Choral Music
- SATB accompanied
- SATB unaccompanied
- SATB with 1 or more instruments
- Unison, Two and Three-part Choir
SATB accompanied
Behold, He Cometh (The Bible) baritone solo, SATB and organ, 1970
Remember These Things (Isaiah 44:21-23) SATB and organ, 1971 - play
Give Ear to My Prayer (Psalm 55:1-8; 22:1-11, 15) soprano, SATB and organ, 1973 - play
The Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13) SATB and organ, 1973 - play
Bow Down Thine Ear, O Lord (Psalm 86) SATB and organ, 1976 - play
Lord, We Praise Thee (Peter Mathews), introit for SATB and organ, 1977
For Us a Child Is Born (Isaiah 9:6) SATB and organ, 1977
This Is the Day (The Bible and Shelley's "Ode to the West Wind") mezzo-soprano, SATB and organ, 1978 - play
Alleluia! Christ Our Passover (BCP) SATB and organ, 1978
Go Ye Into All the World (The Bible) SATB and organ, 1978
I Love the Lord (Psalm 116) SATB and organ, 1979 - play
Psalm 148, SATB and organ, 1981
At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners (John Donne) SATB and piano, 1982 - play
Here Am I; Send Me (Isaiah 6:1-8) SATB and organ, 1982
O Love Divine (Charles Wesley) SATB and organ, 1987 (Pub. MorningStar, 1991) - play
Missa Brevis, SATB and organ, 1988 (Pub. Southern Music Co., 1989) - play
Love Divine, All Love's Excelling (Charles Wesley) SATB and organ, 1988 (Pub. MorningStar, 1990) - play
The Lord Reigneth (Psalm 99) SATB and organ, 1988 (Pub. Lorenz Corp., Sacred Music Press, 2018) - play
Out of the Depths I Cry Unto Thee (Psalm 130, adaptation of 1973 song), SATB and organ, 1990
Communion Service, (BCP, Rite II) SATB and organ, 1990 (Pub. Southern Music Co., 1992)
Magnificat and Nunc dimittis (BCP, Rite I) SATB and organ, 1992 (Pub. Southern Music Co., 1992) - play
Walk in Faithfulness (Psalm 26) SATB and keyboard, 1994 (Pub. MorningStar, 1995) - play
The Spirit of the Lord Is Upon Me (Luke 4:18-19; Isaiah 61:2b-3) SATB and organ, 1994 - play
Lord, You Have Been Our Refuge (Psalm 90) SATB and organ, 1995 - play
Creator of Creation (St. Patrick) SATB and piano, 1996 - play
I Will Greatly Rejoice in the Lord (Isaiah 61:1-2, 6, 10) SATB and organ, 1997 - play
Deck Thyself, My Soul, With Gladness (Johann Franck; tr. Catherine Winkworth) SATB and organ, 1998 (Pub. MorningStar, 2001) - play
Take My Life, and Let It Be (F. R. Havergal) SATB and organ, 2000 - play
O Splendor of God's Glory Bright (Ambrose of Milan; tr. R. S. Bridges) SATB and organ, 2000
O magnum mysterium, SATB and organ, 2001 (Pub. MorningStar, 2004)
God Is Our Refuge and Strength (Psalm 46) SATB and organ, 2001 - play
Three Anglican Chants:
- Sing with Joy to God Our Strength (Psalm 81:1-10) Anglican chant, 1991 - play
- To You, O Lord, I Lift Up My Soul (Psalm 25:1-8, 11-12, 19-20) Anglican chant, 1994 - play
- The Lord Is My Strength and My Song (Psalm 118:14-29) Anglican chant, 2002
I Will Bless the Lord (Psalm 16:7-11) SATB and organ, 2002 (Pub. MorningStar, 2004)
Psalm 91, SATB and organ, 2004 - play
A Litany of Reconciliation (Provost Howard, Coventry Cathedral) SATB and organ, 2005
There Is a Fountain (William Cowper) SATB and organ, 2005 - play
Ubi caritas, SATB and organ, 2011 (Pub. MorningStar, 2012) - play
The Best of Rooms (Robert Herrick) SATB and organ, 2012 (Pub. MorningStar, 2016) - play
Lamb of God (Book of Common Prayer [1979] Rite II) SATB and organ, 2015
What Sweeter Music (Robert Herrick) SATB and organ, 2018
The Chorister's Prayer, SATB and piano, 2022
SATB unaccompanied
Call to Prayer (Psalm 5:1-2) with organ introduction, 1965
