Author Archives: sara-garrard

Sostenuto (after Chopin) [Free]

We’re nearly halfway through November and Pianowrimo this year. You can keep up with all the new pieces on my YouTube, and here’s a sneak preview of the sheet music before the album release next month. Today’s is inspired by a unnamed Chopin albumleaf, also in Eb and in 3.

UPDATE: Listen / download the full album on bandcamp here (also on Spotify etc), and get all 30 pieces of sheet music here.

Sostenuto (Pianowrimo 2022 Day 14)

Gacha game music ~

Excited to finally be able to share something I’d been working on over the summer and early autumn: music, and also sound design.

I believe you can actually play this game worldwide … but it is in Chinese so you might not get quite so much out of it if you don’t read Chinese!

I composed the two battle themes and the main/town background music, along with the sound design you’ll hear in the gacha roll part (see 9:41 in this gameplay video.)

And here you can hear a bit of the other battle theme which I think goes with player vs player battles and I haven’t seen in a gameplay video yet, but it’s fairly epic:

Trailer: Facebook has slightly completely destroyed the sound quality, but here is the trailer which contains a new musical theme and sound effects.

Wild Roses (piano)

little piano piece!

Sorry no roses in the video… more like a farewell to summer thing. Though the mood is rather more emotional even tragic in the middle there, you can put your own story to it 🙂

There is sheet music for this on the sheet music page. I wanted something pretty easy under the hands. It is kind of Einaudi lite, but just the two pages. I used an old Roland SC88 piano for this sound.

Songs and Carols for Christmas

I have just updated the sheet music page with a bunch of choral scores, in time for Christmas! ‘Twas in the Moon of the Wintertime / The Huron Carol we have sung several times in Sing Clifton; the rest are new, one getting its first performance this year.

O Night, Restful and Deep (SATB)

[ Buy and download on Sheet Music Plus ]

SATB | 3m30 | Intermediate

O Night, Restful and Deep in a new musical setting by Sara Garrard. A beautiful, peaceful song for Christmas, expanding into warm harmonies over four verses.

We will be singing this in the Sing Clifton Christmas concert 2022.

O Night, restful and deep
The Babe folded in sleep,
In a poor manger dreameth!
Moonlight softly doth shine,
Around melody streameth:
“He is the Babe Divine!
He is the Babe Divine!”

O Dawn, rosy and shy,
Greet Him where He doth lie,
At the birds’ call awaking!
As clouds fleeing from sight,
So all shadows are breaking:
”He is the dark World’s Light!
He is the dark World’s Light!”

Oh Morn, lovely and blest,
Round Him, guarding His rest,
Angels gently are singing:
”Hail Him! Heavenly Dove!”
Their notes joyfully ringing:
”He is the King of Love!
He is the King of Love!”

O Day, glorious the hour,
Jesus mighty in power,
Waketh in lowly manger!
He bids sorrowing cease;
Seek Him ever in danger!
He is the sad World’s Peace.
He is the sad World’s Peace.

words from O bienheureuse nuit, a French Noel, English Translation by K. W. Simpson

A Spotless Rose

[ Buy and download on Sheet Music Plus ]

SATB and piano | 2m45 | Intermediate

A new setting of Catherine Winkworth’s words, “A Spotless Rose”. The piece is SATB with piano, with a flowing, modal feel perfect for winter or Christmas.

A spotless Rose is blowing
Sprung from a tender root,
Of ancient seers’ foreshowing,
Of Jesse promised fruit;
Its fairest bud unfolds to light
Amid the cold, cold winter
And in the dark midnight.

The Rose which I am singing,
Whereof Isaiah said,
Is from its sweet root springing
In Mary, purest Maid;
For through our God’s great love and might
The blessed babe she bare us
In a cold, cold winter’s night.

Words: Es Ist Ein Ros, 15th Century German carol,
Translated by Catherine Winkworth, 1869

as with Redeemer of the Nations Come, I originally set this as part of my Catherine Winkworth Songbook project.