Full Catalogue

Accompanied Recording from CD ‘Childers Shining’ ~ music by Sarah Hopkins performed by massed community choir with the Bundaberg Youth Orchestra conducted by Robert Rotar.

Hullayha (pronounced ‘Hull-ay-ha’) for SATB divisi choir a cappella or accompanied (by optional percussion, String Orchestra or Full Orchestra). The soulful opening gradually transforms into abundant joy. All the melodies are very ‘singable’ & supported by sustained drones which ‘birth’ out of the melody line.

This secular piece laments the loss caused to both western and indigenous cultures when white miners arrive to mine for gold.

Graeme Morton’s piece “In Flanders Fields” is a poignant setting of the poem by John McCrae. The touching piece swells emotionally, with moments of word painting and an overall sense of serenity. A highly recommended addition for memorial events.

The recording above features the University of Queensland Chamber Singers (2018).

New to Morton Music – digital copies are now available from RSCM Music Direct (UK) via the Other Countries link.

This Antiphon is from the Catholic Requiem Mass at the time when the body is carried out of the Church.

The English translation is:
May the angels lead thee into paradise: may the martyrs receive thee at thy coming, and lead thee into the holy city of Jerusalem.
May the choir of angels receive thee, and mayest thou have eternal rest with Lazarus, who once was poor.
(From the Saint Andrew Daily Missal, Bruges, 1957)

This In Paradisum was first sung at the funeral of my twin brother, Peter. I began writing the music the day Peter died. The Geelong, St Mary’s Choir sang this work at Peter’s funeral some days later.

For this composer, the ‘angels’ are all those who assist the dying person and their families at these times of sorrow, anguish and loss. © 2017

The five songs of this suite are the perfect simple introduction to modern techniques of vocal writing for high school, college or community choir. The work constitutes a gradual progression from the cicada chorus of late afternoon through the gathering darkness to a night fishing excursion and finally sleep. The score is presented in easy-to-read manuscript.

A humorous look at the monkey and turtle who go looking for bananas and get shot! Suitable for children of all ages! Only available within the collection of Island Songs (available in SATB and SA voicings).

The SATB version is for unaccompanied choir. The treble version  has a piano accompaniment.

(The musical example is for mixed voices, from Great Southern Spirits by The Australian Voices. Released: 1994.)

An easy but effective strophic song emphasizing community. “Come my brother, come my friend, wait, wait in the deep”.

This piece is available as a part of the Island Songs set (available in SATB and SA voicings). The SATB version is for unaccompanied choir. The treble version  has a piano accompaniment.

(The musical example is for mixed voices)

A beautiful song of travel and love. This is a lovely arrangement of a Torres Strait Island song. Only available within the collection of Island Songs.

This piece is available as a part of the Island Songs set (available in both SATB and SA voicings). The SATB version is for unaccompanied choir. The treble version  has a piano accompaniment.

(The musical example is for mixed voices, from Great Southern Spirits by The Australian Voices. Released: 1994.)

Three songs from the Torres Strait Islands to the north of Australia. Comprises Monkey and Turtle, Trade Winds and Morning Tide. Good for use in classrooms or with choirs at elementary or high school level.

The SATB version is for unaccompanied choir. The treble version  has a piano accompaniment.

(The musical examples are for mixed voices, from Great Southern Spirits by The Australian Voices. Released: 1994.)

Monkey and Turtle:

Trade Winds:

Morning Tide:

An SATB version can be found here.

Three songs from the Torres Strait Islands to the north of Australia. Comprises Monkey and Turtle, Trade Winds and Morning Tide. Good for use in classrooms or with choirs at elementary or high school level.

The SATB version is for unaccompanied choir. The treble version (SA) has a piano accompaniment.

Monkey and Turtle:

Trade Winds:

Recordings are from Great Southern Spirits (1994) by The Australian Voices.

Please click here to download “Jingle Bells” by Graeme Morton

Add to your Christmas Carolling with this light-hearted arrangement.