Amen, 1967 - play
Behold, What Manner of Love (1 John 3:1-3), 1972 - play
Thou Wilt Keep Him in Perfect Peace (Isaiah 26:3), 1972
Mon coeur est prêt (Psalm 57:8-12), 1981 - play
The Song of St. Cecilia (Cantantibus organis) SSAATTBB (or SATB and organ), 1981 - play
Three French Carols, 1982 (Pub. Neil A. Kjos, 1985)
- Dans les ombres de la nuit (Anonymous) - play
- Entre le boeuf et l'âne gris (Traditional) - play
- Chantez Noël (Claude Bernard) - play
Two Communion Hymns (Pub. MorningStar, 1992)
- Until He Come (George Rawson), 1982
- Bread of Heaven (Josiah Conder), 1983
Walk in the Light of the Lord (Isaiah 2: 3, 5) fanfare or introit, 1983 (Pub. MorningStar, 1993) - play
O sacrum convivium!, 1985 (Pub. Southern Music Co., 1989) - play
Christus factus est, 1993 (Pub. Southern Music Co., 1994)
Alleluia, 1994 - play
I Sat Down Under His Shadow (Song of Solomon 2:3b-4), 1994 - play
O vos omnes (Lamentations 1:12), 1994 - play
O Sing to the Lord a New Song (Psalm 98) SATB double chorus, 1994 - play
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6-7), 1995 - play
Ubi caritas, 1995
Ave Maria, ATTBB, 1996 - play
A Prayer (Thomas Dekker), 1996 - play
Haec dies (Psalm 118:24), 1999
Evening Prayer (Preces and Responses, BCP, Rite I), 2000
Carol (Arr. from "Five Bagatelles for Clarinet and Piano" by Gerald Finzi) SSATB wordless chorus, 2001 (© by Boosey & Hawkes, London) - play
SATB with 1 or more instruments
Aprilliad (Sidney Lanier) soprano, tenor, SATB and orchestra, 1965
Fantasia on "O Come All Ye Faithful" (J. F. Wade; tr. Frederick Oakeley) SATB and 2 pianos, 1966 - play
Bless the Lord, O My Soul (Psalm 104) 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, timpani, SATB and organ, 1974 - play
Go Ye Into All the World (The Bible) horn, 3 trumpets, 2 trombones, tuba and SATB, 1978
A Song to the Lamb (Revelation 4:11; 5:9-10, 13) trumpet, SATB and organ, 1979 - play
Psalm 150 for 2 oboes, strings, SATB and organ, 1979 - play
The Prayer of Jonah (Jonah 2:2-9) harp, SATB and organ, 1980 - play
Come Down, O Love Divine (Bianco da Siena; tr. R. F. Littledale) 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, baritone solo, SATB and organ, 1982 - play
Vespers (12 mvts.) soprano and baritone soloists, SATB and orchestra, 1985
(Also available in vocal score with organ and piano)
I Will Exalt You (Psalm 145) trumpet, SATB and organ, 1986 (Pub. MorningStar, 1991) - play
Lamentationes (Lamentations of Jeremiah) cello, SATB and strings (6 mvts.), 1987
The Lord Is My Light (Psalm 27) flute, SATB and organ, 1991 - play
Song of the Three Young Men (Benedictus es, Domine) horn, 2 trumpets, 2 trombones, SATB and organ, 1993 - play
Unison, Two and Three-part Choir
The Angels Sing (Christina Rossetti) SA and piano, 1973
Shepherds All (Text and melody by Georgiana King) harmonized for SA and harpsichord, 1978
Birds of Paradise (Christina Rossetti) SA and piano, 1979 - play
Hear Me When I Call (Psalm 4) SAB and organ, 1983 (Pub. Voice of the Rockies, 1998)
Blest Be the King (F. J. Pagura; tr. F. Pratt Green) unison voices, optional flute and keyboard, 1983 (Pub. MorningStar, 1994)
Enseigne-moi Yaweh (Psalm 86:11-12) SA and keyboard, 1986 (Pub. Alliance Music Publications, 1997) - play
We Praise Thee, O God (Abbreviated Te Deum) unison voices and organ, 1987 (Pub. Southern Music Co., 1992) - play
Arise, Shine (Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19) SS and organ, 1989
Evening Service, (BCP, Rite II) SS and organ, 1990
