Reviews of Chris's Compositions
Choral Music
Ad cantus leticie (Christmas)
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‘Cantus leticie’ translates as ‘song of joy’, to which we are invited by the Christmas text. Appropriately, the four verses, with identical music apart from dynamics, are framed by lively and extensive alleluias. Again, repetition and here also unison writing make this attractive carol easier to learn than it sounds.
Stephen Patterson (Church Music Quarterly) |
A Little Child there is Yborn (Christmas)
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These two contrasting a cappella carols [The World's Desire and A Little Child there is Yborn] show Maxim’s versatility and assured vocal writing. [...] ‘A Little Child there is Yborn’ [...] sets a more familiar text in sprightly fashion, with frequent alternation between 7/8 and 9/8 time. Rather more harmonically adventurous than ‘The World’s Desire’, this will suit a choir well-used to singing unaccompanied and that will not be daunted by some chromatic challenges.
Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) A little child there is yborn mixes 7/8 and 9/8 time signatures, each verse culminating in a rising series of Alleluias. The vocal lines would be gratifying to sing. The tempo direction ‘Piacevole’ suggests a relaxed feeling, despite the rhythmic bounce – but an intensification of Alleluias after the last verse provides a strong and effective finish.
James L. Montgomery (Church Music Quarterly) |
All and Some (Christmas)
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The two carol settings [All and Some and Hurry to Bethlehem] would make welcome additions to the Christmas repertoire of many church choirs. Both of moderate difficulty, they follow similar stylistic conventions. All and Some sets a 15th-century macaronic text in a fairly understated manner. The simple refrain is imaginatively but subtly harmonised while the verses are to be sung either by soloists or sections in unison. [...] Both [All and Some and Hurry to Bethlehem] would fit admirably in a typical carol service and provide some welcome variety from familiar favourites.
Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) Sometimes the simplest ideas are the most effective. The music of All and Some is delightfully straightforward: the full choir sings a refrain with rhythms (if not harmonies) suggestive of earlier music; solo or unison voices take it in turns to sing the verses. The 15th-century words, ‘Nowell sing we, both all and some’, have a palindromic rhyme scheme where verses 1 and 5 match, as do 2 and 4. Each verse starts with a Latin phrase that is taken from Christmas Day vespers or Mass. It would be a good choice if something is needed to cut through the sentiment of other carols.
James L. Montgomery (Church Music Quarterly) |
Blake's Cradle Song (Christmas/Baptisms/General)
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Set to words by William Blake, this inventive and evocative work for unaccompanied mixed choir was written for The Giltspur Singers of London. Performable at Christmas, or at any time of the year, there is much of interest and to enjoy for any adventurous choir looking for music which both challenges and enthuses.
Recital Music From Sting to Benjamin Britten, Blake’s elusive words have inspired many composers in different genres, and this new setting is certainly worthy of a place among them. The idiom is a sort of Tavener-meets-Howells; an apparent simplicity covers a subtle responsiveness to the words and a beguiling fluidity of musical effect. There are a few tricky harmonic corners but the piece is written with an evident delight in musically shaped phrases that are rewarding to sing.
James L. Montgomery (Church Music Quarterly) |
Hark! Hark! glad tidings charm our ears (Christmas)
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Hark! Hark! Glad Tidings Charm Our Ears [is] a Christmas piece in which the composer sets a pleasing mash-up of an early American hymn with the Benedicite. It's very jolly, with sparkling trumpety organ passages and fun dialogue between choir and accompaniment. Its energetic 6-8 dances everyone along and listeners will be beguiled and impressed without realising that it's easier than it sounds.
Rebecca Tavener (Organists' Review) Hark! Hark! Glad tidings charm our ears is a setting of words from a Southern Harmony hymn combined with verses from a metrical version of the Benedicite, with a refrain ‘Our God is born’. It is a joyous, dancing piece, easy to learn and effective in performance.
