Musical Works

A quadruple chant for Psalm 119 (vv 153 to end [176]) for ATBrBB & organ.

Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis in G for Men's Voices (TTBB) were composed for use by the choir in the regular round of evening services in the Chapel of Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge. The set was written in 1967, and the Magnificat was revised in 1969.

Psalm C (100) Jubilate Deo set to an Anglican double chant by Peter Tranchell, typeset in two versions, for ATTBB or SAATB

Dazzling Darkness, an anthem by Peter Tranchell for tenor/baritone solo, ATBrBrBB choir and organ, written in October 1976. Words: James Cotter; music: Peter Tranchell.

Hamble Bridge, Peter Tranchell's setting of Hymn 636: May the grace of Christ our Saviour. Original unison setting, and an arrangement for SATB choir.

Peter Tranchell's Te Deum in E for AAAATTBB or SSAATTBB choir, piano, organ and two violins, written in 1974.

Peter Tranchell's SATBrB arrangement of Or Sus, Vous Dormés Trop is known to have been performed by the Choir of Gonville & Caius College at the Perse Feast, Friday 11 December 1987. The manuscript score states that the words and music are Anon c.1360.

Peter Tranchell's hymn tune CURDRIDGE LANE, to accompany O Holy City, seen of John, words by W. Russell Bowie

A song for Men's voices by Peter Tranchell, based on a newspaper article about a story from Hungary, set to music in a Roma/Gypsy Folk style: 'Tired of his wife's nagging, Janos Dey, a Hungarian living at Debrecin, decided to frighten her by faking suicide...'

Wish Road, a hymn written by Peter Tranchell for Eastbourne College in 1950, later used in the anthem Fortunare Nos

Peter Tranchell's 100-fold Amen. The work quotes several Amens and other works - see what you can find!

Peter Tranchell's Music for the service of Holy Communion: written for Fitzwilliam House, 1960, now published in a new arrangement by Geoffrey Webber for SATB choir and organ, with the gradual hymn "Lord, be thy word thy rule" (Tichfield).

An SATB unaccompanied setting of this Christina Rossetti's poem "Twist me a crown of wind-flowers"

A dismissal or closing response for unaccompanied AATTBB or SATTBB choir. Duration 30 seconds.

A bidding anthem for SATTBBB, duration c.20 seconds.

This light song sets words from a newspaper article to music for unaccompanied ATTBB or TTBB choir. This could easily be arranged for SATBB.

A light song written in 1979, exposing the savagery of the rose garden. For SATBB or ATTBB choir.

An anthem for SSATB and  organ, piano or harmonium, composed by Peter Tranchell for the Wedding Service on 10 July 1982 of Jeremy Mark Davies and Catherine Hudson Wilks.

"O that our faith", (tune: Waltham Chase) a short setting of a text by Charles Wesley, for three voice parts and organ, written October 1971

An introit/anthem for ATBrBB or SATBB unaccompanied, the text from John 16:33.

"His first Mayweek", or, "The scholar's progress: a speculation with music in five scenes". For male and female soloists, male-voice chorus, and two pianos. Words and music by Peter Tranchell.

A double Anglican psalm chant by Peter Tranchell for ATB or SATB.

From the Caius Psalter, Chant 21A by "M.W. Scot-Higson", an anagram of Moscow Nights.

Fortunare Nos was composed in 1986 for the wedding of one of Tranchell's students. It incorporates the hymn tune Wish Road originally written for Eastbourne College in 1950. The words are from a hymn by Henry J. Buckoll (1803-71) in Psalms and Hymns for Rugby School Chapel, 1850, and the Latin verse is a translation, presumably by Tranchell, of Verse 1.

An excellent quadruple chant, well-known from the Psalms from St Paul's recordings where it's used for Psalm 103. Three typeset editions are published here.