- Song of Mary
- Song of Simeon
Jubilate Deo (Psalm 100) SA and piano, 1994 (Pub. Southern Music Co., 1994) - play
Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee (Bernard of Clairvaux; tr. Edward Caswell) unison voices with optional 4-part stanza and descant, 1996
Four Winter Poems for SA and piano, 1996
- Afterflakes (Robert Frost) - play
- Winter, My Secret (Christina Rossetti) - play
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (Robert Frost) (Pub. Alliance Music Publications, 1998) - play
- Why Does It Snow? (Laura Richards) - play
Antiphona (El Libro de Oración Común; Salmo 9:1-2) unsion trebles and keyboard, 1998
Antiphon (Peter Mathews) sequence hymn arr. from Antiphona for unsion trebles and keyboard, 2000
Bread of Heaven (Josiah Conder) two-part mixed choir and organ, 1998 (Pub. MorningStar, 2005)
The Circle of Days (Reeve Lindbergh) unison trebles and piano, 1999 - play
Praise the Lord, His Glories Show (Lyte and Shafer) unsion trebles and piano, 1999 (Pub. Choristers Guild, 2000) - play
O Gracious Light (Phos hilaron) unison trebles and organ (high and low versions), 2001
Easter Bells (Psalm 118:24; 1 Cor. 15:20, 22) unison trebles, piano and optional handbells, 2002 (Pub. MorningStar, 2006)
Missa Brevis for SA and organ, 2005
Magnificat and Nunc dimittis (BCP, Rite 1) for SA and organ, 2007 - play pt. 1, pt. 2
Arise, Shine (Isaiah 60:1-3, 11a, 14c, 18-19) TB and organ, 2018
The Circle of Days (Reeve Lindbergh) SA and piano, 2023
For additional information or to arrange commissions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Mathews
126 Timber Lane, Palatka, FL 32177 • Tel. (386) 312-0001
E-Mail: Roundlake126@aol.com
Vocal Music
High Voice
*The Lord Is My Shepherd (Psalm 23), 1964 - play
*Four Psalms, 1966-68
- In My Distress (Psalm 120) - play
- I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes (Psalm 121) - play
- By the Rivers of Babylon (Psalm 137) - play
- I Will Praise Thee (Psalm 138) - play
*My Heart Is Ready, God (Psalm 57), 1970 - play
Three Songs of Solomon, 1970
- I Am the Rose of Sharon (hv) - play
- Rise Up, My Fair One (lv) - play
- Thou Art Beautiful, O My Love (duet) - play
The Lamb (Blake), 1970 (Pub. MorningStar, 1991) - play
*Make Haste, O God (Psalm 70), 1970 - play
Be Still, My Soul, Be Still (Housman), 1972 - play
Storm Fear (Frost), 1973 - play
*Entreat Me Not to Leave Thee (Ruth 1), 1973 - play
*Out of the Depths I Cry (Psalm 130), 1973 - play
Chanson d'Automne (Verlaine), 1973
*Sleep, Sleep, My Holy One (E. B. Browning), 1973 - play
*It Is a Beauteous Evening (Wordsworth), 1974 - play
Four Sonnets of Edna St. Vincent Millay, 1976-77
- Thou Art Not Lovelier - play
- This Beast That Rends Me - play
- I Pray You If You Love Me - play
- And You as Well Must Die - play
The Prayer of St. Francis (Francis of Assisi), 1983 (Pub. MorningStar, 1991) - play
Pastourelle (Traditional Auvergne), 1985
Sonnet XIII (Louise Labé), 1988
Prospero to Ariel (Auden), 1988
*The Prayer of St. Augustine (St. Augustine), 1991 - play
Music, When Soft Voices Die (Shelley), 1992
The Velvet Shoes (Wylie), 1997
*O Sing Unto the Lord a New Song (Psalm 96), 1998
What Sweeter Music (Herrick), 2001
Four Winter Poems, 2013
- Afterflakes (Robert Frost)
- Winter, My Secret (Christina Rossetti)
- Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening (Robert Frost)
- Why Does It Snow? (Laura Richards)
*Published by the composer in one volume as Thirteen Sacred Songs. These songs are also available for low voice.