Stephen Patterson (Church Music Quarterly) |
Hurry to Bethlehem (Christmas)
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The two carol settings [All and Some and Hurry to Bethlehem] would make welcome additions to the Christmas repertoire of many church choirs. Both of moderate difficulty, they follow similar stylistic conventions. [...] Hurry to Bethlehem sets the composer's own words, and is a rather more energetic affair. Lyrics and music have a fresh directness about them, and the accompaniment adds some moments of sparkle. The flexibility of version for unison/SATB and organ or piano is a welcome feature that should open this work to a wider range of choirs. Both [All and Some and Hurry to Bethlehem] would fit admirably in a typical carol service and provide some welcome variety from familiar favourites.
Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) Hurry to Bethlehem, with words written by the composer, gives a choice of organ and piano accompaniments (both given in full), and mixed choir and unison voicings with an optional descant for the latter. There are some nice harmonic sidesteps, a variety of vocal textures, and plenty of interest in the busy keyboard part.
James L. Montgomery (Church Music Quarterly) |
I sing of a maiden (Christmas)
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Christopher Maxim's setting of the familiar traditional text, I Sing of a Maiden, is simply beautiful. The composer has shown real sensitivity to the text, and the music is evocative and atmospheric. The individual vocal parts are singable and straightforward, yet the overall effect is sumptuous.
Dr David Barton (12 Quick-to-Learn Christmas Choral Ideas) I sing of a Maiden [is] an easy carol for which the composer offers options for performance a semitone or tone higher in pitch. The opening direction of soave says it all. Maxim has thought very carefully about the text and (practical again) shows very clearly where he wants the tenors to differ in word-stress from the rest of the choir. […] here's a good teaching moment for all amateur choral tenors.
Rebecca Tavener (Organists' Review) Christopher Maxim’s approach to I sing of a maiden has the same sort of sensitivity to the words as found in Patrick Hadley’s much-loved setting – restrained, beautiful and attractively understated. Even the ‘Mother and maiden’ climax is marked ‘ma dolce’.
James L. Montgomery (Church Music Quarterly) |
Jesus, to your table led (Holy Communion)
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Christopher Maxim’s anthem is an excellent demonstration of simple writing for maximum effect. Over half the anthem is unison or in two parts (including two-part mixed voices), well supported by the organ. The original hymn text (found today in very few hymn books) has seven 3-line stanzas, and Christopher Maxim sets four of them, ending with a reference to the Agnus Dei, ‘Lamb of God, grant us your peace’. It is recommended for small choirs wanting a new easy communion anthem.
James L. Montgomery (Sunday by Sunday) Jesus, to your table led adapts a text from R. H. Baynes and is a simple and attractive communion motet. It features simple four-part writing, sections for SA and TB for textural contrast, and an extended 'Amen' with some chromatic colour. Voices are comfortably supported by the organ accompaniment throughout.
Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) |
Let Christians All with Joyful Mirth (Christmas)
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[Chris Maxim is] a composer who is a dab hand at capturing the essence of the carol tradition. [This piece is] practical, effective, easily scored for SATB (no divisi) with narrow ranges. There's potential for brightness and energy with a sparkling organ accompaniment.
Rebecca Tavener (Organists' Review) Let Christians all with joyful mirth has five unaccompanied verses with the same harmony (but different dynamics) before a contrapuntal refrain. The text is from a gallery carol book, and the skilfully composed music has the feel of an old carol. The organ accompanies the refrain, and tops and tails the piece.
Stephen Patterson (Church Music Quarterly) |
Love is... (Weddings/General)
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Choosing a wedding anthem achievable by those bands of singing friends one might gather together on the Big Day is a challenge. This one comes highly recommended: Love is... (1 Corinthians, of course) is a gracious and practical wedding piece for SATB a cappella. The word-setting is excellent and, while it may be easy, it really does an effective job.
Rebecca Tavener (Organists' Review) |
Stars of the Morning (Michaelmas/Christmas/General)
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Christopher Maxim's anthem 'for St Michael and All Angels', Stars of the Morning […] is a dramatic - and demanding - setting of the words by J. M. Neale from an ancient hymn, for SATB choir with occasional divisi, which received its first performance in St Paul's Cathedral. It is punctuated by a fortissimo unison melismatic phrase which marks each of its sections, and requires rhythmic precision in negotiating tempo changes as the declamation of the words unfolds. It certainly does justice to the 'thundering' and 'shouts of joy' of which the text speaks!
