Choral works
Stella Caeli (2019) - SATB Unaccompanied
Stella Caeli was commissioned by The Genesis Foundation in 2018 for The Sixteen’s Eton Choirbook Legacy project. Galvani’s piece aims to reflect on the polyphonic intricacies of Walter Lambe’s c.1520 setting of the same text, included in the Eton Choirbook. A text of impassioned pain and suffering, the resultant harmonies from the vocal lines create moments of intense dissonance, contrasted at the end of the piece with a lamenting and pensive finish.
This piece was first performed by The Sixteen at Eton Chapel on 22 May 2018, alongside new commissions from Sir James MacMillan, Joseph Phibbs, and Phillip Cooke.
The star of heaven, she who
nursed the Lord, has uprooted
the scourge of death which the
first parent of mankind planted.
That very star is now worthy
to encompass the world,
whose wars cut down the people
with the sore of dreaded death.
O glorious star of the sea,
save us from the scourge:
Hear us, for the son,
denying nothing, honors you.
Save us, Jesus!
For us, the virgin mother entreats you
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The Oxen (2018) - SATB Unaccompanied
This piece was originally composed for SANSARA in 2014, one of my first collaborations with the group. Since then this piece has been revised multiple times, and now features on The Waiting Sky, the ensemble’s critically acclaimed second album. I wanted to create the atmosphere of children hearing a story from an elder around the fireplace, hence the glittering soprano and alto lines contrasting the meditative chordal textures in the tenors and basses.
Christmas Eve, and twelve of the clock. “Now they are all on their knees,” An elder said as we sat in a flock By the embers in hearthside ease.
We pictured the meek mild creatures where They dwelt in their strawy pen, Nor did it occur to one of us there To doubt they were kneeling then.
So fair a fancy few would weave In these years! Yet, I feel, If someone said on Christmas Eve, “Come; see the oxen kneel, In the lonely barton by yonder coomb Our childhood used to know,” I should go with him in the gloom, Hoping it might be so.
- Thomas Hardy (1840 - 1928)
On Christmas Morn (2017) - SATB Unaccompanied
This piece was commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Society and Classic FM for the 25th Anniversary of Classic FM. I chose to set words by Anne Bronte on the theme of celebratory music at Christmas. This work was performed by The Sixteen on their Christmas Tour 2017 at Cadogan Hall, Sage Gateshead, Birmingham Symphony Hall, Glyndebourne, Saint Mary the Virgin Oxford, Taunton, Cardiff, and Reading.
Music I love - but never strain Could kindle raptures so divine, So grief assuage, so conquer pain, And rouse this pensive heart of mine- As that we hear on Christmas morn, Upon the wintry breezes borne.
Though Darkness still her empire keep, And hours must pass, ere morning break; From troubled dreams, or slumbers deep, That music kindly bids us wake: It calls us, with an angel's voice, To wake, and worship, and rejoice.
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O Sacrum Convivium (2017) - SATB Unaccompanied
This work was commissioned by the Southern Choirs Festival for performance during the Festival Evensong, in which the choirs of Salisbury, Chichester, and Winchester Cathedrals collectively performed. Duration: 5’
O Sacrum Convivium in quo Christus sumitur; recolitur memoria passionis ejus mens impletur gratia, et future gloriae nobis pignus datur. Alleluia
O sacred banquet! in which Christ is received, the memory of his Passion is renewed, the mind is filled with grace, and a pledge of future glory to us is given. Alleluia.
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Marian Hymns (2016) - SATB Unaccompanied
The three motets that constitute my Marian Hymns have been performed by a variety of ensembles such as St. Martin’s Voices, SANSARA, Ebor Singers, and Icosa, and the first piece Ave sanctissima Maria has recently been released by Cambridge Chorale. Copies of their CD can be purchased here. These short pieces are appropriate for amateur choirs and choral societies.
Ave sanctissima Maria (3’)
Ave sanctissima Maria, regina caeli, porta paradisi, domina mundi. Pura singularis tu es virgo. Tu concepisti Jesum sine peccato. Tu peperisti creatorem et salvatorem mundi in quo ego non dubito. Libera nos ab omni malo et ora pro peccatis nostris.
Hail most holy Mary, mother of God, queen of heaven, gate of paradise, ruler of the world. You are a uniquely pure virgin. You conceived Jesus without sin. You bore the creator and saviour of the world in whom I do not doubt. Free us from every evil and pray for us sinners.
Ave Maris Stella (3’)
Ave Maris Stella, Dei Mater Alma, Atque semper virgo, Felix caeli porta. Sumens illud Ave Gabrielis ore, Funda nos in pace, Mutans Evae nomen. Solve vincla reis, Profer lumen caelis Mala nostra pelle, Bona cuncta posce Monstra te esse matrem Sumat per te preces, Qui pro nobis natus, Tulit esse tuus. Virgo singularis, Inter omnes mitis Nos culpis solutos, Mites fac et castos. Vitam praesta puram, Iter para tutum, Ut videntes Jesum, Semper collaetemur. Sit lau Deo Patri, Summo Christo decus, Spiritui Sancto, Tribus honor unus. Amen.