Low Voice
David's Lamentation (2 Samuel 1), 1965
Now Begin (Hopkins), 1972 (Pub. MorningStar, 1991)
Clear and Sweet Is My Soul (Whitman), 1974 - play
The Dream (Song of Solomon), 1976 - play
Blessed Is the Man (Psalm 1), 1978 - play
Psalm 19, 1980 - play
- Prologue
- The Heavens Declare the Glory of God
- The Law of the Lord Is Perfect
- Who Can Understand His Errors?
- Epilogue
Do Not Go Gentle (Dylan Thomas), 1981 - play
My God and I (Sergei), 1999
A Hymn to God the Father (John Donne), 2012 - play
For additional information or to arrange commissions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Mathews
126 Timber Lane, Palatka, FL 32177 • Tel. (386) 312-0001
E-Mail: Roundlake126@aol.com
Chamber and Instrumental Music
Keyboard
Aquarelle for piano, 1969 - play
Cavatina for organ, 1970 (Pub. Lorenz, 1977) - play
Be Thou My Vision for organ, 1971 (Pub. Lorenz, 1977)
Improvisation on a Theme by César Franck for organ, 1978 (Pub. Lorenz, 1979)
Twelve Fanfares for organ, 1983
A Carol Fantasy for piano, 1985
In the Lord Put I My Trust, psalm-prelude for organ, 1991 (Pub. MorningStar, 1993) - play
Voice(s) and Instrument(s)
The Flower (George Herbert) violin, soprano and piano, 1972 - play
Psalm 8 for 2 treble voices and harp, 1982
Psalm 84 for violin, soprano and piano, 1989 - play
Psalm 46 for cello, soprano and piano, 2018
Instrumental
Fanfare for 2 trumpets and organ, 1970
Elegy in Spring for violin and piano, 1972 - play
Quartet for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (3 mvts.), 1972
Lament for Anna for cello and piano, 1973 - play
Capriccio for flute and piano, 1976
Quintet for Six Players for string quartet and piano four hands (2 mvts.), 1975-78
Prelude for flute and harp, 1981
Fantaisie for oboe, cello and harp (1982-83) - play
Two Carols arr. for flute choir: 1. Hark the Herald Angels Sing (8 flutes); 2. Joy to the World (6 flutes), 1985
Fanfare for a Festive Occasion for 2 trumpets and organ, 1990 (Arr. for brass quintet and organ, 2004) - play
Intermezzo for violin and organ, 1991 (Pub. MorningStar, 1997) - play
Pastorale for clarinet and organ, 1993 (Pub. MorningStar, 1994) - play
– Also arranged for soprano (or tenor) saxophone & organ (Pub. MorningStar, 2019)
Four Seasons for cello and organ, 1986-99
- Autumn Nocturne, 1987 (Pub. MorningStar, 1997) - play
- Winter Lament, 1997 (Pub. MorningStar, 2001) - play
- Spring Serenade, 1999 (Pub. MorningStar, 2001) - play
- Last Song of Summer, 1986 (Pub. MorningStar, 1989) - play
Hymns for harp and organ, 2005
- Slane (Pub. MorningStar, 2007) - play
- Windsor (Pub. MorningStar, 2007) - play
- Crucifer (Pub. MorningStar, 2007) - play
There Is a Fountain for string orchestra, 2015
Elegy for flute (or viola) and piano, 2015 (Pub. MorningStar, 2022)
There Is a Fountain for harp and organ, 2017 - play
Suite française for harp and organ, 2017
Intermezzo for violin and harp, 2019
All Things Bright and Beautiful for harp and organ, 2022
For additional information or to arrange commissions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Mathews
126 Timber Lane, Palatka, FL 32177 • Tel. (386) 312-0001
E-Mail: Roundlake126@aol.com
Transcribed Works
Quia vidisti me (SATB), Orlande de Lassus
For additional information or to arrange commissions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Mathews
126 Timber Lane, Palatka, FL 32177 • Tel. (386) 312-0001
E-Mail: Roundlake126@aol.com
Career Highlights
