Grayston Ives

Grayston "Bill" Ives (born 1948) is a British composer, singer and choral director. He is Organist, Informator Choristarum and Fellow and Tutor in Music at Magdalen College, Oxford. In this role he is responsible for the daily musical life of the college chapel. He has also directed the choir in recordings on the Harmonia Mundi label, including 'With a Merrie Noyse', made with the viol consort Fretwork, and featuring the works of the English composer, Orlando Gibbons, for which the choir was nominated for a Grammy award. The choristers of Magdalen College Choir, Oxford recorded on Sir Paul McCartney's "Ecce cor Meum" which won a Classical BRIT Awards for Album of the year. His most recent recording has been of a selection of his own liturgical works, 'Listen Sweet Dove'.

Ives was a chorister at Ely Cathedral and later studied music at Cambridge University where he held a choral scholarship at Selwyn College. After teaching music for a period, he became a member of the King's Singers, from 1978 to 1985. [ [http://www.kingssingers.com/aboutus/pastsinger_billives.htm Bill Ives ] ] His voice can be heard on a number of recordings from that period, including Paul McCartney's "Frog Chorus". Ives composes as Grayston, but prefers to be known as Bill, a nickname he acquired at school as a result of a role-playing game with his brother.

As a composer, Ives' work consists mainly of sacred and secular music for choir, much of it written for the liturgy at Magdalen College, Oxford. His "Canterbury Te Deum" (1991) for SATB and Brass Quintet was commissioned for the enthronement of George Carey as Archbishop of Canterbury. He was also commissioned to compose the centre-piece anthem for the commemoration service, held in Westminster Abbey, for the Abolition of Slavery. It was attended by many high ranking politicians and public figures, including Tony Blair, British Prime Minister (1997-2007) and HM Queen Elizabeth II. In 2007 Ives was commissioned to write an anthem to celebrate the 10th birthday of the girls’ choir at Derby Cathedral. "The Beatitudes" received its first performance at a special Evensong on 15 September 2007.

Bill Ives has recently been recognised for his contribution to church music with a fellowship of the Royal School of Church Music (May 2008) and the award of a Lambeth DMus by the Archbishop of Canterbury.

Choral works

*"Canticles and Service Music"
**"Canterbury Te Deum"
**"Missa Brevis"
**"The Edington Service"
**"The Exon Service
**"The Magdalen Service (ATB)"
**"The Salisbury Service
**"The Warwick Service"
**"Jubilate"
**"Preces and Responses (SATB and ATB)"
*"Anthems (SATB)"
**"A Song of Christ's Glory"
**"A Song of Divine Love"
**"Lord, is it I?"
**"Listen, Sweet Dove" (for Whitsun)
**"Nos autem gloriari"
**"O Sacrum Convivium"
**"Sicut lilium"
**"Sweet was the song"
**"The Canticle of Brother Sun"
**"There is a land of pure delight"
**"This is the record of John"
**"Ubi caritas"
**"The Beatitudes" (girls' voices, for the 10th anniversary of Derby Cathedral Girls' Choir)
*"Three Latin Motets for Men's Voices"
**"Ave verum"
**"Ego sum panis vivus"
**"In pace"
*"Arrangements"
**"I've got you under my skin"
**"Name that tune"
**"Rise up, shepherd"
**"Three Spirituals"
***"Amazing Grace"
***"Deep River"
***"Were you there?"
**"Three folksongs"
***"Buy broom besoms"
***"The lark in the clear air"
***"The tailor and the mouse"

References

External links

* [http://www.graystonives.com/ Official website]
* [http://www.kingssing.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=37 Biography on King's Singers fansite]