David Lindley (Organists' Review) This is a dramatic setting of the words of the Michaelmas hymn, mostly loud and emphatic, with an arresting opening that reappears towards the end as well as in the middle, men only, for ‘Who like the Lord? thunders Michael the Chief’. There is much battling for right and shouting for joy; an exhilarating time will be had with a confident choir and organist.
James L. Montgomery (Sunday by Sunday) |
The Jolly Shepherd (Christmas)
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Written in 2009, this is a setting of a sixteenth-century anonymous text 'Can I not sing but "Hoy"?' by the organist and composer Christopher Maxim. It is scored for SATB choir and organ -- with some divisi and short solo passages tor tenor and soprano. The parts will all lie within the range of an enthusiastic and skilled parish church choir, and the lively organ parts sits well under the hands and can work for most instruments without difficulty. Containing some of the much-loved features of Christmas choral music of the last 50 years -- the rapidly shifting bar lengths, the rustic dancing tempo, a Tuba opportunity and some reflective solo work -- this carol setting would be enjoyable for choir and congregation alike. The harmonic style of the verses offers some originality with hints of Mathias and Rutter. Again, it strikes a good balance between accessibility and challenge. Christopher Maxim clearly understands what works well for choirs and organists and this publication should provide a new possibility for the upcoming Christmas season.
Claire Hobbs (Organists' Review) The jolly shepherd is a seven-minute setting of the anonymous text starting ‘Can I not sing but “Hoy”’. Choral and organ sections alternate joyfully and with shifting metres, punctuated by two reflective, solo-voice sections ‘quasi recitativo’. Musical repetitions make the music comparatively easy to learn, at a time of year when church choir rehearsal time is at a premium – the piece is recommended for a longer contribution to a carol service or concert.
Stephen Patterson (Church Music Quarterly) |
The Linden Tree Carol (Christmas)
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The arrangement of The Linden Tree Carol, using its traditional German melody, has some of the tranquil feel of the well-known Reginald Jacques version. However, it uses all seven verses of Woodward’s English translation (while allowing for an optional cut of verses 4 and 5). Variety is achieved by giving the tune to the tenors in verses 3 and 5, and to the sopranos (with ‘ah’s for ATB) in verse 4 and the first part of verse 6.
Stephen Patterson (Church Music Quarterly) |
The Oxen (Christmas)
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The Oxen is subtitled 'A Christmas Partsong' for unaccompanied SATB choir and successfully sets a most evocative and atmospheric Christmas text by Thomas Hardy. Composed in 2005 for the Giltspur Singers of London, there are musical challenges for each voice with effective and inventive colouring of the words. Christopher Maxim is a very successful composer of choral and vocal music writing works of character and distinction.
Recital Music Although the thought is a little unseasonal in the spring sunshine, I'm of the opinion that it's never to early to start thinking about music for the Christmas season. Christopher Maxim's unaccompanied SATB setting of Thomas Hardy's poem, The Oxen has done just that. The piece was composed for the London based chamber choir, The Giltspur Singers. The text is set with some sensitivity and [the composition] is remarkably compact at only 36 bars in length. The harmonic language is bold in places, never predictably pastiche, but within a tonal idiom, and the composer uses dissonance fairly sparingly. The composer shows his experience in writing for voices by exploiting a range of textures in a very effective setting. Warmly recommended for a confident choir.
Andrew Wilson (Organists' Review) |
The World's Desire (Christmas)
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These two contrasting a cappella carols [The World's Desire and A Little Child there is Yborn] show Maxim’s versatility and assured vocal writing. ‘The World’s Desire’, a setting of a poem by G.K. Chesterton, is a particularly fine miniature. Maxim mirrors the text’s taut structure in this sparsely beautiful musical response. The initial line of each couplet is set for different voice combinations (S, SA, TB, SATB), to which SATB (with occasional divisions) responds with a restrained homophonic phrase. The harmony makes imaginative use of chromatic alterations to create a tonal ambiguity that matches the text well, while each individual vocal line in straightforward and largely undemanding in terms of range. This would be an effective choice for a carol service or midnight mass.
Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) Chesterton’s poem The World’s Desire (starting ‘The Christ-child lay on Mary’s lap’) is given a simple but sensitive setting by Christopher Maxim. With minor/major fluctuations and a compound-time lilt, it has the feeling of a folk carol.
James L, Montgomery (Church Music Quarterly) |
Organ Music
Adoration at the Crib (in Gold, Frankincense & Myrrh: Vol 3)
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Despite the title reference to the gifts brought by the Magi, these are volumes of Christmas organ music – apart from a set of Variants on ‘We Three Kings’ by Ian Tracey – and very useful they will be for many church organists over Christmas services. The 25 pieces in volume 2 and the 13 in the slightly slimmer third volume, by a total of 15 different composers, cover many of the most popular Christmas carols or hymns, often in the form of variations or ‘variants’. But there is also Christopher Maxim’s atmospheric Adoration at the Crib, and an arrangement by Tim Harvey of the final chorus of Bach’s Christmas Oratorio (‘Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen’) that is rather more difficult than the rest of the pieces, but good to have. With that exception, the mostly undemanding level of difficulty will be welcomed by organists with limited practice time before Christmas but who would still like to widen their repertoire.
Duncan Watkins (Church Music Quarterly) |
Easter Alleluias
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Both pieces [Easter Alleluias and Suite for Organ] show Maxim to be a composer of real inventiveness, with a strong and secure command of writing for the organ. His music shows a wide range of stylistic influences, including British composers of the later 20th century, such as Leighton and Mathias [...]
Easter Alleluias is a shorter work [thank the Suite,] based on the plainsong melody Victimae Paschali Laudes. It gains much energy from the occasional rapid changes between 7/8 and 4/4 time, and the outer sections have a bold, fanfare-like quality, ideal for Easter Day. The middle section sets the plainsong melody simply above added-note chords and a performance direction advises the player to either silently or very quietly sing the words to help shape the right hand part. Easter Alleluias is of moderate difficulty, requiring rhythmic security and a sound pedal technique. [...] Both [Easter Alleluias and Suite for Organ] will reward patient endeavour and offer something fresh for either recital or liturgical use. Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) At the centre of this piece is a complete setting of the Easter Sequence (‘Christians, to the Paschal Victim’) with Latin and English words overlaid to assist in interpreting and shaping the musical line. Either side of that, the music dances through fanfare-like passages in which fragments of the plainchant melody are tossed about. It is exciting and full of Easter joy – and not too difficult!
Duncan Watkins (Sunday by Sunday) |
Elegy
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Only two pages long, the Elegy is characterised by some noticeable harmonic shifts […] There are some elegant filigree decorations periodically that, gesturing to the Baroque, take us in a different direction from the harmonies. I am not sure I would try something so chromatically daring in a funeral or memorial service but there is a distinctive and characterful voice here that would work well in a recital.
Professor Francis O'Gorman (Organists' Review) Some elegies are resigned, calming pieces, but this one has a yearning, restless feeling after the opening eight bars that is not dissipated by the quiet ending. The sadness of whatever sparked the elegy permeates the music, but in a haunting and bitter-sweet way. It is a short piece that compresses a lot into its 26 bars.
Duncan Watkins (Sunday by Sunday) |
Eleven Chorale Preludes
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An engaging collection.
Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) This clutch of works from Paraclete Press [Prelude and Fugue on the name of 'Duruflé', Three Pieces Founded on Welsh Hymn-Tunes, Eleven Chorale Preludes, Jubilate] showcases Christopher Maxim’s fluent and charming compositional style. His North Walian heritage inevitably draws comparison with William Mathias: certainly there is the same Celtic brightness but it is softer-edged, more approachable and even jaunty. The Eleven Chorale Preludes, all on German melodies, allude to Brahms’s Op.122 in texture, gesture and scale. Of these, the gentle, chromatic setting of ‘Wenn wir in höchsten Nöten sein’ is particularly intense and affecting. There is idiomatic, enjoyable and satisfying music in these volumes.
