for SSATB and solo violin This exciting work for choir and solo violin draws its title from Edward Winslow's 1624 chronicles, Good Newes from New England, in which he describes the Mayflower Pilgrims' settlement in the New World. The first movement sets William Bradford's account of the Pilgrims' arrival after their long, perilous journey. McDowall cleverly uses tonality to musically chart their voyage, with a gradually descending shift through keys. Bookended by folk-like violin passages, the second movement alludes to the Bay Psalm Book with its plain homophonic style, and McDowall introduces occasional dissonance to intensify the text's anguish. As its title, 'Thanksgiving', suggests, the final movement brings a sense of joyful release, with the violin in playful dialogue with the dance-like vocal lines. It closes with Henry Ainsworth's version of 'The Old Hundredth', which was sung on the Mayflower, and the audience is encouraged to join the choir in singing this hymn.

for organ The initial marking 'Sparkling' is a good description of this piece's effervescent Toccata-like figurations and striking harmonies. The plainsong theme appears in longer note values either in the pedal or at the top of the texture. Imaginative use of the organ creates an exciting atmosphere as the piece reaches a powerful conclusion.

for SATB, unison voices, and organ This celebratory anthem sets Psalm 100 'O be joyful in the Lord' from the Book of Common Prayer and uses organ flourishes, dancing vocal melodies, and lively articulation to emphasize the exultant message of the text. Jubilate Deo was commissioned by Saint Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church, Dallas, Texas and was premiered at Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee concert in 2022.

for SSATB unaccompanied On the Air (Dear Vaccine) discusses the optimism for a post-COVID world and, particularly, the desire to sing together again. For the text, poet Sean Street drew inspiration from 'Dear Vaccine', which is a global community poetry project in which people are invited to share their thoughts and hopes for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. McDowall has emulated the hopefulness of the text through the energy of the music and the use of both speaking and singing voices.

for SSATB unaccompanied A Gaelic Blessing was commissioned by the University of Edinburgh, McDowall's alma mater, for performance by the Edinburgh University Singers conducted by Calum Robertson. This meditative, folk-style anthem is given a Scottish lilt through the use of Scotch snap rhythms and held drone-like vocal lines. The text is a traditional Scottish Gaelic blessing, translated by the Right Reverend Ian Paton, Bishop of St Andrews, Dunkeld, and Dunblane. McDowall chose this text for the 'warmth and simplicity' of the words that seem to 'resonate with the times in which we live'.

for SSAATTBB unaccompanied Commissioned by Sonoro for the second instalment of their Choral Inspirations project, McDowall has composed Crucifixus Reimagined as a response to Lotti's Crucifixus from Credo in F. Use of suspensions, decorated melodies, and counterpoint feel reminiscent of Lotti's original work, while retaining McDowall's distinctive contemporary style.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied Commissioned by King's College, Cambridge, for the 2021 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Cecilia McDowall's setting of this well-known fifteenth-century macaronic text is expressive and ethereal. Employing the richness of her distinctive harmonic palette, McDowall pairs upper and lower voices to great effect throughout, contrasting polyphonic writing with moments of rhythmic unison. The carol abounds in rise and fall of both melody and dynamic, before drawing to a hushed, atmospheric close.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied Characteristically sung on Christmas Day, this Catholic chant depicts mystery and wonder at the birth of Jesus, as witnessed by the animals. The second half of the text relates to words spoken by Elizabeth, welcoming Mary into her home. In McDowall's setting, deep, sonorous chords open and close the piece, which has a sustained tempo that gives space for the melismatic vocal lines and rich harmonies to take full effect. O magnum mysterium is the first of McDowall's set of three 'O' text settings conceived as Trinity Triptych.

for SSATB unaccompanied The O nata lux text is taken from a 10th-century anonymous hymn that uses the concept of light to symbolise hope, a particularly pertinent theme for Advent. Throughout this setting the sopranos intertwine their high, melodic lines above interjections from the lower voices, creating an atmosphere of ethereal luminosity. O nata lux is the second of McDowall's set of three 'O' text settings conceived as Trinity Triptych.

for SATB unaccompanied 'Traditionally sung on Christmas Eve, 'O Virgo virginum' is often described as the eighth 'O' Antiphon and praises Mary, 'O virgin of (amongst) virgins.' McDowall's setting is vigorous and joyful, with intimations of medieval plainchant. O Virgo virginum is the final movement of McDowall's set of three 'O' text settings conceived as Trinity Triptych.

for SATB unaccompanied This uplifting anthem sets the Invocation text from Carmina Gadelica. McDowall's beautiful melodies flow and intertwine, decorated by scotch snaps that reflect the text's origin. Suitable for services or concerts. Also published in Breath of Song.

for SATB and organ This setting of the evocative poem by Chesterton is atmospheric and powerful. Showcasing McDowall's distinctive style, its minor tonality, subtle chromaticisms, and whole-tone scales portray the contrasting voices in the text to breathtaking effect.

