choral works


Laudamus is a brilliant composition, and proved an immense success with the enthusiastic audience. 
To my admiration, Ronald Corp skilfully avoided…creative pitfalls in giving us a direct, exciting, and touching work of no little originality. The result was little short of a deserved personal triumph fro the composer.
Robert Matthew-Walker, Choir & Organ

Corp is an acknowledged expert on choral training, and this showed to the full in his writing for the chorus in this piece… he demonstrated time and again how to write music which is grateful to sing and effective in performance… 
As a whole the effect of the piece was exhilarating…it was obvious that Ronald Corp’s Laudamus had scored a palpable hit.
Laurence Hughes, Tempo

I was bowled over.  Laudamus is a work which sits firmly within the English tradition of choral music, but constantly astounds with its veiled references to all the major national choral composers this century,
but they smile in acknowledgement of a master handling new material…
The choral settings of the Latin text have a vibrant life which surpasses the mere setting in words. I actively look forward to hearing the work again.
BH, The Organ

Corp’s flair and style carried this difficult choice of texts off with aplomb, creating a splendid modern composition (Laudamus which deserves a place in the repertoires of those choirs keen to tackle new scores that create an immediate rapport with today’s audiences.
Musical Opinion  

Laudamus
ST soli, SATB choir, children’s choir or soprano, and orchestra
2.2.2.2-2.2.0.0-timp.perc-strings
Text by William Wordsworth, G M Hopkins, and the Latin Te Deum 40 minutes FP, St John’s, Smith Square, London Choral Society, New London Children’s Choir, New London Orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp
Manuscript available

And all the trumpets sounded
is a major work which should find a place in our great choral repertory,
Corp has found the realism of man’s unremitting need for conflict which is both the
essence of the Dies irae and the poignant truth of the great war poets. I eagerly look forward to a second hearing.”
Denby Richards, Ham and High

Adonai Echad
cantata on jewish texts for SATB, children's choir, soloists, and orchestra. Texts in Hebrew and English, including Psalms, poems and selected paytanim. 40 mins FP, 19 May 2001, Hampstead and Highgate Festival, Highgate Choral Society, New London Orchestra, New London Children’s Choir, conducted by Ronald Corp
Manuscript available

Cornucopia
a cantata in three segments for upper voices and orchestra, or piano
OUP  ISBN 0 19 342624 2 Commissioned by the National Association of Head Teachers to celebrate their centenary in 1997. It was first performed on 15th November 1997 at the De Montfort Hall, Leicester. The Centenary Concert combined primary school choirs from all over the country and the New London orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp.

COMPOSER'S NOTE
Cornucopia is an easy work in three sections plus a coda, for upper voices and full orchestral accompaniment, but can also be performed with piano alone. It is suitable for upper-voice choirs of all ages. The twelve songs can be sung in many different ways; in the printed order (as a complete work), separately, or as a selection sung in any order you like. Six of the songs have rather long instrumental codas which could be omitted if the songs are performed separately. 

`Winter morning', `The ship of Rio', and `The modern Hiawatha' have passages in twopart writing; these could be performed in unison, without the lower part if necessary although they are obviously less effective that way. Similarly, the second voice parts in `Sensitive, Seldom and Sad' could be omitted, but only if absolutely necessary. Any canonic writing in `Whether the weather' and `I've had this shirt' must be preserved. In `Cows' and `The paint box', one or two passages are marked to be sung by two groups. These instructions are not obligatory but will prove very effective if you follow them

And all the trumpets sounded
Text by Edward Thomas, Rupert Brooke, Walt Whitman, Wilfred Owen, and the Dies Irae
Bar solo, SATB, children’s choir, and orchestra
40 minutes
FP, Highgate Choral Society and New London Orchestra, 1989, conducted by Ronald Corp
Published Stainer and Bell

Christ Our Future (1999) Mass for SATB choir, congregation, and organ (or orchestra) FP, 10 May 2000, Greenwich Arena, massed choirs with the New London Orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp
To be published Oxford University Press

Jubilate (1995)
SATB and orchestra
20 minutes
FP, 6 July 1995, St Pancras Church, BBC Club Choir and orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp
Manuscript available

Mary’s Song
SATB, soloists, and orchestra
20 minutes
FP, 5 May 2001, St George’s Church, Beckenham, Kent, Choir and Orchestra of Beckenham
Chorale
  Manuscript available

A New Song (1999)
SATB, T solo, S solo or children’s choir, and orchestra
Text from the Book of Psalms, Meredith, R L Stevenson, Longfellow, and Edward Shanks
20 minutes
FP, 5 May 1999, London Choral Society, New London Orchestra, conducted by Ronald Corp To be published Oxford University Press  

 

 


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new london children's choir