Huw Morgan (Sunday by Sunday) |
Invocation and Paean
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Invocation & Paean [2006] covers 12 pages and opens with an angular, unsettled, atonal solo for Krummhorn or Cornet adagio con rubato molto. Dynamics and tempi fluctuate between extremes (full swell, Voix Celestes) before the contrasting Paean with its dancing rhythms, solo trumpet stop and spicy added-note chords. Various keys are explored before a fughetta over a long-held dominant pedal, and the final celebratory section which concludes virtuosically (about grade 8) in a definite A major.
[...] Both these works [Invocation & Paean and Prelude & Fugue] display an individual voice; ideas are developed well, giving a sense of purposeful direction; the harmonic language is spicy by accessible. Michael Overbury (Organists' Review) |
Jubilate
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Jubilate is a bravura single movement [that] achieves its task well!
David Dewar (Organists' Review) This clutch of works from Paraclete Press [Prelude and Fugue on the name of 'Duruflé', Three Pieces Founded on Welsh Hymn-Tunes, Eleven Chorale Preludes, Jubilate] showcases Christopher Maxim’s fluent and charming compositional style. His North Walian heritage inevitably draws comparison with William Mathias: certainly there is the same Celtic brightness but it is softer-edged, more approachable and even jaunty. Jubilate has none of the granitic insistence or blinding sunlight of Mathias’s composition of the same name, but instead is an engaging and bouncy ball of fun. There is idiomatic, enjoyable and satisfying music in these volumes.
Huw Morgan (Sunday by Sunday) |
Prelude and Fugue
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[...] The cheerful Prelude & Fugue [2008] covers 16 pages and features irregular rhythms (including a fugue in 13/8) and variety of affect. Chromaticisims enliven a basically tonal G major. I was reminded of William Mathias. Tuba is called for, and is probably desirable; three manuals are prescribed. Moderately tricky (grade 7+) this is idiomatically written.
Both these works [Invocation & Paean and Prelude & Fugue] display an individual voice; ideas are developed well, giving a sense of purposeful direction; the harmonic language is spicy but accessible. Michael Overbury (Organists' Review) |
Prelude and Fugue on the name of 'Duruflé'
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This clutch of works from Paraclete Press [Prelude and Fugue on the name of 'Duruflé', Three Pieces Founded on Welsh Hymn-Tunes, Eleven Chorale Preludes, Jubilate] showcases Christopher Maxim’s fluent and charming compositional style. His North Walian heritage inevitably draws comparison with William Mathias: certainly there is the same Celtic brightness but it is softer-edged, more approachable and even jaunty. Prelude and Fugue on the name of Duruflé mirrors Duruflé’s own sur le nom d’Alain in scale, mood and motif. There is idiomatic, enjoyable and satisfying music in these volumes.
Huw Morgan (Sunday by Sunday) |
Processional
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Quite by chance I had just dug out my copy of Christopher Maxim's Toccata Nuptiale, a splendid pastiche on 'Daisy, Daisy' and I had been wondering if there would be any more to come when this Processional arrived. It is a fairly short, tuneful and not too serious wedding processional, which will be welcome listening on many other occasions. A lively, well-articulated manual touch is needed, and confident, well-marked pedal playing -- nothing too difficult, though. Well worth the modest price.
Trevor Webb (Church Music Quarterly) Processional was written for a wedding and could be used as the bride enters or as a postlude, although neither is specified. It starts with a trumpet flourish which is followed by a jaunty march. This leads to a cantabile middle section which goes through several keys rather restlessly before ushering in a repeat of the opening march theme. This gives way to a final version of the opening trumpet theme, this time scored for full organ. An effective occasional piece, not difficult to play.
Alan Spedding (Organists' Review) |
Recessional
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Organists who enjoy playing William Mathias’s Recessional or Processional, or indeed Christopher Maxim’s own Processional recommended long ago in these pages by Trevor Webb, will enjoy this well-crafted, tuneful and happy piece. Played at the suggested metronome mark, it is not fast and lies well under the hands and feet. If used at the end of a service, it will dismiss the congregation in a high-spirited frame of mind.