Hail star of the sea, loving Mother of God and also always a virgin, Happy gate of heaven. Receiving that Ave from Gabriel's mouth confirm us in peace, Reversing Eva's name. Break the chains of sinners, Bring light to the blind, Drive away our devils, Ask for all good. Show yourself to be a mother, May he accept prayers through you, He who, born for us, chose to be yours. O unique virgin, Meek above all, Make us, absolved from sin, gentle and chaste. Keep life pure, Make the journey safe So that, seeing Jesus, We may always rejoice together. Let there be praise to God the Father Glory to christ in the highest, To the Holy Spirit, One honour to all three. Amen
Salve Regina (3’)
Salve Regina, Mater misericordiæ, vita, dulcedo, et spes nostra, salve. Ad te clamamus exsules filii Hevæ, Ad te suspiramus, gementes et flentes in hac lacrimarum valle. Eia, ergo, advocata nostra, illos tuos misericordes oculos ad nos converte; Et Jesum, benedictum fructum ventris tui, nobis post hoc exsilium ostende. O clemens, O pia, O dulcis Virgo Maria.
Hail, Queen, Mother of mercy, Our life, our sweetness, and our hope, all hail. To you we cry, the children of Eve; To you we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping In this vale of tears. Turn, then, most gracious advocate, Your eyes of mercy toward us; Show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of your womb, And lead us from exile at the end. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.
Alma Redemptoris Mater (3’)
Alma redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli porta manes, et stella maris, succurre cadenti sugere qui curat populo: Tu quae genuisti, natura mirante, tuum Sanctum Genitorem Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
Loving mother of the Redeemer, who remains the gate by which we mortals enter heaven, and star of the sea, help your fallen people who strive to rise: You who gave birth, amazing nature, to your sacred creator, Virgin prior and following, taking from the mouth of Gabriel that Hail! Have mercy on our sins.
Revelation Motets (2016) - SATB Unaccompanied
Et Vidi Angelum (3’)
In this short setting of verses from the Book of Revelation for SATB choir, I have tried to depict the particular descriptions of angels within this part of the Bible. Rather than glittering seraphs, the angels of Revelation come down to earth with almighty devastation, and the physical portrayals take the form of powerful enforcers of God's will. In this piece, commissioned by The Queen's College Chapel Choir for their CD A New Heaven, I have incorporated a number of different pitch sources, including harmonic inflections from early Byzantine and Russian Orthodox chant. The striking image of the Angel descending from heaven, seizing the devil and locking him in the abyss conjured certain textural and structural considerations for me.
I was delighted to have this piece recorded by The Queen's College Chapel Choir, Oxford, for their 2016 CD, A New Heaven
Et vidi Angelum descendentem de cælo, habentem clavem abyssi, et catenam magnam in manu sua. Et apprehendit draconem, serpentem antiquum, qui est diabolus, et Satanas, et ligavit eum per annos mille: et misit eum in abyssum, et clausit, et signavit super illum ut non seducat amplius gentes, donec consummentur mille anni: et post hæc oportet illum solvi modico tempore.
And I saw an Angel, descending from heaven, holding in his hand the key of the abyss and a great chain. And he apprehended the dragon, the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and he bound him for a thousand years. And he cast him into the abyss, and he closed and sealed it, so that he would no longer seduce the nations, until the thousand years are completed. And after these things, he must be released for a brief time.
Book of Revelation 20:1-3
Et Signum (5’)
A virtuosic and turbulent setting, this work would be appropriate for professional ensembles and/or concert choirs.
Et signum magnum paruit in caelo mulier amicta sole et luna sub pedibus eius et in capite eius corona stellarum duodecim et in utero habens et clamat parturiens et cruciatur ut pariat et visum est aliud signum in caelo et ecce draco magnus rufus habens capita septem et cornua decem et in capitibus suis septem diademata et cauda eius trahebat tertiam partem stellarum caeli et misit eas in terram et draco stetit ante mulierem quae erat paritura ut cum peperisset filium eius devoraret et peperit filium masculum qui recturus erit omnes gentes in virga ferrea et raptus est filius eius ad Deum et ad thronum eius
A great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth. Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on its heads. Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born. She gave birth to a son, a male child, who “will rule all the nations with an iron scepter.” And her child was snatched up to God and to his throne.
Book of Revelation 12:1-5
Et Civitas (5’)
A reflective piece, this setting is appropriate for amateur choirs and professional ensembles alike.
Et civitas non eget sole neque luna ut luceant in ea nam claritas Dei inluminavit eam et lucerna eius est agnus Et ambulant gentes per lumen eius et reges terrae adferent gloriam suam et honorem in illam Et portae eius non cludentur per diem nox enim non erit illic Et adferent gloriam et honorem gentium in illam Nec intrabit in ea aliquid coinquinatum et faciens abominationem et mendacium nisi qui scripti sunt in libro vitae agni
The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honour of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.
