Andrew Carter’s music is performed worldwide. As composer, guest conductor and workshop leader he has travelled extensively in the United States, Antipodes and Europe. A twenty-five year association with Oxford University Press has established his reputation as a writer of both choral miniatures and larger scale concert works for chorus and orchestra. Of these latter the widely performed Benedicite was followed by Te Deum, Musick’s Jubilee, Horizons, Song of Stillness, and Laudate Dominum. Of similar scale, the Magnificat (MorningStar 2004), is already proving popular. In a lighter vein, the Three Nonsensical Songs for upper voices and orchestra were premiered by Quad Cities Symphony in 2005. After conducting his Magnificat in North Carolina in April 2008, Andrew gave workshops in Toronto and attended the celebrated St Olaf’s College in Minnesota as composer-in-residence.
A particular honour in the field of church music was the invitation to write Missa Sancti Pauli for the 1997 tercentenary celebrations of Wren’s St Paul’s Cathedral. Over the years several of Andrew’s carols have been included in the renowned Christmas Eve broadcast from King’s College Chapel, Cambridge, with Mary’s Magnificat featuring again in 2009. Andrew Carter’s Christmas Carols, conducted by the composer with John Scott at the organ, was named amongst the ‘ten best ever’ Christmas CDs in the BBC Music Magazine (Nov, 2007).
Andrew’s lifelong love of the organ is reflected in the festive Organ Concerto (MorningStar 2008) and an album of organ pieces (Oxford) which includes the much acclaimed Toccata on Veni Emmanuel. More recently, the substantial 22-variation Passacaglia (Banks 2007), written to honour Francis Jackson’s 90th birthday, was premiered by John Scott Whiteley in York Minster.
Born in Leicester in the English Midlands, Andrew Carter studied music at Leeds University before settling in York. During his time as a bass songman at York Minster, he founded the Chapter House Choir, the award winning mixed-voice concert group which he conducted for seventeen years, and for whom he penned many of his early published arrangements.
Taken from Andrew Carter's website
"Thou Visitest The Earth" is a setting of Psalm 65 for solo tenor or baritone and SATB chorus. In our case today, the solo was taken by one of our altos. It is commonly used as a Harvest anthem speaking of God's blessings on the earth.
Maurice Green was born in London, his father, Thomas Greene, was chaplain of the Chapel Royal and canon of Salisbury. Young Maurice began his studies under Jeremiah Clarke and Charles King at St Paul's Cathedral. In 1714 he gained his first musical post as organist at St Dunstan-in-the-West on Fleet Street. In 1717 he became organist at St Paul's Cathedral.
Greene was a founder member of the Castle Society, established in 1724. He also helped found the Academy of Ancient Music.
In 1730, Greene was admitted "Doctor in Musica" at Cambridge University and later was made a professor of music there.
In 1735, Greene was elected Master of the King's Music, the highest musical position in the land.
Originally a friend of Handel, Handel had a disagreement with another composer, Giovanni Bononcini, but when Greene continued his friendship with Bononcini, this upset Handel and a lifelong feud ensued.
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