Two (and possibly three) versions of this triple chant are found in the Cambridge University Library archive: 

• The earliest version (197-?) appears to be the triple chant for Psalm 127. ATBB & organ in C major.
• Then MS.Tranchell.3.68, the version for SATB & organ in E flat major. This version might be assumed to date from the period 1982-1989 when the Gonville & Caius College Choir added a soprano line.
• The archive also records MS.Tranchell.3.67 "For ATBB & organ in E minor [sic]. Photocopy of MS.Tranchell.4.86 with holograph revisions". Cataloguing error seems likely here, but we have not had a chance to check.

Double chant for Psalm 75 in A major, D flat, D or E flat, also used by St. Paul's for Psalm 102 in B flat major

The Libran Preces and Responses were composed in October 1972. We are publishing the original ATBrBB version and a transposed version for SATTBB.

Peter Tranchell wrote this setting of Psalm 23 (The Lord is my shepherd) in 1962 for unison voices and organ, revised it in 1970 for two-part male-voices and organ, and again in 1976 for ATBrB choir and organ. The score published here has been arranged for SATB by Peter Marchbank.

This beautiful setting of Psalm 133 incorporates verses from Colossians 3. The setting can be purchased from OUP/CMS, in Peter Tranchell, Three Responsorial Psalms (CMS 046)

Probably Peter Tranchell's best known work at present, "If ye would hear the angels sing" was written in 1965, setting words by Dora Greenwell to music for SATB and organ.

When PAT eventually bought a television he became obsessed with the Australian TV soap Neighbours (among other things!). He arranged the well-known theme tune (by Tony Hatch) as an Anglican chant - it was heard at least once in Caius chapel services, receiving the reaction ‘that seems faintly familiar...’ although the harmonisation is pure Tranchell. The composer's name is an anagram of "Neighbours", and the arranger "I'm astraan" i.e. Australian. The chant was probably written around 1987.

Fauxbourdons Magnificat and Nunc Dimittis on the third tone, by Peter Tranchell, composed in 1974 and 1975, suitable for AATTBB or SATTBB

For unison voices & organ, in E major. With antiphon: Praise the Lord, Halleluia.

First composed in 1968, with versions [...Read More]

Simple and effective painchant and fauxbourdons settings of the Magnificat and Nunc DImittis for AATTBB or SATTBB unaccompanied choir, composed 1975.

These settings were composed by Peter Tranchell, Precentor (Director of Music) at Gonville & Caius College, Cambridge, for use by the chapel choir in the regular round of evening services. Although written three years apart and for a slightly different disposition of voices, Tranchell clearly saw them as a ‘set’ since they were recorded together in 1981 for private release on the LP recording ‘Music from Caius’ in 1985.

The anthem Cantantibus Organis for St Cecilia’s Day was written by Peter Tranchell in 1987 for use by the choir of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge, where he was Precentor (Director of Music), and it was sung at Evensong (presumably on St Cecilia’s Day, 22 November) that year. It was written for S.A.T.T.B. and Organ, with Soprano, Tenor and Bass solos.

People, look East was composed in 1982 for the Gonville and Caius Choir and originally scored for AATBrBB (though with a note on the cover saying 'If necessary, the first alto part may be sung by sopranos'). The version performed by St. John's College Choir in the 2015 Advent Carol Service was arranged for SATB by Peter Marchbank in 2013.

Peter Tranchell set this famous text (from Edward Fitzgerald’s version of Rubáiyát of Omar Khayyám of Naishápúr) to music in May 1978, shortly before the death of Geoffrey Thornton, the Caius Chapel organ scholar who succumbed to melanoma. Peter knew it was inevitable and although there's nothing on the score it was conceived very much as an In Memoriam.

The composer’s note at the end of the manuscript reads: ‘‘The Virgoan Responses were composed late August* 1972 for ATBrBB unacc, revised 1976, re-written for SATBrBB unacc in late August 1987. P.A.T.’’ 

Peter Tranchell wrote this setting of Psalm 122 in 1966 for unison voices and organ, with optional trumpet and horn.