One of the easiest and most immediately appealing from Stephen Leek’s In Construction series. It is suitable for singers of all ages and uses indigenous Australian words that are spoken in rhythm at various pitch levels. “Kumbargung” means “night” and other evocative words include “ungi gungi” (grasshopper) and “goolay yali” (pelican). A delight for all ages!

La La Land is the third piece in a collection of four pieces for treble voices and piano. It is available in SA and SSA voicings.

Composer Paul Stanhope writes:

Losing the Plot is a collection of songs for children’s voices and piano with texts by Michael Leunig. They were written as a follow up to my earlier cycle of Leunig pieces called Songs of Innocence and Joy for treble voices and chamber orchestra.

The first of these pieces, Talking to My Shoe was commissioned and premiered by the Sydney Children’s Choir as part of their 15th anniversary in 2004. The remaining three songs in the cycle were commissioned by the Network of Treble Ensembles (NoTE) which includes Brisbane Biralee Voices, Gondwana Voices,Young Adelaide Voices and Young Voices of Melbourne. All the songs in this set are tinged with an exuberant sense of the absurd, but as usual with Leunig’s texts, there are many layers of meaning and often twists in the tale.

The songs are written for upper-primary to high-school aged treble voices mostly in unison and two parts. In two songs—Talking to My Shoe and La–La Land—the choir splits into three parts, but only in a couple of short passages. A more difficult version of this piece also exists with the voices divided into three parts.

Permission should be sought from Penguin Books Australia before re-printing any of the texts.

The recordings are by the Australian Boys Choir conducted by Noel Ancell.

La La Land is the third piece in a collection of four pieces by Paul Stanhope. It is available in SA and piano, or SSA and piano.

Composer Paul Stanhope writes:

Losing the Plot is a collection of songs for children’s voices and piano with texts by Michael Leunig. They were written as a follow up to my earlier cycle of Leunig pieces called Songs of Innocence and Joy for treble voices and chamber orchestra.

The first of these pieces, Talking to My Shoe was commissioned and premiered by the Sydney Children’s Choir as part of their 15th anniversary in 2004. The remaining three songs in the cycle were commissioned by the Network of Treble Ensembles (NoTE) which includes Brisbane Biralee Voices, Gondwana Voices,Young Adelaide Voices and Young Voices of Melbourne. All the songs in this set are tinged with an exuberant sense of the absurd, but as usual with Leunig’s texts, there are many layers of meaning and often twists in the tale.

The songs are written for upper-primary to high-school aged treble voices mostly in unison and two parts. In two songs—Talking to My Shoe and La–La Land—the choir splits into three parts, but only in a couple of short passages. A more difficult version of this piece also exists with the voices divided into three parts.

Permission should be sought from Penguin Books Australia before re-printing any of the texts.

Lament is a piece for mixed choir and cello. The text comes from the 17th-century oratorio ‘Jephte’ by Giacomo Carissimi. The words are those of anguish, for Jephte promised to sacrifice the first thing he laid eyes upon if he returned victorious from war. He fulfilled this vow, even though this happened to be his only daughter.

The recording is of the Brisbane Chamber Choir, for whom the piece was written. The cellist is Gwyn Roberts.

SATB divisi choir a cappella or accompanied (by optional Tubular bell & String Orchestra). Originally part of a 30 minutes work Childers Shining which helped bring healing to a community after a fire tragedy caused the loss of 15 lives, this work was written to bring healing, transformation and upliftment.

The second of Joseph Twist’s “Victoria Triptych” this piece quotes from Victoria’s Lamentation, adding new modern elements clothed in a rich, plaintive harmonic language. Suitable for concert and liturgical use, and making musical references to Victoria’s Lamentations throughout.

Available in the set of Three Motets after Victoria, linked here – not available singly.

An arrangement of a folk song about sailors and the sea. Simple yet delightful, this piece is written for piano and solo flute accompaniment.