Duncan Watkins (Sunday by Sunday) If one were to think of a 'Recessional' for organ by a composer from North Wales, the first name to come to mind, of course, would be William Mathias. Living in Mathias's mighty shadow is a fact of life for most Welsh composers, yet it is a place where Christopher Maxim seems to thrive. This piece, from 1996 and revised in 2020, has several instantly recognisable Mathias-esque features, such as the contour of the opening melody and accompaniment (compare Mathias's Processional). Yet Maxim's structure is more free and flexible, and he allows his harmonies to develop in more surprising ways. An exuberant and enjoyable piece for concert or liturgical use, well within the reach of the competent organist.
Huw Morgan (Organists' Review) |
Suite
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Both pieces [Easter Alleluias and Suite for Organ] show Maxim to be a composer of real inventiveness, with a strong and secure command of writing for the organ. His music shows a wide range of stylistic influences, including British composers of the later 20th century, such as Leighton and Mathias in the first two movements of the Suite, neo-Baroque writing in its fugue, and the vibrant manual textures of the late-Romantic French toccata.
The Suite is a substantial work, suitable for concert use in its totality, though each individual movement could also function well as a voluntary. The Intrada is an arresting movement, characterised by two contrasting themes and much use of parallel chordal writing. The slow Aria is especially satisfying; sparse textures and ostinato accompaniments support a haunting chromatically-inflected solo melody. The fugue is full of wit, before a brief but powerful Scena and a lengthy toccata bristling with nervous energy. [...] Parts of the Suite make greater demands [than Easter Alleluias], especially the outer movements, where agile manual and pedal work are called for. Both [Easter Alleluias and Suite for Organ] will reward patient endeavour and offer something fresh for either recital or liturgical use. Dr Martin Clarke (Organists' Review) The five movements of this Suite are dedicated to different organists, and although the whole forms an effective and substantial concert piece, it is probably as five individual voluntaries that most readers will play it. At the centre is a sprightly Fugue marked ‘scherzando’ and that might have been also marked ‘à la Gigue’. Surrounding that are slow movements: an ‘Aria’ before and a ‘Scena’ after that is like an operatic recitative building to a dramatic climax. The opening ‘Intrada’, with touches of Mathias, builds to an exciting climax that would form a brilliant conclusion to a festival service. The final movement of the Suite is a ‘Toccata-Sortie’ that increases in energy over its considerable extent in an audience-pleasing demonstration of virtuosity.
Duncan Watkins (Sunday by Sunday) |
Three Pieces Founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes
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Aberystwyth: It's a striking piece, and well-suited to big occasions.
Blaenwern: For players and listeners there is nothing but pleasure to be had here. Trefaenan: This glittering toccata is very well worth getting to know, Again it's very rewarding. I cannot but feel that musically informed listeners will also find much to welcome here. Conclusion: I think organists of all kinds would enjoy adding these pieces to their repertoire -- I have! David Dewar (Organists' Review) This clutch of works from Paraclete Press [Prelude and Fugue on the name of 'Duruflé', Three Pieces Founded on Welsh Hymn-Tunes, Eleven Chorale Preludes, Jubilate] showcases Christopher Maxim’s fluent and charming compositional style. His North Walian heritage inevitably draws comparison with William Mathias: certainly there is the same Celtic brightness but it is softer-edged, more approachable and even jaunty. The title of Three Pieces Founded on Welsh Hymn Tunes seems a nod to Vaughan Williams, though the mood is lighter and more silvery. There is idiomatic, enjoyable and satisfying music in these volumes.
Huw Morgan (Sunday by Sunday) |
Toccata Nuptiale
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Audiences, congregations even, will love it – and you, and the organ, and the composer. Every [organist] of the requisite standard should order a copy without hesitation.
Graham Matthews (Organists’ Review) This splendid piece has been out for some while, but if you have not seen it, or, better, bought it, remedy the situation without delay: it is a guaranteed noise-stopper, tremendous fun to perform and to hear.
Trevor Webb (Church Music Quarterly) This delightful piece… [is suitable for] joyful liturgical occasions [and] it would make a good light-hearted recital piece.
