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A near-native of Melbourne, Australia, Vaughan McAlley has spent his now-long career developing expertise in many aspects of music, including choral music, instrumental and orchestral music, conducting, singing, and composing. He is a long-time member of Ensemble Gombert, and is a principal tenor in the choir of Scots’ Church in Melbourne.

His love of renaissance music has influenced his compositions, which explore the expressive capabilities of musical counterpoint. His motet Omnes angeli is the first fully-polyphonic 40-part motet since Spem in alium (1570) by Thomas Tallis. Other major works from the last decade include A Human Requiem, a setting for a cappella choir of the biblical passages Johannes Brahms chose for his German Requiem, Lamentations for 5-part choir, and a string quartet.

Music from 4 to 40 Parts

In 2019 he released an album, Music from 4 to 40 parts with Move Records. It is available from the iTunes Music Store, on Spotify, or as a CD from Buywell Music or the Australian Music Centre.

Vaughan conducting at a recording of one his pieces

The Way of the Cross

A contemporary audio meditation on the Stations of the Cross

Album out now: listen on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, YouTube Music.

Michelangelo’s Pietà, a statue of Mary holding Christ after his death.

Photograph by Stanislav Traykov CC BY 2.5

In the year 2000 I was commissioned to compose a piece for the inauguration of the ecumenical Way of the Cross march, organised by Melbourne City Churches in Action. The sculptor Anna Meszaros created fourteen stations that stand in various city churches, and every Good Friday a large group of people marches around the city, with prayer and meditation at every station. The eleventh station—Jesus speaks to the good thief—can be found outside Scots’ Church in Collins St. Since then, I have enjoyed looking at various sculptures and paintings of the Way of the Cross in Australia and Europe.

This album began as a lunchtime concert for Holy Week at the Scots’ Church in Melbourne. Instead of assembling some singers and singing renaissance music like I usually do, I decided to try something more contemporary. This concert was intended to be a meditation on selected stations of the cross, revealing the emotions behind the stations with simple singing of carefully-chosen songs. Some of the songs are sacred, some are secular, and some in between, but I intend that they all convey a personal impression of Christ’s passion.

Overview

The Last Supper: Farewell.
The Parting Glass (Scottish & Irish traditional)


The Garden of Gethsemane: Fear
Gethsemane from Jesus Christ, Superstar (lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber)


Peter’s betrayal of Jesus: Regret
Have mercy on me / Dido’s Lament (lyrics from Psalm 51, music by Henry Purcell)


Jesus scourged and crowned with thorns: Pain
Improvisation (Tony Gould)


Jesus is crucified: Desolation
Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (African-American spiritual)


Jesus speaks to Mary and John: Death of one’s child
Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton & Will Jennings)


Jesus dies on the cross: Staring into the void; abandonment
Improvisation (Tony Gould)


Jesus is taken down from the cross: Pietà
Sweet Lullaby (Traditional Baeggu lullaby, as interpreted by Emma Gilmartin, Tony Gould)


Jesus rises from the dead: Hope
The White Cliffs of Dover (Nat Burton & Walter Kent)
Prepare ye the way of the Lord from Godspell (John-Michael Tebelak & Stephen Schwarz)

The Last Supper: Farewell
The Parting Glass (Scottish & Irish traditional)

The Parting Glass is a beloved song of farewell in Scotland and Ireland, possibly the most popular farewell song in Scotland before Robbie Burns wrote Auld Lang Syne. The words have been around since at least 1600, and the music was first published in 1782.

Lyrics:
Oh all the comrades e’er I had:
They’re sorry for my going away,
And all the sweethearts e’er I had:
They’d wish me one more day to stay,
But since it falls unto my lot
I’ll gently rise and softly call
That I should go and you should not:
Good night and joy be with you all.

(Return to overview)

The Garden of Gethsemane: Fear
Gethsemane from Jesus Christ, Superstar (lyrics by Tim Rice, music by Andrew Lloyd-Webber)

Jesus Christ, Superstar made a significant step in its long journey from controversy to respectability when Steve Balsamo sang Gethsemane on the BBC’s Songs of Praise in 2008. It is a powerful imagining of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane, with Jesus pleading, bargaining, and being angry with God before finally and reluctantly accepting his fate.