This inventive work, composed in 2019, owes its title to that year's two great anniversaries connected to manned flight: the 50th anniversary of the first moon landing and the 500th anniversary of the death of Leonardo da Vinci. A wide range of highly effective textures and atmospheric harmonies draws the player and the listener through a journey that eventually reaches D major for the gloriously affirmative ending.

for SATB and organ or piano A Prayer of St Columba is an expressive and emotive anthem with appealing, arching melodies underpinned by a sparkling organ part. Also available in a version for SAB and organ or piano in The Oxford Book of Easy Flexible Anthems.

for SSATB unaccompanied. Composed for International Women's Day, this mesmerising piece celebrates the centennary of Rosalind Franklin and sets her own words with additional text by the poet Sean Street. McDowall's tribute to this underappreciated chemist and crystallographer combines intricate, intertwining melodies with ethereal harmonies beautifully capturing Franklin's part in the discovery of the double helix structure.

for SSAA, solo violin, and piano Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo, here re-scored for upper voices, tells the extraordinary story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy forced by war to flee her home and embark on an arduous journey to Europe with her sister. In this five-movement cantata Nujeen's story - recounted in her biography 'The Girl from Aleppo' (co-authored by Christina Lamb) - is retold by Kevin Crossley-Holland and richly scored by Cecilia McDowall. A wealth of musical effects are employed to capture the narrative, including chorales, rhythmic spoken sections, body percussion, and a solo violin part infused with Middle Eastern flavours. The prevailing mood of Nujeen's story is embodied by the final line of a chorale that bookends this unique concert work: 'singing the song of life itself.'

for SSATB unaccompanied Written to commemorate the centenary of the foundation of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Brightest Star sets a powerful text by Sean Street. The poem describes the call for assistance made by the occupied Channel Islands in 1944 and the response of the Red Cross ship, the Vega, which came to their aid, drawing parallels between this story and the light and hope of the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany. The bleak wartime conditions are portrayed by dissonant harmony and downward sliding phrases, and extracts from the Bailiff of Jersey's letter of appeal, sung by the lower voices, draw attention to the gravity of the situation. In contrast, the upper voices bring an ethereal quality to the texture, with closing phrases that are suggestive of the traditional French carol Les anges dans nos campagnes ('Angels, from the realms of glory').

for SATB and organ Written for the 2018 BBC Advent broadcast sung by the choir of St John's College, Cambridge, A Prayer to St John the Baptist sets an artfully crafted text that combines Guido d'Arezzo's Ut queant laxis (itself a Hymn to John the Baptist, as well as a medieval music-teaching mnemonic) with Thomas Merton's poem on the same subject. The organ's flowing quavers represent Merton's baptismal 'rivers of water', while the largely octatonic melodies conjure a tellingly mysterious atmosphere.

for SSATB unaccompanied An atmospheric and expressive setting of Caliban's dream from Shakespeare's The Tempest, this piece transports the listener to a mysterious, dream-like place. McDowall effectively employs melismas and ornaments to create a sense of the other-worldly, and her rich, immersive harmonies perfectly characterise the reverie Shakespeare's protagonist describes.

Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo tells the extraordinary story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy forced by war to flee her home and embark on an arduous journey to Europe with her sister. In this five-movement cantata Nujeen's story - recounted in her biography 'The Girl from Aleppo' (co-authored by Christina Lamb) - is retold by Kevin Crossley-Holland and richly scored by Cecilia McDowall. A wealth of musical effects are employed to capture the narrative, including chorales, rhythmic spoken sections, body percussion, and a solo violin part infused with Middle Eastern flavours. The prevailing mood of Nujeen's story is embodied by the final line of a chorale that bookends this unique concert work: 'singing the song of life itself.'