CN (The Organ) Christopher Maxim’s Toccata Nupitale is clearly angling to become a bridal favourite to match some of the better-known (and hackneyed) pieces. Maxim has counterpoised a Vierne-like Toccata with the once-popular song written by Harry Dacre in 1892 ‘Daisy Bell’. (Daisy, Daisy / Give me your answer, do. / I'm half-crazy / All for the love of you…’ concluding with the line ‘a bicycle built for two.’) Seemingly, the present toccata was composed especially for a cyclist friend! It is witty, fun and clearly not a cinch to play.
John France (British Classical Music -- The Land of Lost Content; reviewing John Kitchen's performance on The Usher Hall Organ vol. II) |
Other Instrumental Music
Cat Litter (Clarinet & Piano)
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Cat Litter was composed in 2017. The piece takes about eleven minutes and is playable from level B. This five-part composition is, as the title suggests, about the different character traits of a cat:
1. Kool Katz: a cat with an entrepreneurial appetite, one that is always exploring! That is heard in this cool and exciting theme in rock style. 2. Cat Nap: Cats are also known for their sleeping ability. A nice, quiet melody in 3/4-time with not too much "fuss", suggests a cat snuggling on woollen mat by the fireplace. 3. Midnight Prowl: the hunter in the cat comes up! Lurking, sneaking, catching, and playing with its prey. You will get it a little bit of the feeing of the Pink Panther... 4. Mischka: most likely the name of a true diva, a cat who likes to be pampered and admired. The character designation in this movement is therefore "Languido", or longing / languishing. 5. Kittens up the curtains: the playful character of young, inquisitive kittens chasing each other: that's what you get in this presto movement. The finger-technique also gets a lot more difficult in this last movement, but it does make for a smashing end for these varied cat potpourri! You can find this piece on scoreexchange.com. At www.christophermaxim.co.uk there is an MP3 recording of each part. Admittedly not a professional recording, because the page's scrolling and the rattling of valves can also be heard clearly. But nevertheless a great example to give you a taste of this composition. Lieke van den Beuken (de Klarinet) |
Duet Suite (Two Intermediate Clarinets)
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Christopher Maxim wrote this suite for 2 clarinets in 2019. The piece is published by scoreexchange.com. You can order the item via this website and then immediately download and print it. Practical and fast! The only disadvantage is that you cannot keep it as a nice booklet.
The piece is classical in design and the level of both voices is roughly the same (B-level). The suite consists of five movements and lasts a total of nine minutes. Each movement is in a different key and has its own character: 1. Two's company: a 12/8 time signature with many shifts in accent, giving the whole a cheerful character. The title of this particle says it all: the two voices are rhythmically synchronous from start to finish. 2. Moonshine: a quiet and mysterious movement in which melody and accompaniment are alternated between both voices. 3. Motet (sans mots): a motet is generally performed by singers. So in this movement "sans mots" means without words / without singers. It is a short, polyphonic composition in which both clarinet voices express the underlying movement between different voice groups. 4. Minuetto Classico: a typical classical menuet / dance in a quiet 3/4 time. 5. Finale: a fiery ending to this classic suite. The Finale starts with a quick semiquaver rhythm for the second voice, which is then soloed with the first voice with a simple, but powerful melody. Sometimes the roles are reversed and the semiquaver movement switches to the first voice, so that the second voice is allowed to play a solo Christopher Maxim has written several works for the clarinet. Information about this can be found on his website: www.christophermaxim.co.uk. Lieke van den Beuken (de Klarinet) |
Here be Dragons! (Clarinet & Piano)
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Here be Dragons! was originally composed for double bass an piano and was, almost immediately, adapted for clarinet in A, the version premièred by Antonia Mott on 21 march 2014. It was further adapted for clarinet in B flat at the request of Stainer & Bell. Lasting around seven minutes, this is a lovely showpiece full of colourful writing. Embellished scales and arpeggios are a particular feature, with some interesting chromatic writing.
Following a mysterious opening, during which the dragon seems to awaken gradually with rising an falling chromatic scales, the main 6/8 theme is dancelike and energetic in mood, though moderately paced. It passes through a variety of keys and there is a spooky fugue-like passage part way through. Rhythmically it is fairly straightforward with some repetition, and the highest not is D flat just above the stave. Described as a piece for approximately Grade 8 players, my feeling is that it could easily be enjoyed by Grade 6-7 players too. Carol Taylor (Clarinet & Saxophone Magazine) Christopher Maxim originally composed this work for double bass and piano, but soon he edited it for clarinet and piano. In this form, the piece was premiered in 2013. At the request of publisher Stainer & Bell it was edited again: for B flat clarinet and piano.