Book of Revelation 21:23-27
Tantum Ergo (2015) - SATB Unaccompanied
The two verses form the Pange Lingua that constitute the Tantum Ergo are particularly powerful when considered on their own. The second verse strikes a certain resonance with me, as it is almost overwhelming in its joy. The line that roughly translates as 'health, honour and viture and blessing' sums up some of the core principles of the Christian faith, which concentrate on the theme of morality. I have tried to address this when approaching this text musically, and I think that it is particularly appropriate in the setting for which it was commissioned. When considered as the introit for the Edington Festival Evensong broadcast, this text is a celebration of all the good that the Christian faith can bring. I have tried to depict this unity through faith through the musical material, as it all heads in one particular direction. The fast moving sections towards the end of the piece sum up the overall compositional technique, as I have taken the first sample of Gregorian Chant of the Pange Lingua, and presented it at a number of different levels. Therefore the whole piece becomes an outline of this short melody, as well as the melody entering the phrases at a small scale. I was honoured to have this piece premiered at the Edington Festival on their BBC Broadcast in August of 2015 by the festival consort choir.
Tantum ergo sacramentum veneremur cernui, et antiquum documentum novo cedat ritui; praestet fides supplementum sensuum defectui. Genitori Genitoque laus et iubilatio, salus, honor, virtus quoque sit et benedictio; procedenti ab utroque compar sit laudatio. Amen.
Therefore so great a Sacrament Let us fall down and worship, And let the old law Give way to a new rite, And let faith stand forward To make good the defects of sense. To the Father and the Son Be praise and joy, Health, honour and virtue And blessing, And to him proceeding from both. Amen
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Lamentations of Jeremiah (2013-15)
I set the opening verses of the Lamentations of Jeremiah for The Queen’s College Choir in 2013, performed by the choir under the direction of Jeremy Summerly. This piece was subsequently performed by SANSARA at Merton College, Oxford, during their Holy Week concerts, and was recently recorded for my new album Invisible Cities, released on Resonus Classics in Spring 2021.
Eden is that old fashioned house (2015) - SATB Unaccompanied (6’)
This piece is a setting of four poems by Emily Dickinson for unaccompanied choir, and is appropriate for amateur choirs and choral societies alike. These settings have been performed by the Arcadian Singers and Chester Bach Singers.
I. How Still the bells in steeples stand.
HOW still the bells in steeples stand. Till, swollen with the sky, They leap upon their silver feet In frantic melody!
II. After a hundred years
AFTER a hundred years Nobody knows the place,— Agony, that enacted there, Motionless as peace. Weeds triumphant ranged, Strangers strolled and spelled At the lone orthography Of the elder dead. Winds of summer fields Recollect the way,— Instinct picking up the key Dropped by memory.
III. I have no life but this
I HAVE no life but this, To lead it here; Nor any death, but lest Dispelled from there; Nor tie to earths to come, Nor action new, Except through this extent, The realm of you
IV. Eden is that old-fashioned house
EDEN is that old-fashioned House We dwell in every day, Without suspecting our abode Until we drive away. How fair, on looking back, the Day We sauntered from the door, Unconscious our returning Discover it no more.
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Ubi Caritas et Amor (2014) - SATB Unaccompanied
This short setting for unaccompanied choir is perfect as a sacred motet for church services, and is also performable by amateur choirs and choral societies alike. Ubi Caritas has been performed by a variety of ensembles such as The Chester Bach Singers and SANSARA.
Where charity and love are, God is there. Christ's love has gathered us into one. Let us rejoice and be pleased in Him. Let us fear, and let us love the living God. And may we love each other with a sincere heart.
Where charity and love are, God is there. As we are gathered into one body, Beware, lest we be divided in mind. Let evil impulses stop, let controversy cease, And may Christ our God be in our midst.
Please click the score to the left to purchase copies, and a short sample of the work as available to hear, too.
Memorare (2014) - SSA solo trio and SATB Unaccompanied
Memorare is a short piece for SATB and SSA solo trio that explores different aspects of dialogue. This dialogue refers not only to the combination of the solo trio and larger ensemble, but also to the combination of texts. Verses from Micah chapter four alongside the Marian prayer Memorare allow a multiplicity of meanings through the shared themes of the texts. The combination of these texts is particularly poignant as the messages of fraternity these texts present are not only relevant to the anniversary of the First World War in 2014, but also to ongoing conflicts around the world. This piece was first performed by The Queen’s College Choir, Oxford, in 2014.
Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that anyone who fled to your protection, implored your help, or sought your intercession, was left unaided
But in the last days it shall come to pass, that the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it.
And many nations shall come, and say, Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
And he shall judge among many people, and rebuke strong nations afar off; and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more.
But they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and none shall make them afraid: for the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken it.
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