This piece is based on the text of award-winning American poet Jane Kenyon’s poem by the same name, which contemplates the end of the day, and alludes to the parallels in life and death. With a quiet, reflective beginning, listeners are transported to the peaceful countryside in the late afternoon. Voice parts in turn bathe the listener in rays of light as they “shine through the chinks in the barn”. The piece culminates in an affirming declaration – “let evening come, as it will, and don’t be afraid. God does not leave us comfortless.”

The recording above is performed by the Brisbane Chamber Choir (2011), directed by Graeme Morton. This recording is of the SATB version, also available for purchase.

This piece is based on the text of award-winning American poet Jane Kenyon’s poem by the same name, which contemplates the end of the day, and alludes to the parallels in life and death. With a quiet, reflective beginning, listeners are transported to the peaceful countryside in the late afternoon. Voice parts in turn bathe the listener in rays of light as they “shine through the chinks in the barn”. The piece culminates in an affirming declaration – “let evening come, as it will, and don’t be afraid. God does not leave us comfortless.”

The recording above is performed by the Brisbane Chamber Choir (2011), directed by Graeme Morton.

New to Morton Music – digital copies are now available from RSCM Music Direct (UK) via the Other Countries link.

Combines the text of Brightest and Best of the Sons of the Morning with two verses of Australian bush poet “Banjo” Paterson’s Sunrise on the Coast. Excellent Christmas piece. This work was commissioned in 1996 by The Harvard University Choir.

Lost the Plot is the fourth piece in a collection of four pieces for treble voices and piano. It is available in both SA + piano, and SSA + piano voicings.

Composer Paul Stanhope writes:

Losing the Plot is a collection of songs for children’s voices and piano with texts by Michael Leunig. They were written as a follow up to my earlier cycle of Leunig pieces called Songs of Innocence and Joy for treble voices and chamber orchestra.

The first of these pieces, Talking to My Shoe was commissioned and premiered by the Sydney Children’s Choir as part of their 15th anniversary in 2004. The remaining three songs in the cycle were commissioned by the Network of Treble Ensembles (NoTE) which includes Brisbane Biralee Voices, Gondwana Voices,Young Adelaide Voices and Young Voices of Melbourne. All the songs in this set are tinged with an exuberant sense of the absurd, but as usual with Leunig’s texts, there are many layers of meaning and often twists in the tale.

The songs are written for upper-primary to high-school aged treble voices mostly in unison and two parts. In two songs—Talking to My Shoe and La–La Land—the choir splits into three parts, but only in a couple of short passages. A more difficult version of this piece also exists with the voices divided into three parts.

Permission should be sought from Penguin Books Australia before re-printing any of the texts.

The recordings are by the Australian Boys Choir conducted by Noel Ancell.

Lost the Plot is the fourth piece in a collection of four pieces by Paul Stanhope. It is available for SSA and piano, as well as SA and piano.

Composer Paul Stanhope writes:

Losing the Plot is a collection of songs for children’s voices and piano with texts by Michael Leunig. They were written as a follow up to my earlier cycle of Leunig pieces called Songs of Innocence and Joy for treble voices and chamber orchestra.

The first of these pieces, Talking to My Shoe was commissioned and premiered by the Sydney Children’s Choir as part of their 15th anniversary in 2004. The remaining three songs in the cycle were commissioned by the Network of Treble Ensembles (NoTE) which includes Brisbane Biralee Voices, Gondwana Voices,Young Adelaide Voices and Young Voices of Melbourne. All the songs in this set are tinged with an exuberant sense of the absurd, but as usual with Leunig’s texts, there are many layers of meaning and often twists in the tale.

The songs are written for upper-primary to high-school aged treble voices mostly in unison and two parts. In two songs—Talking to My Shoe and La–La Land—the choir splits into three parts, but only in a couple of short passages. A more difficult version of this piece also exists with the voices divided into three parts.

Permission should be sought from Penguin Books Australia before re-printing any of the texts.