Lyrics:
I only want to say
If there is a way:
Take this cup away from me
For I don’t want to taste its poison,
Feel it burn me—
I have changed I’m not as sure
As when we started
Then I was inspired
Now I’m sad and tired
Listen surely I’ve exceeded
Expectations
Tried for three years
Seems like thirty
Could you ask as much
From any other man?
But if I die:
See the saga through
And do the things you ask of me–
Let them hate me, hit me, hurt me,
Nail me to their tree
I’d want to know,
I’d want to know, my God,
I’d want to see, my God,
I’d want to see,
I’d want to see, my God,
Why I should die
Would I be more noticed
Than I ever was before?
Would the things I’ve said and done
Matter any more?
I’d have to know,
I’d have to know, my Lord,
I’d have to see,
I’d have to see, my Lord,
If I die what will be my reward?
I’d have to know,
I’d have to know, my Lord,
I’d have to know,
I’d have to know, my Lord,
Why should I die?
Oh, why should I die?
Can you show me now that I would not be killed in vain?
Show me just a little of your omnipresent brain
Show me there’s a reason for your wanting me to die
You’re far too keen on where and how but not so hot on why
Alright I’ll die!
Just watch me die!
See how, see how I die!
Oh, just watch me die!
Then I was inspired,
Now I’m sad and tired,
After all I’ve tried for three years–
Seems like ninety.
Why then am I scared
To finish what I started,
What you started,
I didn’t start it.
God thy will is hard–
But you hold every card
I will drink your cup of poison
Nail me to your cross and break me
Bleed me, beat me
Kill me, take me now
before I change my mind.

(Return to overview)

Peter’s betrayal of Jesus: Regret

Have mercy on me / Dido’s Lament (lyrics from Psalm 51, music by Henry Purcell)

I wanted to find a song about the kind of regret that makes you want to weep as Peter did when he realised how badly he had let Jesus down. I looked through a large number of songs, before realising that none of them expressed regret quite as well Psalm 51. This psalm was written by King David when the prophet Nathan pointed out how badly he had misused his power, effectively murdering Uriah to be able to marry Uriah’s wife Bathsheba. I have fitted the words to the music of Dido’s Lament by Purcell, one of the great “ground bass” arias, and one that has been interpreted by many traditional and modern musicians.

Lyrics:
Have mercy upon me, O God,
according to thy lovingkindness:
my sin is ever before me.

(Return to overview)

Jesus is scourged and crowned with thorns: Pain

Improvisation (Tony Gould)

(Return to overview)

Jesus is crucified: Desolation

Were you there when they crucified my Lord? (African-American spiritual)

The top of a cross would undoubtedly be a lonely place. This very famous spiritual was most likely composed by African-American slaves in the nineteenth century, and was first printed in 1899. Its simple and direct expression makes it an especially effective piece to sing without accompaniment.

Lyrics:
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they crucified my Lord?

Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they nailed him to the cross?

Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when they pierced him in the side?

Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?
O! Sometimes it causes me to tremble! tremble! tremble!
Were you there when the sun refused to shine?

(Return to overview)

Jesus speaks to Mary and John: Death of one’s child

Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton & Will Jennings)

This scene, where Jesus tells his mother and John to look after each other, is very touching. Emotionally, I wanted to turn it around and think of the scene from Mary’s point of view. Losing a child is devastating, and then being new father, I could glimpse just how devastating it might be. Tears in Heaven was written by Eric Clapton after the tragic death of his four-year-old son Conor. He was able to channel his grief into this heartfelt song that speaks to parents and non-parents alike.

Lyrics:
Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven

Would you hold my hand
If I saw you in heaven?
Would you help me stand
If I saw you in heaven?
I’ll find my way through night and day
‘Cause I know I just can’t stay here in heaven

Time can bring you down, time can bend your knees
Time can break your heart, have you begging please, begging please

Beyond the door there’s peace I’m sure
And I know there’ll be no more tears in heaven

Would you know my name
If I saw you in heaven?
Would it be the same
If I saw you in heaven?
I must be strong and carry on
‘Cause I know I don’t belong here in heaven

(Return to overview)

Jesus dies on the cross: Staring into the void; abandonment

Improvisation (Tony Gould)

(Return to overview)

Jesus is taken down from the cross: Pietà

Sweet Lullaby (Traditional Baeggu lullaby, as interpreted by Emma Gilmartin & Tony Gould)

This song is the first track on Emma Gilmartin’s album with Tony Gould, and is much of the inspiration for the whole album. The idea of the Pietà (a picture or sculpture of Mary cradling the dead Jesus) developed in Germany around 1300 and gradually gained popularity around Europe. I have seen many beautiful examples in Europe, the most extraordinary and moving being Michelangelo’s famous sculpture in Rome. Perhaps Mary is thinking back to when she cradled and sang her infant son to sleep, as she says goodbye to him for the last time.

Lyrics:
Sleep in peace; be still, I am here for you,
Dream away, you are safe in my arms,

Through the long, long night to the morning
No need to drown now the page is turned over,
Close your eyes and breathe in the silence,
You will find peace and time to love again.

Through the long, long night to the morning
Hide away from the world you remember,
Though you feel so far from the answer
You will find peace and time to love again.