EDUCATION: Peter Mathews was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1944 and studied violin from age 6, and piano from age 12 under the Toronto Conservatory system. His early piano training was with Edward Parker, of the renowned Parker family of Canadian pianists. In 1963-64 he studied in England with Morris Taylor, one of the last students of Dame Myra Hess, and received a Licentiate Diploma in Piano Performance at the Royal Academy of Music, London. His undergraduate degree in Music and History is from Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Graduate studies include both a Master of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts in Conducting from the University of Missouri in Kansas City where he worked with Eph Ehly.
COMPOSITION: Dr. Mathews has written about 200 compositions. While composing music for worship, his commissions from many parts of the United States and Canada have included choral and chamber music with voices and instruments in varying combinations. He also has a series of attractive works for solo instruments and organ featuring the cello, violin, clarinet and harp. Specific pieces can be seen and heard in the “List of Works.” Favorite choral works are: Come Down, O Love Divine for brass, SATB and organ (1982); O sacrum convivium! for unaccompanied SATB (1985); Missa brevis for SATB and organ (1988); Jubilate Deo for SA and piano (1994); Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem for unaccompanied SATB (1995); God Is Our Refuge and Strength for SATB and organ (2001); Magnificat and Nunc dimittis for SA and organ (2007). Popular instrumental works are: Aquarelle for piano solo (1969); Quartet in 3 mvts. for clarinet, violin, cello and piano (1972); Psalm 84 for violin, soprano and piano (1989); Pastorale for clarinet and organ (1993); Last Song of Summer from Four Seasons for cello and organ (1986-99); Three Hymns for harp and organ (2005); Suite française for harp and organ (2017). Mathews has also composed 50 art songs which were written between 1964 and 2012. He considers them to be among his best work and they embody his compositional ideal that music should have beauty, pathos and power.
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: From 1977-1982 he was the Composer-in-Residence at Grace and Holy Trinity Episcopal Cathedral under John Schaefer in Kansas City. As a male alto, he has sung in the Early Music Consort of Kansas City and in various cathedral churches. From 1984-95, he conducted the Florida Hospital Chorus in Orlando, and from that came the inspiration for a chamber choir, Orlando XIII (1994-2003). The last eleven years of his 40-year church choir conducting career ended in 2010 where he served as Choirmaster for St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in DeLand, Florida. In his last teaching position from 2006-2014 he taught Music Appreciation, Music History, Form & Analysis and Orchestration at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville.
As a conductor and workshop clinician, Dr. Mathews conducted (a commissioned work, “Song of the Three Young Men” for SATB, brass and organ) at the 1993 Southeast Regional Convention of the American Guild of Organists. The 1994 Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida Choir Festival also featured the composer in this dual capacity. He was awarded the anthem commission in 1999 for the 49th Annual Sewanee Church Music Conference, long recognized for excellence by the Episcopal Church Standing Commission on Church Music. In January 2000 he conducted two commissioned choral premières at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Augusta, Georgia as part of their 250th anniversary celebration. A fanfare for brass and organ and an anthem were commissioned for the 150th anniversary of the First Congregational Church in St. Joseph, Michigan in 2004.
