Composers’ Competition 2020

This Composers' Competition 2020 was set up in 2019, to encourage the composition of music that would appeal to branches of the UK's Society of Recorder Players (SRP).  

The competition was created by Steve Marshall, with considerable help and advice from Helen Hooker and his wife Ann. The main requirement was that the music should be interesting, but not too difficult to play. 'Too difficult' is a slippery concept, because it depends on who is playing it. But while SRP branches often include some strong players, the music rarely works well where most parts are more difficult than an amateur’s idea of moderate. 

Many SRP members enjoy music from the Renaissance and the Baroque, but music from the last hundred years less so. We did not want to encourage writing of music that was a pastiche of music of hundreds of years ago, but the composers had to find a way to make their music appeal to SRP members.  

Entries, which were anonymous, had to last between three and five minutes and use six or fewer parts, which had to include descant, treble, tenor and bass. Further (optional) parts for great bass and contrabass could be included. The top three pieces were to be published by May Hill Edition, if the successful composers so wished, and there were cash prizes of £200, £100 and £50 .  

A large number of entries were received, and a process of whittling-down was carried out by desk review as well as by conducting of a variety of ensembles. This resulted in six finalists. The intention was for the finals to take place at the 2020 SRP National Festival, but that event and the corresponding 2021 event had to be cancelled. So that this process is not strung out even more, we have therefore decided to arrive at a 1-2-3 result by means of making video recordings of the six finalists and having an online poll. Access to these videos and the poll are restricted to appropriate distribution lists.

The winners…

Voting closed on the 22nd March and the winners are:

First prize - Judith Bush for Midwinter Miniatures

Second prize - Rosemary Robinson for Little Suite

Third prize - Marg Hall for Three Senses


Included above each video clip is a programme note provided by the composer, along with a link for you to download the score if you would like to see the music.

A note about the recordings

These videos were all recorded using multitrack technology - the only option available to us during the Covid-19 pandemic. While this technique is useful, it’s not without its drawbacks. In normal ensemble playing musicians react to each other’s body language and aural cues such as breaths, especially when there are changes of tempo. All of these are much harder to gauge when playing each line independently and each instrumental line must also be recorded in one take. As a result, these video performances are not perfect but are intended to give you a sense of what the pieces might sound like when performed. Please accept their flaws and don’t hold any of these against the composers!




All Souls’ Eve - Nick Wynne

Published by Peacock Press

All Souls’ Eve is a suite of three dance pieces for Halloween for SATB recorders.

You can download the score of All Souls’ Eve by clicking here.

If the video of All Souls’ Eve doesn’t appear, please view it on YouTube here.

Little Suite - Rosemary Robinson - 2nd Prize

Published by May Hill Edition

Little Suite for recorder quintet consists of four very short movements whose order (slow, fast, slow, fast) is inspired by the Baroque dance suite, though the musical idiom is tonal twentieth-century with an English flavour.

Medieval modes feature largely in each of the Suite’s movements: the Prelude uses the sombre Phrygian mode (E minor with F naturals), while Tambourin (Lydian: G major with C sharps) sounds like a Hungarian or Bulgarian dance. The Sarabande explores the Dorian mode (D minor with B naturals) and the final Jig evokes the skirl of bagpipes with its use of the Mixolydian mode (G major with F naturals).

You can download the score of the Little Suite by clicking here.

If the video of Little Suite doesn’t appear, please view it on YouTube here.

Midwinter Miniatures - Judith Bush - First Prize

Published by Peacock Press

  • North Wind - A chill wind blows from the Arctic, gusting around the houses, trying to enter through any nook and cranny.

  • Solstice Song - It is the longest night and the shortest day. The winter solstice mars the ‘turning of the sun’; the traditional time to welcome the sun, a time of mystery and ceremony. From now onwards the days will begin to lengthen.

  • Yuletide Jig - The yule log burns, warming the Hall. In the middle of winter there is comradeship and celebration. It is a time to dance!

You can download the score of Midwinter Miniatures by clicking here.

If the video of Midwinter Miniatures doesn’t appear, please view it on YouTube here.

Solitary Rose - Nick Wynne

Published by Peacock Press

Solitary Rose is a contemplative piece for SATB recorders. It explores the conflict between aloneness and the need to belong. The piece begins with the rose’s melancholy refrain in the minor. A chorus of other voices is heard dancing gaily. Gradually the rose finds acceptance and peace amongst her companions and the music ends gently in the major key.

You can download the score of Solitary Rose by clicking here.

If the video of Solitary Rose doesn’t appear, please view it on YouTube here.

The Storyteller - David Moses

Published by Tinderbox Music

The traditional beginning to many a good story is “Once upon a time”… You will hear where the story takes place “In a land far away…” and be introduced to the main characters and the circumstances in which they find themselves, “there lived…”.

But this is a musical story and the music itself is the storyteller. The music will tell the listener what is happening as the tale unfolds. A few signposts point out when something new is about to happen, such as “but one day…” “so as night fell…” “in a dark wood…” “will o’ the wisp…weaver of spells…” “take this magic…” “and so they lived…”

By following the music, each listener can fill in the detail as seems appropriate to them. I hope there will be many, many different stories. The very last signpost is “but, once upon a time…”.

Stories don’t always finish at the end.

For public performances a narrator could announce the ‘signposts’ or hold up signs with them written on for the audience to see as they appear in the score.         

You can download the score of The Storyteller by clicking here.                  

If the video of The Storyteller doesn’t appear, please view it on YouTube here.

Three Senses - Marg Hall - Third Prize

Published by Peacock Press

The title Three Senses was inspired by Geoffrey Russell-Smith’s Three Touches. There will eventually be Five Senses, but these three filled my allotted five minutes!       

You can download the score of Three Senses by clicking here.                                 

If the video of Three Senses doesn’t appear, please view it on YouTube here.