Alexander Richard William L'Estrange (born 7 April 1974) is an English composer of choral music and music for television and an arranger for vocal ensembles. He is also a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

musician (piano and double bass), choral workshop leader, presenter of children's concerts and was a jazz examiner and trainer for

ABRSM The ABRSM (Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music) is an examination board and registered charity based in the United Kingdom. ABRSM is one of five examination boards accredited by Ofqual to award graded exams and diploma qualificat ...

Personal life

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city, unitary authority area and ceremonial county in South West England, the most populous city in the region. Built around the River Avon, Bristol, River Avon, it is bordered by t ...

, L'Estrange grew up in

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

and attended

New College School New College School (officially St Mary's College School) is a private preparatory school for boys aged 4 to 13 in Oxford. It was founded in 1379 by William of Wykeham to provide for the education of 16 choristers for the chapel of New Coll ...

, during which time he was a member of New College Choir as chorister and soloist.For example, soloist on the CD & Cassette "O Sing Unto The Lord", New College Choir, dir. Edward Higginbottom, Proudsound Records, 1985, CD114 02 He was then educated at Lord William's School, and then at the

Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe The Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe, is a selective boys' grammar school situated in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, England. As a state school, it does not charge fees for pupils to attend, but they must pass the 11 plus, an exam that some pr ...

. He read Music at

Merton College, Oxford Merton College (in full: The House or College of Scholars of Merton in the University of Oxford) is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 126 ...

, gaining a First Class Honours Degree. He is married to professional musician

Joanna Forbes L'Estrange Joanna Forbes L'Estrange (born 1971) is a British singer, composer and choir director. Life Forbes L'Estrange is the granddaughter of Scottish viola player and arranger Watson Forbes and daughter of composer and professor Sebastian Forbes. S ...

with whom he has two sons, Toby and Harry.

Works

Large-scale choral works

L'Estrange's flagship work ''Zimbe! Come sing the songs of Africa!'' (2008) established his name as one of Britain's most popular living choral composers, receiving 150 performances worldwide within its first five years. Scored for SATB adult choir, unison children's choir and jazz quintet, the music is a fusion of African song and jazz. With the same scoring, ''Ahoy! Sing for the Mary Rose'' (2013) is a fusion of Tudor songs and

sea shanties A sea shanty, shanty, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large merchant sailing vessels. The term ''shanty'' most accurately refers to a sp ...

, commissioned to commemorate the opening of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Hampshire, England. Most of Portsmouth is located on Portsea Island, off the south coast of England in the Solent, making Portsmouth the only city in En ...

's state-of-the-art

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

which houses the hull of

King Henry VIII Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagreement w ...

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is used for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the navy branch of the armed forces of a nation, though they have also been operated by individuals, cooperatives and corporations. As well as b ...

, the ''

Mary Rose The ''Mary Rose'' was a carrack in the English Tudor navy of Henry VIII of England, King Henry VIII. She was launched in 1511 and served for 34 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in ...

''. ''Zadok rules – hallelujah!'' (2013) was commissioned by the

Hanover Band The Hanover Band is a British orchestra specialised in historically informed performance, founded in 1980 by its artistic director, Caroline Brown. The group's website explains the name thus: '' 'Hanover' signifies the Hanoverian period 1714-18 ...

to celebrate sixty years since the coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

. Based on

Handel George Frideric (or Frederick) Handel ( ; baptised , ; 23 February 1685 – 14 April 1759) was a German-British Baroque composer well-known for his operas, oratorios, anthems, concerti grossi, and organ concerti. Born in Halle, Germany, H ...

's coronation anthems, the piece is scored for SATB adult choir, unison children's choir and Baroque orchestra and the text traces all of Britain's monarchs from

William the Conqueror William the Conqueror (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), sometimes called William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England (as William I), reigning from 1066 until his death. A descendant of Rollo, he was D ...

to Elizabeth II. ''Song Cycle – vive la vélorution!'' (2014) is a choral work comprising songs (both original and arranged) about cycling and the great outdoors, performed in

York Minster York Minster, formally the Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in the city of York, North Yorkshire, England. The minster is the seat of the archbishop of York, the second-highest of ...

at the opening of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

in 2014. His ''Wassail! Carols of Comfort and Joy'' which won th
Music Teachers Award for Best Classical Educational Initiative
was commissioned by the

United Learning United Learning is a group of state-funded schools and fee-paying private schools operating in England. United Learning is the trading name for United Church Schools Trust (UCST) and United Learning Trust (ULT). It is one of the largest 10 char ...

group and premiered in November 2017. The following year came his next large-scale works, this time in collaboration with his wife, Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. ''Freedom! The power of song'' (2018), commissioned by Salisbury Choral Society, was premiered by Salisbury Community Choir in November 2018. Other large-scale choral works include ''And the stones sing'' and ''Let all the world in every corner sing''.

