Cecilia Mcdowall
Cecilia Mcdowall is one of Britain’s most in-demand composers. Though perhaps best known for her choral works, she writes for a wide range of performers. Recent compositions include the pandemic-inspired pieces Notes from Abroad, for pianist Duncan Honeybourne, and On the Air, for Ohio’s Cleveland Chamber Choir.
I was seven when I started learning the piano. I’d always been interested in improvising, so composing seemed a logical extension of that process. My father was a professional flautist, so I went to many concerts that he was involved in. When I was about five I heard Bach’s
St Matthew Passion, which my mother also sang in. That made a big impression on me.
History, science and art are all points from which I begin writing. I also find there’s a lot of inspiration to be had from remarkable people, such as Nujeen Mustafa whose extraordinary migration story inspired my piece Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo.
I met her last year at the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature in Dubai. It was the first time she had heard the piece, which was most moving for me. Fortunately, she seemed to enjoy it!
I plan a piece before I even go near the piano. I like to have a good idea of the shape of the work and what I want to achieve
with it, and it’s then that I begin to improvise. It might seem old fashioned, but I write down my thoughts on manuscript paper and then transfer them to the computer. I’m wary of being too bound by computer so ware, because of its limiting e ect. I feel so much more freedom when I’m at the piano.
I have di erent approaches to writing for di erent ensembles. If it’s professional, I’ll probably write more freely, and if it’s amateur I o en feel that I need to root the harmony in some way so that the notes for singers are easier to find. I’m also very aware of the practicalities of rehearsal time. For a liturgical piece, choirs have probably only got about ten minutes to rehearse it in if it’s just before a service.
I love writing for the voice and I feel I’ve still got much to do there. But at the same time I absolutely love it when I have the opportunity to write for an instrument or a combination of instruments. It’s a refreshingly di erent experience.