The title ‘Here be Dragons’ comes from cartography. In the production of the early world maps, the creators often lacked detailed data on parts of the earth. Sometimes they drew 'fabulous' animals, such as dragons and other monsters, in a white spot on the map. Since then, the term 'Here be Dragons' has become a household name for the unknown or the dangerous. ‘Here be dragons!’ begins with an exciting opening, in which the clarinettist plays dark chromatic movements, perhaps represents the awakening dragon. The main theme that follows is, contrary to what you might expect, an almost sweet and dance-like melody in a quiet 6/8 movement. This colourful melody goes on an adventure through remote places, in search of that one dragon, who sometimes suddenly comes around the corner. The theme returns frequently and is occasionally interrupted by dangerous situations, where you would feel the dragon's hot breath in the omens. When the danger has passed, the theme returns again and again, sometimes in a duet or fugue with the piano. The composer's love for the clarinet is reflected in the choice of well-fitting timbres in the right range. Rhythmically, there is not a lot of challenge. If you have already mastered the scales and triads, the piece is easy to study in a short time. On the composer's website you can find a recording, played by Antonia Mott on clarinet and the composer himself on piano. The piece lasts about 7 minutes and the difficulty level is between B- and C-level. Christopher Maxim has written other works for clarinet and piano and also a number of clarinet duets. They can likewise be found on his website. Lieke van den Beuken (de Klarinet) |
Liquorice Allsorts (Two Beginner Clarinets)
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In 2019 Christopher Maxim composed these six duets for two clarinet. As the title describes: all kinds liquorice root! A mix of short, simple clarinet duets (about a minute per part) and from starting to slightly more advanced A-level: 1. Steppin' Out, 2. Summer Holidays, 3. The old Merry-Go-Round, 4. Can't Catch Me, 5. Breaktime!, 6. Movin' On. The first four duets are written in a simple key and time signature and only in the low register of the clarinet. In duets 1 and 2 both voices run rhythmically synchronously, giving you a lot of grip. In the third duet you have to meet each other for a while and let go, because here every voice has its own own important part. It can be extra complicated because of the 3/4-time! Duet 4 is written in canon, hence the title Can't catch me. A fun challenge for the beginning clarinettist. The fifth duet is written in a 6/8 time signature, in the key of D, and also in the second register. You would think it would be a little more difficult but this movement is still perfectly playable for one who just started in the second register. The high and low registers are alternated line by line, which means playing the (first) high notes is easy to maintain (Breaktime!). When voice is 1 in the second register, voice 2 plays the same melody line in the low register (and vice versa). In the the sixth and last duet Movin' On we finally hurry up a bit because of the rock-like theme with tempo indication "allegro rhythmico". Both voices in Liquorice Allsorts can easily be played by students, because the level is roughly the same in each duet. The composition was published by scoreexchange.com, where you can order it, download and print. On SoundCloud there is a recording of these six duets. Both links are on: www.christophermaxim.co.uk.
Lieke van den Beuken (de Klarinet) |
Rondo Giocoso (Double Bass & Piano)
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Christopher Maxim has written a wealth of choral and vocal music and Rondo Giocoso is his first work for double bass. It has great rhythmic energy and momentum, offering musical and technical challenges in equal measure, and its lively and vibrant musical language adds to the success of the piece. The accompaniment is confident and supportive, creating a wealth of colours for the double bassist to emulate.
Rondo Giocoso was premièred at Wells Cathedral School (Somerset) on Sunday 24 February 2013 by Ben Groenevelt (double bass) and Gus Tredwell (piano). Recital Music |
Vocal Music
There is Sweet Music
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The musical style is expansive and rich, creating a beautiful range of colours. The accompaniment has a spacious grandeur which allows the soloist to weave long and sinuous musical lines and the chromatically romantic style creates a song of great imagination and worth.
Recital Music |
