William Hayes in his doctoral robes, painted c. 1749. As Professor of Music at Oxford, he was one of the leading provincial English musicians of the time.
As part of a long-term project, we have been working our way through the music of William Hayes (1708-1777). We have a special interest in Hayes because was born locally in Gloucester, and was one of the leading English composers of his generation.
In 2010, we recorded a CD of his instrumental and vocal music which included the harpsichord concerto, two concerti grossi, a trio sonata and two cantatas - all music written for and performed in the Holywell Music Room in Oxford. You can listen to it here.
More recently, we gave the first modern performance of the Fall of Jericho, a short English-language oratorio in November 2017. It is a work of great inventiveness and originality, with several double-chorus movements and delectable arias. We recorded the work July 2018, along with the D major organ concerto. To find more about this work, click here to download the CD notes.
Alongside performing Hayes’s music, we are making available the following editions for purchase. This is a print-on-demand service and please contact us for further details. Music currently available:
Concerto Grosso in D Major
Concerto Grosse in G minor (with Pastorale final movement)
Trio Sonata in E minor
Trio Sonata in F major
Fall of Jericho Vocal Score
In preparation: Fall of Jericho - orchestral parts and score.
Free score and parts of the G major harpsichord concerto have been made available on IMSLP here.