembles and community choirs seeking substantive repertoire.

• Shape the longer melodic lines through subtle dynamic support rather than obvious swell and fade; Howells's harmonies reward restrained shaping.
• Balance the inner voices carefully in full choir passages; the counterpoint carries essential harmonic color.
• Allow space between major phrase endings, especially at cadences, to let the harmonic resolution settle.

Pair this with other Howells sacred works or with English Evensong repertoire from Walton or Howells's contemporaries for a complete choral service. It also works beautifully as the centerpiece of a concert devoted to 20th-century English sacred music, where its meditative character can breathe without competition.

• Sustaining pure vowel tone across extended phrases
• Tuning complex harmonic sonorities with sensitivity to tertian stacking
• Balancing independence and blend in four-part writing with active inner voices
• Interpreting dynamic nuance and phrasing in English harmonic language