New to Morton Music – digital copies are now available from RSCM Music Direct (UK) via the Other Countries link.

This gentle piece expresses the the feelings of Mary as she reflects on the child she has borne. She feels affection for the sweet young babe she holds in her arms. Yet there is also wonderment and awe, as she understands his true nature and grapples with what the future holds for him. These are feelings similar to what any mother would have for her child. A mothers love is a universal theme. It can be understood by people of all faiths and creeds. Therefore, this piece, while sacred, can be sung in secular contexts as well as in services.

New to Morton Music – digital copies are now available from RSCM Music Direct (UK) via the Other Countries link.

This gentle piece expresses the feelings of Mary as she reflects on the child she has borne. She feels affection for the sweet young babe she holds in her arms. Yet there is also wonderment and awe, as she understands his true nature and grapples with what the future holds for him. These are feelings similar to what any mother would have for her child. A mother’s love is a universal theme. It can be understood by people of all faiths and creeds. Therefore, this piece, while sacred, can be sung in secular contexts as well as in services.

A version of this piece is also available in SATB voicing here.

The recording below is by the University of Queensland Chamber Singers, 2022, conducted by Graeme Morton.

Watch the full score preview video here!

Though written in an advanced idiom, this work was commissioned and first performed by Graeme Morton’s St Peters Chorale, a leading high school choir in Australia. The composer writes, “musically, this work has been much influenced by Renaissance choral music…my aim above all things was to draw upon a tradition of writing that is solemn, richly spiritual but ultimately life-affirming”.

Listen to Lux Aeterna here!

Magnificat (Opus 79) was composed over the summer of 2008-2009.  The work is an a cappella setting of the Latin Vulgate text and was written in response to a commission from the Sydney Chamber Choir. Marked ‘Calm and gentle – with flow’ the score carries an inscription from Emily Bronte’s poem of creativity, Last Lines, “No coward soul is mine.” The first performance of Magnificat, was given by the Sydney Chamber Choir conducted by Graham Abbott at the City Recital Hall, Angel Place, Sydney, 6 September 2009.

Listen now

Duration: approximately 8 minutes

Nunc Dimittis (Opus 89) is sold separately and was written in 2011 in response to a commission from the Brisbane Chamber Choir who had already performed Andrew Schultz’s Magnificat and wanted to have Nunc Dimittis to perform with the earlier work. The setting of the text parallels the dramatic flow of the original text, The Song of Simeon. The work moves from a world of clouded uncertainty through exultation and revelation to a final passage of transcendent simplicity and tranquillity. Marked ‘Flowing’ the Nunc Dimittis is similar to Magnificat in the tempo and meter (3/2) and in the ebb and flow between four and eight part vocal writing.

New to Morton Music – digital copies are now available from RSCM Music Direct (UK) via the Other Countries link.

The original SATB version of Mater Dolorosa was composed for conductor Jillian McGregor and the Corinthian Singers of Adelaide for a Good Friday concert in the Art Gallery of South Australia’s Radford Auditorium in April, 2011. The work was subsequently revised and expanded (SSATBarB) in 2013, and was premiered by Adelaide Chamber Singers – conducted by Carl Crossin – at the Musica Sacra a Roma in Rome, Italy in July 2013. Mater Dolorosa is a setting of the first four stanzas of the 13th century Marian hymn Stabat Mater Dolorosa, a much longer poem which expresses Mary’s sorrow as she stood at the foot of the cross witnessing her son’s death by crucifixion.

The recording above features the St Peter’s Chorale, directed by Kathryn Morton.

The second of the Ancient Cries set, this introspective slow work in 5/8 allows a choir to showcase a beautiful tone. The title means “red earth” and evokes the landscape of Australia’s geographical center.

An SSA version is also available here.

Pronounced “ungahyulyul” meaning “hawk dreaming”. The text reflects the thoughts of the sheep farmer herding his sheep, ever aware of the hawk circling overhead. The second of Stephen Leek’s Songs of Passage, this is a highly evocative and beautiful composition using easy but effective modern compositional techniques. Commissioned by Graeme Morton’s St Peters Chorale.