(Return to overview)

Jesus rises from the dead: Hope

The White Cliffs of Dover (Nat Burton & Walter Kent)
Prepare ye the way of the Lord from Godspell (John-Michael Tebelak & Stephen Schwarz)

Jesus’ resurrection is a relatively recent addition to the Way of the Cross. After his death, Jesus’ friends and disciples were in mourning. In hindsight, we know that Easter is coming, but it is still Lent, so the miracle of Easter is more of a dim light at the end of a long bleak tunnel. The White Cliffs of Dover, made famous by Dame Vera Lynn, offered the prospect of eventual hope during the darkest days of World War II.

The program ends with a beginning: the first song from Godspell. Just as John the Baptist wants people to prepare for the coming of the Christ, we should be preparing for the Kingdom of God that will have its genesis on Easter morning.

Lyrics:
There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow–
Just you wait and see.

There’ll be love and laughter,
And peace ever after
Tomorrow–
When the world is free

The shepherd will tend his sheep,
The valley will bloom again,
And Jimmy will go to sleep,
In his own little room again.

There’ll be bluebirds over
The white cliffs of Dover
Tomorrow–
Just you wait and see.

Prepare ye the way of the Lord,
Prepare ye the way of the Lord.

(Return to overview)

String Quartet (2015)

This string quartet began with a desire to write an In nomine, a popular instrumental form from the sixteenth century. At that time it became popular to write music for viol consort based on the meane (ie. alto) part from the In nomine section of John Taverner’s Missa Gloria Tibi Trinitas. With this idea, I proceeded to complete a movement for string quartet in a few days, a very short time frame for me.

The Flinders Quartet playing at their inaugural Composer Development Program concert

With what seemed like quite a good movement completed, I decided to make the In nomine the first movement of a full-blown string quartet. Shortly afterwards my first child was born, and the subsequent three movements took another two years to complete!

The first movement is a classic In nomine movement, with John Taverner’s cantus firmus appearing in the second violin, with the other parts weaving harmony around it.

The second movement is a scherzo with trios. The scherzo is in sonata form, and is interrupted by four “trios”, each a variation using a different set of three players drawn from the quartet.

The third movement is a slow set of variations, and uses the rare (for me) compositional device of silence, which is slowly filled in over the variations. The Flinders Quartet played it in 2016 as part of their inaugural Composer Development Program concert (listen here).

The final movement is a lively set of variations with intricate polyphony. As a tribute to my elder daughter Eleanor, it is exactly 2013 semiquavers long, and so tightly constructed that correcting consecutive octaves in one place required rewriting nine different places in the score. All this may appear dry, but the movement is joyful and would make a great spectacle to watch.

Compositions

Undeterred by a disastrous performance of my first song at a school camp, I have been composing in earnest since 1984. In 2000 I settled on an idiom that allowed me to fully indulge my enthusiasm for the expressive possibilities of counterpoint. Here is a incomplete list of my music. You may also find complementary information on my page at the Australian Music Centre.

Choral Music

DateTitleWordsInstrumentation
2010A Birthday (AMC)Christina RossettiSATTB choir
2012Lamentations (AMC)Bible5-part choir (SAATB or ATTBarB)
2012Omnes angeliBible40-part choir
2015To Rosamounde, a balade (AMC)Geoffrey ChaucerSSAATTBB choir with optional 18-part ending
2019A Human Requiem
(world premiere 16 October 2022 in Melbourne)		BibleMezzo-soprano solo, SSAATTBB choir, with optional 18-part ending
2020Magpie MorningKatherine FirthClarinet, SATB choir with soprano and bass solos, organ

Instrumental music

DateTitleWordsInstrumentation
2007Chaconne (AMC)Double string orchestra or double flute choir (10 parts)
2015String Quartet (AMC)Two violins, viola, cello

Hymn arrangements for brass quintet

I have a number of exciting hymn arrangements. They have been performed over the years at Scots’ Church on Easter morning and at “Big Hymn Sings”. I am intending to put them all into the shop, but if you are interested, let me know, and we should be able to come to an arrangement.