Small-scale choral works

Choral anthems with organ include ''Lute-book lullaby'' and ''Tune me, O Lord''. In 2016 the professional chamber choir

Tenebrae Tenebrae (—Latin for 'darkness') is a religious service of Western Christianity held during the three days preceding Easter Day, and characterized by a gradual extinguishing of candles, and the ''strepitus'' or "loud noise" in the total darkn ...

recorded an album of L’Estrange’s sacred and jazz inspired choral works, called “On eagles’ wings". Unaccompanied choral anthems include ''Love comes quietly'', ''My song is love unknown'','' Oculi Omnium'', ''Epiphany Carol'' (runner-up in the

St Paul's Cathedral St Paul's Cathedral, formally the Cathedral Church of St Paul the Apostle, is an Anglican cathedral in London, England, the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London in the Church of Engl ...

commission competition 2013) and ''Prayers for peace'', three settings of the prayers ''God be in my head'', ''Lighten our darkness'' and ''The Lord's prayer''. Choral pieces suitable for children's choirs include ''Irish blessing'', ''Go forth in peace'' and ''This is our world''. Most of L'Estrange's compositions are published by

Faber Music Faber Music is a British sheet music publisher best known for contemporary classical music. It also publishes music tutor books, and in 2005 acquired popular music publisher International Music Publications. Faber Music has close relations with ...

. however since 2018 some of his more recent works have been self-published through his own record label ''Andagio.''

Songs

L'Estrange's output as a songwriter includes three settings for solo voice and piano of poems by Shelley,

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (; 6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate of the United Kingdom, Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's ...

and

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824) was an English poet. He is one of the major figures of the Romantic movement, and is regarded as being among the greatest poets of the United Kingdom. Among his best-kno ...

entitled ''Love's philosophy: She walks in beauty'', ''Now sleeps the crimson petal'' and ''Love's philosophy'' are on the ABRSM singing syllabus. He has also written a one-woman musical, in collaboration with author

Michelle Magorian Michelle Magorian (born 6 November 1947) is an English people, English author of children's books. She is best known for her second novel, ''Goodnight Mister Tom'', which won the 1982 Guardian Prize for British children's books. The novel has ...

, called ''Hello life!'' and several jazz originals recorded on the album ''New things to say'' by his jazz ensemble L'Estranges in the Night.

Arrangements

L'Estrange is consultant editor and chief arranger for the Choral Basics series, published by

. He has arranged for vocal ensembles including

The Swingle Singers The Swingles are an a cappella vocal group. The Swingle Singers were originally formed in 1962 in Paris under the leadership of Ward Swingle. In 1973, Swingle disbanded the French group, and formed an English group known initially as Swingle I ...

The King's Singers The King's Singers are a British a cappella vocal ensemble founded in 1968. They are named after King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the ...

amarcord ''Amarcord'' () is a 1973 comedy-drama film directed by Federico Fellini, a semi-autobiographical tale about Titta, an adolescent boy growing up among an eccentric cast of characters in the village of Borgo San Giuliano (situated near the ancien ...

Voces8 Voces8, styled VOCES8, is an a cappella octet from England. They have appeared internationally and made recordings of classical music, jazz, pop, and their own arrangements. Recent recordings are for Decca Classics and under their own label, Voce ...

and

. L'Estrange wrote all of the arrangements for and produced ''

Great American Songbook The Great American Songbook is the loosely defined canon of significant 20th-century American jazz standards, popular songs, and show tunes. Definition According to the Great American Songbook Foundation: The "Great American Songbook" is th ...

'', the album released in 2013 by

Television

L'Estrange composed the theme tune and incidental music for the BBC's

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content targeted for children aged six year ...

programme ''Magic Hands'' (2012), recorded by his sons, Toby and Harry L'Estrange. He also writes for the

production music Production music (also known as stock music or library music) is recorded music that can be music licensing, licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media. Often, the music is produced and owned by production music libra ...

company Audio Network with his music featuring on such television programmes as ''

The One Show ''The One Show'' is a British television magazine and chat show programme. Broadcast live on BBC One weekdays at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Roman Kemp, Ronan Keating ...

'', ''

Grand Designs ''Grand Designs'' is a British television series that has broadcast on Channel 4 since 29 April 1999 and is presented by Kevin McCloud. Format Episodes generally follow a regular format, with small variations depending on the progress of t ...

'' and ''

Antiques Roadshow ''Antiques Roadshow'' is a British television programme broadcast by the BBC in which antiques appraisers travel to various regions of the United Kingdom (and occasionally in other countries) to appraise antiques brought in by local people ( ...

''.

Chronological discography

Recordings of arrangements and original compositions by Alexander L'Estrange * ''Ticket to Ride'' (1999) – with a cappella vocal arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange of

Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

songs, recorded by The Swingle Singers, directed by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. SWINGCD * ''Mood Swings'' (2002) – with a cappella vocal jazz arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange, recorded by The Swingle Singers, directed by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. SWINGCD * ''Mother and Child'' (2003) – first recording of Alexander L'Estrange's Christmas anthem ''Lute-book lullaby'', performed by Tenebrae, directed by Nigel Short. SIGNUM RECORDS *''Gibbons Hymns & Songs of the Church'' (2004) – arrangements of

Gibbons Gibbons may refer to: * Gibbon, an ape in the family Hylobatidae * Gibbons (surname) * Gibbons, Alberta Gibbons is a town in central Alberta, Canada. It is located on Alberta Highway 28A, Highway 28A, northeast of Edmonton. Gibbons is situate ...

and ''As now the sun's declining rays'', an original hymn by Alexander L'Estrange, performed by

Tonus Peregrinus Tonus Peregrinus is a British vocal ensemble specialising in early music and contemporary sacred music, especially that of founder and director, Antony Pitts. Established in 1990, the ensemble have recorded numerous CDs for Naxos, their first wi ...