**This piece is currently in preparation. For more information, or to purchase a PDF version, please email admin@mortonmusic.com.**

Voted the most unforgettable Australian TV moment, Julia Gillard’s 2012 “misogyny speech” presented in parliament is well-known to all Australians. In this powerful setting, Davidson syncs recorded clips of the work with choral imitation, accompaniment and even commentary (“hear, hear!”).

Typical of his style, Davidson’s text-setting is exceptionally innovative and text is without doubt the structural core of the work. For another example of this style see Davidson’s Finest Hour (setting of a speech by Winston Churchill).

The conductor listens to a click track through earphones (it’s preferable that these are worn discreetly, and should be either in-ear earbuds or, ideally, bone conduction headphones where available, as these leave the ear free to listen). The work may be performed with video or audio; in both cases, the audio track contains the click track on the left channel and the speech on the right channel. The left channel should be sent only to the conductor’s headphones, and the right channel to front-of-house loudspeakers. It’s possible to perform the piece with a very simple speaker setup, such as using a single speaker placed amongst the singers.

Click here to watch the Australian Voices, for whom the work was composed, perform “Not Now, Not Ever!”.

Nunc Dimittis (Opus 89) was written in 2011 in response to a commission from the Brisbane Chamber Choir who had already performed Andrew Schultz’s Magnificat and wanted to have Nunc Dimittis to perform with the earlier work. The setting of the text parallels the dramatic flow of the original text, The Song of Simeon. The work moves from a world of clouded uncertainty through exultation and revelation to a final passage of transcendent simplicity and tranquillity.  Marked ‘Flowing’ the Nunc Dimittis is similar to Magnificat in the tempo and meter (3/2) and in the ebb and flow between four and eight part vocal writing. The first performance of Nunc Dimittis was given by the Brisbane Chamber Choir conducted by Graeme Morton at St John’s Cathedral, Brisbane, in August 2012.

Listen now

Duration: approximately 5 minutes

Magnificat (Opus 79) sold separately was composed over the summer of 2008-2009. The work is an a cappella setting of the Latin Vulgate text and was written in response to a commission from the Sydney Chamber Choir.  Marked ‘Calm and gentle – with flow’ the score carries an inscription from Emily Bronte’s poem of creativity, Last Lines, “No coward soul is mine.”

New to Morton Music – digital copies are now available from RSCM Music Direct (UK) via the Other Countries link.

Suitable for college or church choir. A strophic setting that builds to an exciting climax. Appropriate for Advent or Christmas use.

This setting captures the sense of longing that can be found in the text.

Composer Joe Twist writes,

On The Night Train sets the scene of a train dashing through the Australian bush at dusk, as described by Henry Lawson’s graceful poetry. The emptiness of the Australian outback is represented by long, sustained pitches in the opening and closing sections of the work, above which a simple, folk-like melody is sung. This melody is also used throughout a rhythmic contrasting section where the singers create the impression of a moving train with ‘scat-like’ nonsense syllables and whispered vocal effects.

An Australian interpretation of a traditional English folksong. Appropriate for various groups but particularly suitable for women’s voices. SSAA unaccompanied.

The demonstration recording is:
Once I Had A Sweetheart, trad. arranged Mark Puddy: Perth Modern School (Western Australia) Schola Cantori, 2006.

Part Needle, Part Thread was composed in 2020 for the Adelaide Chamber Singers, though due to the COVID-19 pandemic, was unable to be performed at the World Choir Games in Belgium as intended. It was later video recorded by the Adelaide Chamber Choir for online release.

The text by Ann Nadge explores the delicate connection between love and time, describing that connection as an entity, a process and a protection against emotional darkness. Carl Crossin, effortlessly weaves the voices between each other, painting the metaphor of needle and thread before time seemingly stops in the dramatic B section. Listen below.