Songs and Cries of London Town

for SATB choir, upper voice choir, piano duet, and optional percussionThis is a vibrant and varied choral cantata in five movements. Together the movements evoke a contemporary impression of London's sights, sounds, and moods. The music is irresistible, by turns contemplative and thrilling.All adult performers sing or play from the vocal score, which is also available on hire. The upper voice parts are published separately as London Bells.

Bob Chilcott's Songs and Cries of London Town is described tongue-in-cheekily in the frontispiece as a 'capital' choral cantata. With London as its subject matter it is that, most certainly. It is also 'capital' in the old fogeyish sense of the word - good, very good . . . This is a work that would amply reward the attentions of any good choral society or strong school choir searching for a show-stopping 15-minute work with which to finish a concert., The music for the upper-voice choir, in the third and fifth movements, simple and in unison for the most part, gives a good opportunity for youngsters to join adults in a concerted work - an increasingly popular format. For the SATB singers the challenges of tricky rhythm and occasional sly modulation would soon be surmounted, given the expertly grateful and encouraging part writing . . . Throughout, the music is unfailingly attractive, with lively ostinatos and cross-rhythms in the fast movements and, equally characteristic of Bob Chilcott's work, a delicate lyricism in the slow ones. This would be a happy, light-hearted and not too demanding item for a celebratory programme.

Bob Chilcott has become one of the world's most widely performed composers and arrangers of choral music. His compositional output reflects his wide taste in music styles and his commitment to writing music that is both singable and communicative.He has been involved in choral music most of his life he was a chorister and then a choral scholar in the choir of King's College, Cambridge, and was a member of the British vocal group The King's Singers for whom he made a number of popular arrangements of well-known songs from all genres.As well as being a full-time composer he is also a highly acclaimed choral conductor. He has been privileged to conduct many choirs all over the world. He is Principal Guest Conductor of The BBC Singers and in 2019 he was appointed Principal Conductor of Birmingham University Singers. His music has been widely recorded by many choirs and groups including The King's Singers, Tenebrae, and The BBC Singers.