Product Description
A short choral work by award-winning British choral composer, Tim Riley (lyrics by John Lovat). In just 15 minutes, this work retells the highly dramatic story of The Newport Rising. Tim Riley specialises in creating compelling works of intermediate difficult for Community Choirs with mixed ability singers.
In 1839, 4,000 Chartists marched on Newport in Gwent, Wales, UK. They were part of the Chartist movement, campaigning for better voting right for all. Unarmed, apart from sticks, they arrived at the Westgate Hotel in Newport where they demanded the release of a political prisoner being held there. Local militia opened fire. Twenty two protestors were killed and a further fifty injured. The leaders of the march were sentenced to be 'hanged, drawn and quartered'.
Although the march ended in tragedy, most of their demands for universal suffrage are now enshrined in the laws of most democratic societies across the world.
The music has been composed in a style that many will find reminiscent of Les Miserable, but there are also touches of Lloyd Webber, Kurt Weill and Gilbert and Sullivan.
This arrangement is ideal for community choirs and is a SAAB arrangement. There are two alto parts, but the lower alto part could easily be taken by tenors to give a SATB arrangement. This piece was originally composed and arranged for the Insole Court Community Choir in South Wales (near where the Chartist March took place). In May 2022, the Insole Court Community Choir competed at the Cheltenham Festival for Performing Arts with Tim Riley conducting and won the Musical Theatre section with this work.
If you would like more information, please feel free to contact the composer directly timriley66@gmail.com
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