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

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, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...

musician (piano and double bass), choral workshop leader, presenter of children's concerts and, for a long time, 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 qualificatio ...

Personal life

Born in

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city i ...

, L'Estrange grew up in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the Un ...

and attended

New College School New College School (officially St Mary's College School) is an independent 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 C ...

, 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 , established = , closed = , type = Selective Grammar School Academy , head_label = Headmaster , head = Philip Wayne , r_head_label = , r_head = , chair_label = , chair = , founder ...

. 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 one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. Its foundation can be traced back to the 1260s when Walter de Merton, ...

, gaining a First Class Honours Degree. He is married to professional musicia
Joanna Forbes L'Estrange
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, chantey, or chanty () is a genre of traditional Folk music, folk song that was once commonly sung as a work song to accompany rhythmical labor aboard large Merchant vessel, merchant Sailing ship, sailing vessels. The term ''shanty ...

, commissioned to commemorate the opening of

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city status in the United Kingdom, city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is admi ...

's state-of-the-art

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical History (derived ) is the systematic study and th ...

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 best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disagr ...

warship A warship or combatant ship is a naval ship that is built and primarily intended for naval warfare. Usually they belong to the armed forces of a state. As well as being armed, warships are designed to withstand damage and are usually faster a ...

, the ''

Mary Rose The ''Mary Rose'' (launched 1511) is a carrack-type warship of the English Tudor navy of King Henry VIII. She served for 33 years in several wars against France, Scotland, and Brittany. After being substantially rebuilt in 1536, she saw her ...

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

Hanover Band The Hanover Band is a British orchestra specialised in historically informed performance, founded by its artistic director, Caroline Brown. The group's website explains the name thus: '' 'Hanover' signifies the Hanoverian period 1714-1830 and ' ...

to celebrate sixty years since the coronation of

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

. 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 concertos. Handel received his train ...

'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 I; ang, WillelmI (Bates ''William the Conqueror'' p. 33– 9 September 1087), usually known as William the Conqueror and sometimes William the Bastard, was the first Norman king of England The monarchy of the United Kingdom, ...

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 The Cathedral and Metropolitical Church of Saint Peter in York, commonly known as York Minster, is the cathedral of York, North Yorkshire, England, and is one of the largest of its kind in Northern Europe. The minster is the seat of the Archb ...

at the opening of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...

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 independent 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 ch ...

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 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 is an Anglicanism, Anglican cathedral in London and is the seat of the Bishop of London. The cathedral serves as the mother church of the Diocese of London. It is on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London ...

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 to t ...

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

Songs

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

Shelley Shelley most often refers to: * Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792–1822), a major English Romantic poet and husband of Mary Shelley * Mary Shelley (1797–1851), an English novelist and the wife of Percy Shelley * Shelley (name), a given name and a surn ...

Tennyson Alfred Tennyson, 1st Baron Tennyson (6 August 1809 – 6 October 1892) was an English poet. He was the Poet Laureate during much of Queen Victoria's reign. In 1829, Tennyson was awarded the Chancellor's Gold Medal at Cambridge for one of his ...

and

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

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 author of children's books. She is best known for her first novel, '' Goodnight Mister Tom'', which won the 1982 Guardian Prize for British children's books and has been adapted several t ...

, 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

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

. His arrangements for vocal ensembles including

The Swingle Singers 270px, The Swingles at the Kirchzarten.html" ;"title="Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten">Black Forest Voices Festival in Kirchzarten, Germany on 29 June 2019 The Swingles are a vocal group formed in 1974 in England by Ward Swingle. ...

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 1 ...

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 anc ...

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, Voc ...

and Tenebrae are highly acclaimed. L'Estrange wrote all of the arrangements for and produced ''

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

'', the album released in 2013 by

Television

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

CBeebies CBeebies is a British free-to-air public broadcast children's television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is also the brand used for all BBC content for children aged 6 years and under. Its sister channel CBBC is aimed at older chil ...

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 licensed to customers for use in film, television, radio and other media. Often, the music is produced and owned by production music libraries. Backgrou ...

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 weeknights at 7:00 pm, it features topical stories and studio guests. It is currently co-hosted by Alex Jones, Jermaine Jenas, and Rona ...

'', ''

Grand Designs ''Grand Designs'' is a British television series produced by Boundless and broadcast on Channel 4 which features unusual and often elaborate architectural homebuilding projects. The programme has been presented by Kevin McCloud since it fir ...

'' 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 peopl ...

''.

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 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: * The plural of gibbon, an ape in the family Hylobatidae * Gibbons (surname) * Gibbons, Alberta * Gibbons (automobile), a British light car of the 1920s * Gibbons P.C., a leading American law firm headquartered in New Jerse ...

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

Tonus Peregrinus , the wandering tone, or the ninth tone, is a reciting tone in Gregorian chant. The chant example here is not identified as the ''tonus peregrinus'' in the ''Liber usualis'' (see LU, pp. 760–761), although it is in Aeolian mode. For the ...

, 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, Naxos, ...

. 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 ( cy, Eglwys Gadeiriol Tyddewi) is situated in St DavidsBritain's smallest city in the county of Pembrokeshire, near the most westerly point of Wales. Early history The monastic community was founded by Saint David, Abbot ...

, 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 196 ...

, directed by

James Burton James Edward Burton (born August 21, 1939, in Dubberly, Louisiana) 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 been recognized ...

. 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 may refer to: Australia * Haileybury (Melbourne), a school in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia ** Haileybury Rendall School, an offshoot in Berrimah, North Territory, Australia China * Haileybury International School, an internatio ...

, 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 Erlangen, ...

. *''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: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) * Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity * Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chr ...

. 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 websiteAlexander L'Estrange's official webshopZimbe! Come sing the songs of Africa!Ahoy! Sing for the Mary RoseL'Estranges in the NightAndagioAlexander L'Estrange's page at his publishers, Faber MusicSong Cycle – vive la vélorution!Wassail! Carols of comfort and joyFreedom! The power of songSalisbury Community Choir

Andagio - Alexander L'Estrange's own record label
{{DEFAULTSORT:L'Estrange, 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 British male pianists 21st-century pianists 21st-century British male musicians