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When the 90th birthday of Betty Somerville was approaching, members of Auckland Choral were asked to sing at a special birthday gathering as a surprise. Betty had been a long-time member of the choir, maintaining a strong active involvement behind the scenes after retiring as a singing member.

In searching for a suitable text for a piece to mark the occasion, I found that almost all birthday poetry fell into one of two categories – it was either tied to a specific age, or was incredibly saccharine and trite. I finally chanced upon Richard Wilbur’s “For K.R. on her Sixtieth Birthday” which contained more general sentiments and wishes. The K.R. of the title is the poet Kathleen Raine, and the reference to William Blake in the poem notes her devotion to that poet’s work.

• David Hamilton: A Birthday Offering - hardcopy score 

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While the word ‘charm’ is mostly used to mean something pleasing, it can also mean an action thought to have magical power, or the chanting of a magic word or verse – an incantation. It can also be used as a collective noun, usually of birds.

This traditional text in Maori is a plea for the rain to depart and blue skies to appear. Preceding this, I have added several Maori terms for different types of rain – from misty rain through to drenching heavy rain. Rhythms in the work are often suggestive of typical Maori chant and kapahaka rhythms.

“A Charm for Rain: He Tua I Te Rangi” was written for Cantare (Westlake Girls’ High School) and conductor Fiona Wilson.

• David Hamilton: A Charm for Rain: He Tua I Te Rangi - hardcopy score 

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This piece was originally the fifth movement of a short Christmas cycle (“Angels and Shepherds and Wise Men All”) was written in 2012 for the end of year concert by South Auckland Choral Society to be conducted by the composer. The concert included my school choir, St Mary’s Schola, and I was keen to write something that the combined forces (including the soloists) in the concert could sing together.

The cycle doesn’t try to encapsulate the entire Christmas story, but focusses on those characters on the edge of the story – the angels, the shepherds and the wise man. In this piece, the characters who gathered around the infant Jesus are focussed on: the animals, the angels and the shepherds.

• David Hamilton: A Child Lay in a Little Crib - hardcopy score 

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• David Hamilton: A Child Lay in a Little Crib; audio 

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• The Treble Voice Choral Music of David Hamilton Vol. 4  Year: 2013 

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A piece which celebrates an anniversary provides a composer with particular challenges in the choice of a text. It should not be so tied to the group or the event that no-one else will want to use the music, yet it needs to acknowledge and celebrate the group’s achievement.

“All This Singing, One Song” was written for GALS (Gay and Lesbian Singers of Auckland) for the choir’s 20th anniversary in 2012. The text comes from the 13th century Persian poet and philosopher Rumi, and consists of several short pieces of his writing on the subject of singing. Most of these encourage the listener to join in with the singing. The music is mostly rhythmic and energetic, with a strong climax at the end where the choir sings the words “Sing loud!”.

Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi or Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Balkhi (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273) was a 13th-century Persian philosopher, theologian, poet, teacher, and Sufi mystic. Also known as Mevlana (Our Guide), Jalaluddin Rumi, but known to the English-speaking world simply as Rumi.

“All This Singing, One Song” was commissioned by GALS (music director: Stephen Bowness), and first performed by the choir on 27 October 2012.

• David Hamilton: All this singing, one song - hardcopy score 

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The poem “Auld Lang Syne” was written by Robert Burns in 1788. Throughout the English-speaking world it is used to mark the new year, and is also often sung at other important occasions such as graduations and funerals. The poem calls on those assembled to remember and treasure long-standing friendships. It is possible that Burns based his poem on an earlier one from 1711 written by James Watson, with which it shares some similar text and sentiments. Other earlier poems also used the phrase ‘auld lang syne’.

The tune with which the words is mainly associated these days, is probably not the tune Burns originally intended. This arrangement is of the melody that (it is believed) Burns originally used for his poem. Although some elements of the melody are similar to the more widely sung tune, the melody arranged here has more of a folk-song quality to it. It also has a wider vocal range, making massed singing more of a challenge!

The arrangement was made for Bede Williams and the Pentland Singers (Scotland).

• David Hamilton: Auld Lang Syne - hardcopy score 

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Ave Maris Stella (“Hail, star of the sea”) is a plainsong Vespers hymn to Mary. It was especially popular in the Middle Ages. The creation of the original hymn has been attributed to several people, including Bernard of Clairvaux (12th century), Saint Venantius Fortunatus (6th century) and Hermannus Contractus (11th century). The text is found in a 9th century manuscript in the Abbey of Saint Gall (St. Gallen in present-day Switzerland).

The piece uses little material other than the original chant melody. It is presented against a single sustained pitch from the singing bowl which sounds throughout. The work uses a mix of fully notated and semi-improvised music to create an atmospheric response to the text. Only the first and last verses of the text are used, with the choir only ever singing the first verse, and two solo voices singing the final verse.

“Ave Maris Stella” was written for St Mary’s Schola (St Mary’s College, Auckland).

• David Hamilton: Ave Maris Stella - hardcopy score 

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• David Hamilton: Ave Maris Stella; audio 

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• The Treble Voice Choral Music of David Hamilton Vol. 4  Year: 2013 

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By the Rivers of Babylon is a vocal setting of Psalm 137

• Graham Parsons: By the Rivers of Babylon (SATB) - hardcopy score 

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By the Rivers of Babylon is a vocal setting of Psalm 137

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By the Rivers of Babylon is a vocal setting of Psalm 137

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Twice a year we alter the clocks for daylight saving, so twice a year we have to battle with our digital clocks, each having its own particular method of adjustment.

• Parsons: Changing the Clocks - Trials of the Digital Age; computer-set 

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