COLLABORATIONS AND RECORDINGS: For many years the music of Peter Mathews was regularly performed at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke, Orlando, Florida under the direction of the late Ben Lane and Claire Hodge. In 2005 he completed a two-part treble Missa brevis setting for their childrens’ choirs and organ for their European tour during the Christmas season. The same venue saw the première of his Magnificat and Nunc dimittis in 2007 for the 20th anniversary of the Orlando Deanery Girls Choir conducted by Hazel Somerville, founder of the choir. In 2023 he wrote a setting of “All Things Bright and Beautiful” for harp and organ for Ensemble Lafayette.
Commissioned works of Peter Mathews gained exposure through live performance and compact disc projects for the choirs of Edith Ho (Church of the Advent, Boston), Anton Armstrong (St. Olaf College) and David Brensinger (Atlanta Singers). The 1994 Florida All-State High School Chorus, Boston’s Youth Pro Musica, DePauw University, Stetson University, Christ Church Cathedral, Montreal and the Vancouver Chamber Choir have included works by Peter Mathews on their CDs and in their choirs’ concerts and tours. His liturgical music was featured in June 2000 at the Regional Convention of the National Association of Pastoral Musicians held in Orlando. In 2006, the Centaur label issued a CD with his “Four Seasons” for cello and organ, performed by Donald Moline, Chicago Symphony cellist, and Holy Name Cathedral organist Ricardo Ramirez. His “Intermezzo” has also been recorded by the Murray-Lohuis Duo in their CD series in Volume 5, “All American Works for Violin and Organ” by Raven Recordings. German/Canadian saxophonist, Claudia Tesorino, and Montreal-based organist, Jonathan Oldengarm, recorded “Pastorale” for clarinet (or saxophone) and organ for their 2020 CD “Canadian Landscapes.”
“Ubi caritas” for SATB and organ was commissioned for the installation of the bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida in 2012. In 2015 and 2017 “Fantaisie” and “Passacaille” for harp and organ were commissioned and performed by Lafayette Square Duo, St. John’s Church, Lafayette Square, D.C. A setting of “Arise, Shine” for TB and organ was written for the men of the Episcopal Cathedral in Orlando to commemorate their summer tour to Canterbury Cathedral. Mathews was commissioned in 2018 by the St. Augustine, Florida, Community Chorus for a setting of “What Sweeter Music” for their 70th anniversary. His “Te Deum” was sung in Orlando at the installation of the new bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Central Florida in 2023.
PUBLISHERS: Dr. Mathews’ compositions have been published by Alliance, Choristers Guild, H.W. Gray, Lauren Kaiser, Kjos, Lawson-Gould, Lorenz, MorningStar, Southern Music Company and St. James Music Press. All the unpublished works have been engraved by the composer and are available upon request. Many of his compositions can be heard on YouTube.
TOURS OF FRANCE: His interest in French culture has taken him on many bike trips with his partner, Eric Jump, to study the cathedrals and great churches of France. Some photos from these trips are being shared on this Web site in the hope of giving pleasure to those already familiar with these magnificent monuments and to those discovering them for the first time.
For additional information or to arrange commissions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Mathews
126 Timber Lane, Palatka, FL 32177 • Tel. (386) 312-0001
E-Mail: Roundlake126@aol.com
Contact/Publishing
More than eighty works by Peter Mathews are published. The publishers are noted on the "List of Works" pages, with links to their websites.
For other works, or to arrange commissions, contact the composer directly:
Dr. Peter Mathews
126 Timber Lane, Palatka, FL 32177 • Tel. (386) 312-0001
E-Mail: Roundlake126@aol.com
For additional information or to arrange commissions, please contact:
Dr. Peter Mathews
126 Timber Lane, Palatka, FL 32177 • Tel. (386) 312-0001
E-Mail: Roundlake126@aol.com
