Catalogue of Compositions
Phillip’s music is strongly influenced by his native Lake District and by history. His main musical influences are found in continuing and reconciling a pastoral British tradition.
What Sudden Blaze of Song (2026)
What Sudden Blaze of Song is a setting of sections of John Keble’s beloved Christmas Day, famous for its powerful, memorable opening lines. Keble’s poem runs to eleven verses and for practicalities sake, I have taken the first two and sections of the final verse with the beautiful closing statement of ‘And in the darkness sing your carol of high praise.’ My piece aims to capture the atmosphere and majesty of this ‘blaze of song’ with solo lines and choral clusters alternating with more declamatory moments and fanfares of celebration. Song is present throughout, no more so than in the second verse where a long soprano solo is accompanied by a multitude of voices all singing the same song in wordless heterophony.