DAVID RAIN

arr. David Rain

SATB a cappella – CP 1837 – duration 4:15
For decades, my favourite piano piece was a Brahms Intermezzo, Opus 118, No. 2. One day, while playing it on the piano, I thought I could hear a choir singing along! Five years later, after much experimentation, a brand new “Ave Maria” was born. Nicol Matt and his amazing Chamber Choir of Europe gave the world premiere performances in Austria and Germany in July 2019. I was thrilled to have the “Ave Maria” sung at a very special concert honouring John Rutter, who received the European Church Music Award at the European Church Music Festival in Schwäbisch Gmünd, Germany.

by David Rain

SATB a cappella – CP 2223 – duration 3:45
I’ve written a totally new version of Good King Wenceslas! I love the Wenceslas story, but I always struggled with the original song’s placement of “las” (as in Wenceslas) on the downbeat. As a kid, I even thought the words were “Good King Wences last looked out.” Using the 19th century poem by John Mason Neale, I wanted to create a different “feel” to the Wenceslas story, to take it back to its origins in the Middle Ages – hence the medieval touches here and there. Also, the original song was in 4/4, but I felt that a setting in 3/4 would create a better sense of journey, the motive energy behind the story. And the 3/4 time also helps resolve the “Good King Wences last looked out” problem. It allows for the insertion of an extra word, “he”: thus, “Good King Wenceslas, he looked out.” The song is dedicated to my dear uncle Duncan Shaw, whose “retirement project” – developing his own theory of gravity – has been a huge inspiration in my own “late in life” compositional journey.

arr. David Rain

SATB a cappella – CP 1926 – duration 2:40 

I have dedicated “In natali Domini” to my late mother, Lois Esther Rain, as it was on her CD of medieval three-part songs that I first came across this little gem. My SATB arrangement of this rhythmically exciting piece includes an introduction, a mini-fugue in the third verse, and a rousing coda. Altos in particular will enjoy this piece, as the spotlight is on them in the opening passages. They also get to shine in a duet with the sopranos, where each voice “leapfrogs” over the other, evoking their respective attempts to climb a stairway to heaven. Suitable for Christmas or other seasons.

by David Rain

SATB a cappella – CP 2019 – duration 3:00
Singers will love this very approachable rendition of the classic poem.
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.

by David Rain

SATB a cappella – CP 2185 – duration 4:35  

Singers will love the text painting in this approachable and meaningful Winter/Christmas song – beginning with cascading vocals.  Multiple entrances, echoing phrases, counterpoint and lush harmonies make this a beauty. Short French snippets – easy for any singer – add interest and suggests the culture that David loves so much.
“Rideau Carol,” my very first choral composition, is a sacred/secular love song to the Stairwell Carollers, to whom it is dedicated. While on a marathon training run in 2015, I encountered a sign that said “Chutes Rideau Falls.” Suddenly, the idea of a Christmas carol flashed before my very eyes. It would be bilingual. It would feature popular Ottawa landmarks including Parliament Hill, the National Gallery, Byward Market, and the Rideau Falls. And it would begin with a cascading refrain that contains a play on words: “Chut” in French means “hush” (the baby is sleeping), while “chutes” means waterfalls. D.R.