Author Archives: sara-garrard

Easter Hymns etc

Posted by sara-garrard

catching up with arrears here; recorded these for Easter!

Him upon the cross I love – A year some back, I think, I returned to the Catherine Winkworth oeuvre … and had a go setting this one in a kind of, um, musical theatre style? I find it rather challenging to sing, but here’s a kind of demo anyway.

Him upon the cross I love

From Thy Heavenly Throne, a new recording of one that first appeared here, words again by Winkworth.

From thy heavenly throne

God of mercy, God of grace – I recorded this before too, but maybe never shared it. Words by Henry Francis Lyte. unlike the previous two, this is less soloistic, could be definitely sung by a group, more of a … I was going to say “modern” and “hymn”, but what I think I mean is 80s-90s chorus 😄

God of mercy, God of grace

Wesley: Easter Hymn. I kind of didn’t realise these lyrics were THIS song, without the Allelulias I associate it with. So, here’s another different tune! This one is also envisaged more as a singable group song – one of those joyful marching songs for Easter.

Easter Week by Charles Kingsley. I am enjoying the jubilant melismas and big alto notes here ^_^

Easter Week

More Elizabethan angst

Posted by sara-garrard

o those Elizabethans and their aesthetic bitterness! Here’s a song setting sketch from a couple months ago that I never posted, but had a decent rough recording of.

words by Robert Jones, found in Lyrics from the song-books of the Elizabethan age

Once did my thoughts both ebbe and flow,
As passion did them move,
Once did I hope, straight fear again,
And then I was in love.

Once did I waking spend the night,
And told how many minutes move,
Once did I wishing waste the day,
And then I was in love.

Once by my carving true love’s knot,
The weeping trees did prove,
That wounds and tears were both our lot,
And then I was in love.

Once did I breathe another’s breath,
And in my mistress move,
Once was I not mine own at all,
And then I was in love.

Once did I Sonnet to my Saint,
My soul in numbers move,
Once did I tell a thousand lies,
And then I was in love.

Once wore I bracelets made of hair,
And collars did approve,
Once wore my clothes made out of wax,
And then I was in love.

Once in my ear did dangling hang,
A little turtle dove,
Once, in a word, I was a fool,
And then I was in love.

Schola Cantorum concert with Hildegard songs

Posted by sara-garrard

This weekend we had the first, I think, UK performance of the Four Hildegard texts, and the definitely first performance of O virga ac diadema (another setting of words by Hildegard), by my ogs, Bristol University Schola Cantorum. A big thank you to Emma Hornby, Gillian Hurst, and all the staff of St. Nicholas’ Brockley for a lovely afternoon. I wondered at first why this venue, out in the middle of nowhere it seemed to me (— a non-driving urbanite, bear in mind though)… once I got there all became clear. I walked down a track through a field in the low afternoon sun towards and old stone tower in the distance, then through some kind of magical tree-shaded lane…

To here. I definitely recommend visiting if you are ever nearby!

Schola sang my Hildegard settings between two sets of plainchant, the first while processing into the church and up to the front.

Excerpt O virga diadema:

ABYSS international release (game music and SFX)

Posted by sara-garrard

Delighted to finally be able to share the game I was working on over the winter. ‘Abyss’ is the second project I worked for Titans Entertainment on, after Mythicland, this time contributing seven soundtrack pieces and also 100+ sound effects, including everything you hear in the intro video. Here’s that and some gameplay!

Find out more and download the game from the homepage here.

And hey, if you play and get to any other boss fights, why not take a video? There are three different boss battle themes in there somewhere…

Hildegard Texts performed by Orange County Women’s Chorus

Posted by sara-garrard

The Orange County Women’s Chorus got in touch about a performance of two of my Four Hildegard Texts, one of which you can now watch / listen to below:

This was performed as part of their concert program, The Sisterhood of Cecilia, which began with music by Hildegard herself.

Thank you! A beautiful performance.

Mythicland Trailer

Posted by sara-garrard

Aha! The trailer for Mythicland is now up on youtube. I did the music and sound effects for this last year:

I’ve been busy working on something again lately which hopefully I’ll be able to share soon — why I’ve been kind of inactive on here. I have snuck in some time for some more Crisis Core demakes though, and a music box, over on youtube.

Happy new year everyone!