The following arrangements are for choir, congregation, brass quintet (2 trumpets, horn, trombone and tuba) and timpani:

  • Thine be the Glory (Maccabeus)
  • The Strife is O’er (Gelobt sei Gott)
  • Jesus Christ is Risen Today (Easter Hymn)
  • A Safe Stronghold (Ein feste Burg)
  • Love Divine (Hyfrydol)
  • To God Be the Glory (To God Be the Glory)
  • Jerusalem (Jerusalem) Listen
  • Guide me, O Thou great Jehovah (Cwm Rhondda)
  • Abide with Me (Eventide) Listen

This arrangement is for the same ensemble, but without the tuba:

  • Hark! The Herald Angels Sing (Mendelssohn)

This arrangement is for clarinet, organ, and pandemic-sized choir:

  • Jesus, Lover of My Soul (Aberystwyth) Listen

Biography

Vaughan McAlley briefly studied flute at the University of Melbourne
with Prudence Davis before specialising in Composition under Brenton
Broadstock. Since joining the chamber choir Ensemble Gombert in 1999
he has composed primarily choral music, exploring the potential of the
relatively strict rules of renaissance counterpoint combined with just
intonation, a typically choral method of tuning. Major works include
the 3rd Sinfonietta for orchestra (2003), Missa Caelestis for choir
(2003), Veritas de terra orta est for choir (2005-2009), Four Chorale
Preludes in Mass Form for piano (2008), written for Michael Kieran
Harvey, Chaconne for double string orchestra (2009), and Lamentations
for choir (2012). Ensemble Gombert has performed Missa Caelestis in
2007, and Veritas de terra orta est in 2009, both recorded by ABC
Classic-FM.

For his fortieth birthday party in 2010, Vaughan organised
a performance of Thomas Tallis’ Spem in alium, and presented the first
section of his own forty-part motet, Omnes angeli. Omnes angeli was
completed late in 2012, and was performed on 26 October 2013 at The
Dome, 333 Collins Street Melbourne by Ensemble Gombert, conducted by John
O’Donnell.

Since then he has written a String Quartet (2016), To
Rosamounde (2015), a balade with words by Geoffrey Chaucer, and A Human
Requiem (2019) for a cappella choir. His album Music for 4 to 40
parts was released in August 2019, and contains many of the pieces mentioned
above.

Vaughan is a principal tenor at Scots Church in Melbourne. He married Leonie Tonkin in 2007 and they now has two excellent daughters. He also enjoys the gym, sauna culture, extracting a good espresso, and computer programming.

Omnes angeli

motet for 40-part choir

by Vaughan McAlley (2012)

The idea for Omnes angeli came to me when I decided to organize a casual performance of Thomas Tallis’ Spem in alium for my fortieth birthday. With forty voices voices to be assembled, I decided to try writing a forty-part piece of my own. The text for Omnes angeli comes from the Book of Revelation 7:11-12:

And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God, saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.

Omnes angeli was premiered on 26 October 2013, in a concert at The Dome, 333 Collins Street, Melbourne. John O’Donnell conducted Ensemble Gombert, together with guest singers:

Richard Bolitho, David Brown, Peter Campbell, Yi Wen Chin, Rebecca Collins, Catherine Cowie, Will Cuningham, Robin Czuchnowski, Tim Daly, Niki Ebacioni, Hildy Essex, Sarah Harris, Brian Johnson, Claerwen Jones, Loclan MacKenzie-Spencer, Jenny Mathers, Kate McBride, Josh McLeod, Andrew Murray, Megan Nelson, Tim van Nooten, Katherine Norman, Mike Ormerod, Ben Owen, Kathryn Pisani, Maria Pisani, Sam Qualtrough, Andrew Raiskums, Tom Reid, Katrina Renard, Julien Robinson, Michael Stephens, Stuart Tennant, Matt Thomson, Leonie Tonkin, Carol Veldhoven, Jonathan Wallis, John Weretka, Belinda Wong-Barker, Kim Worley.

I wrote the following notes for the program:

From a technical point of view, writing music in forty parts is like writing a novel with forty main characters—ones needs a very good way of keeping track of everything. It is also an enormous canvas, requiring a suitably grand subject. I was partly inspired by the near-death experience described a non-musical Baptist pastor. In his experience of Heaven he described numerous angels all singing different lines but harmonising together, a beautiful scene for theists and humanists alike. As a text I chose the scene of angels, elders and animals worshipping the Lamb from the Book of Revelation.

A forty-part choir allows gigantic and spectacular tuttis, but also many different combinations of smaller groups. Omnes angeli is written for ten four-part choirs, all with different voicings (except for choirs 4 and 5), and which are arranged in a semicircle. The higher voices of sopranos and altos are on the outside edges, whereas the middle choirs are a rich ensemble of tenors, baritones and basses. From each end of the semicircle, the two highest sopranos call and answer “one to another” like the Seraphim from the book of Isaiah (6:2-3).

In the middle section, every part sings the breathless phrase “Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever”. This phrase is begun by the men of Choir 6, gradually works its way around the the high voices of Choir 10, jumps to Choir 1, and progresses around the semicircle until it reaches Choir 5. Choir 5 finishes the acclamation, but is mostly drowned out by a huge tutti Amen that is the climax of the whole work. As Tallis learned, having each of forty parts enter one after another will occupy a significant proportion of one’s piece!