Alan Bullard (b.1947)

Alan Bullard was born in London and studied with Herbert Howells at the Royal College of Music, and at Nottingham University. He enjoyed a successful career in music education; for many years he was Head of Composition at Colchester Institute, and is currently an examiner for ABRSM. He now devotes most of his time to composing, editing, and arranging. His music unfailingly appeals to both performers and audiences; he has written for all kinds of choirs, and instrumental works for a variety of ensembles and orchestras. Alan is a respected writer of music for examination syllabuses and educational albums. His major publications include the four inspirational Oxford Flexible Choral Anthologies, Alan Bullard Anthems, and the five cantatas Wondrous Cross, O Come Emmanuel, A Light in the Stable, Psalmi Penitentiales, and Images of Peace. He and his wife Janet also write the Pianoworks series for the older beginner.

"The concept here was to provide something shorter than traditional Passions that the average church choir could attempt with relative ease." - Mark Bellis, Cathedral Music, November 2019

"There are many versions of the Seven Last Words but Bullard's, interwoven with well-loved hymns including the title piece, has a satisfying form, dramatic shape and meditative logic that few can match . . . He's a populist, but a highly intelligent and challenging one." - Brian Morgon, Choir & Organ, July 13

". . . a moving 35-minute meditation on the seven last words of Jesus in 16 short movements. Any church with a good cantor and a modestly capable choir can make a memorable service of it . . . Everything's very appealing and easy on the ear, and the presence of beloved bymns and scriptural passages is sure to foster the sense of sacred nostalgia among congregations that often adds up to meaningful worship." - American Record Guide, September 13

"Bullard's Wondrous Cross is designed for liturgical use or concert performance. Its flexibility is a great merit: the piece can form the basis of a liturgical meditation with opportunities for additional readings, prayer and music, or it can stand alone. A number of performance options enhance its usefulness . . . At about the same level of difficulty for singers and organist as Stainer's Crudfixion, this musically sensitive and attractive work deserves serious consideration by parish choirs for use at Passiontide." - Gordon Appleton, Church Music Quarterly, March 2014

"With all the [performance] options explicit in the score, this cantata is an extremely protean piece that conductors can modify to fit their ensemble and performance needs." - Jason Overall, Journal of the Association of Anglican Musicians, March 2015