, directed by

Antony Pitts Antony Pitts (born 1969 in Farnborough, Kent) is an international composer, conductor, and producer. His compositions have been published by Faber Music, with CDs of choral music on Hyperion Records and other recordings on Harmonia Mundi, Nax ...

. NAXOS. *''Unwrapped'' (2004) – with arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange of Christmas songs recorded by The Swingle Singers, directed by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. SWINGCD *''Blessed City'' (2009) – first recording of Alexander L'Estrange's anthem ''On Eagles' Wings'', performed by The Choir of

St David's Cathedral St Davids Cathedral () is a Church in Wales cathedral situated in St Davids, Britain's smallest city, in the county of Pembrokeshire, near the most westerly point of Wales. Early history A monastic community was founded by Saint David, Abbot o ...

, directed by Alexander Mason. REGENT *''Sweet is the Memory'' (2009) – first recording of Alexander L'Estrange's ''Prayers for Peace'', performed by

Schola Cantorum of Oxford Schola Cantorum of Oxford is the longest running chamber choir of University of Oxford, and one of the longest established and most widely known chamber choirs in the United Kingdom. The conductor is Steven Grahl. The choir was founded in 1960 b ...

, directed by

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana, United States) is an American guitarist. A member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2001 (his induction speech was given by longtime fan Keith Richards), Burton has also ...

. FABER MUSIC *''Zimbe! Come sing the songs of Africa!'' by Alexander L'Estrange (2010) – featuring the Zimbe! singers, the Call Me Al Quintet (with Alexander L'Estrange on piano) and pupils of

Haileybury College Haileybury is a co-educational public school (fee-charging boarding and day school for 11- to 18-year-olds) located in Hertford Heath, Hertfordshire. It is a member of the Rugby Group and enrols pupils at the 11+, 13+ and 16+ stages of edu ...

, conducted by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. ANDAGIO 001 *''Swimming over London'' (2010) – with a cappella vocal arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange, recorded by The King's Singers. SIGNUM RECORDS *''Songs of Cricket'' (2011) – with vocal arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange recorded by The London Quartet. *''Coming home for Christmas'' (2011) – with vocal arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange recorded by amarcord. *''New things to say – Songs of L'Estrange & Legrand'' (2012) – featuring songs by Alexander L'Estrange recorded and produced by L'Estranges in the Night. ANDAGIO 002 *''Ahoy! Sing for the Mary Rose'' (2013) – featuring the Ahoy! Singers, the Call Me Al Quintet (with Alexander L'Estrange on piano) and pupils from schools in Guildford and Portsmouth, conducted by Joanna Forbes L'Estrange. ANDAGIO 003 *''Let it snow'' (2013) – with arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange of ''Let it snow!'' recorded by

and featuring oboist

Albrecht Mayer Albrecht Mayer (born 3 June 1965) is a German classical oboist and conductor. The principal oboist of the Berlin Philharmonic, he is internationally known as a soloist and chamber musician and has made many recordings. Biography Born in Erlang ...

. *''Folks and Tales'' (2013) – with 3 a cappella vocal arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange of Christmas songs from round the world, recorded by amarcord. APOLLON CLASSICS *''Carols around the Christmas Tree'' (2013) – first recording of Alexander L'Estrange's Christmas carol ''Hodie!'', recorded by Ely Cathedral Choir, directed by

Paul Trepte Paul may refer to: People * Paul (given name), a given name, including a list of people * Paul (surname), a list of people * Paul the Apostle, an apostle who wrote many of the books of the New Testament * Ray Hildebrand, half of the singing duo P ...

. HERALD *''Great American Songbook'' (2013) – featuring 17 vocal jazz arrangements by Alexander L'Estrange, recorded by

. *''Song Cycle – vive la vélorution!'' (2015) Celebrating the Tour de France. Published by Faber Music. *On Eagles' Wings (2016) Sacred and jazz inspired choral works recorded by Tenebrae. Published by Faber Music *Wassail! Carols of comfort and joy (2017) Choral arrangements of traditional carols. Published by Faber Music *Freedom! The power of song (2018) Marks four important historical landmarks in the struggle for freedom. Published by Andagio.

References

External links

Alexander L'Estrange's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:LEstrange, Alexander 1974 births Living people English composers English television composers English male composers English jazz pianists People educated at the Royal Grammar School, High Wycombe Alumni of New College, Oxford Alumni of Merton College, Oxford English male pianists 21st-century English pianists 21st-century English male musicians British male jazz pianists