Colin Mawby KSG (9 May 1936 – 24 November 2019), leaves us a legacy of being one of the most significant English contributors to the music of the Roman Catholic liturgy.
Image attribution: Derivative work. Benjamin Dahlhoff, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0
Colin Mawby’s Music
I first heard one of Mawby’s organ works in 2011 while attending an Anglican Methodist LEP (Local Ecumenical Partnership) church service in south London. I was so moved by the beauty of the music that I felt compelled to ask the organist for the composer’s name, as it was not shown on that day’s music list.
That was the beginning of my research into Mawby’s music. I now have a collection of almost every CD album that I managed to find online. This wasn’t the easiest of tasks, as there is no single online source where all of Mawby’s music is available.
Mawby’s music always conveys to me the essence of worship by perfectly complimenting the service or mass attended. Mawby almost exclusively composed organ and choir music, specifically for the church and its worshippers.
As for Colin Mawby’s style of music, I will quote using his own words:
My music is approachable. I make great use of sonority and have been much influenced by plainchant. I value the spiritual element in music and have a healthy contempt for musical fashion. I “do my own thing”.
The following are the websites I used for my CD collection
Amazon in the UK
Kevin Mayhew in the UK
Dr. J. Butz in Germany
Brentwood Cathedral in the UK (online shop no longer shows)
Examples of Colin Mawby’s music that I would like to share with you
Ave Verum Corpus
We start off with one of Colin Mawby’s most frequently performed works, presented by The Choir of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
Ave Verum Corpus
I feel that Mawby’s Ave Verum Corpus works very well with a piano accompaniment. In this case we can listen to it performed by the BYU Singers.
Celtic Blessing
Performed by The Choir of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
Gloria (Liverpool Mass)
Psalm 150
Performed by The Choir of Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral.
Ave Maria
From the album Cantate Domine – Sacred Choral Music. Performed by the Dresdner Motettenchor.
Christus resurrexit
From the album Tod, wo ist dein Sieg? (Death, where is your victory?) Performed by Westfälische Kammersolisten.
External Links for Colin Mawby
Colin Mawby explains – Part 1
From the The Contemporary Music Centre Ireland. December 2015
Colin Mawby explains – Part 2
From the The Contemporary Music Centre Ireland. December 2015
Interviews with Colin Mawby
Kevin Mayhew. April 2013
The Contemporary Music Centre Ireland. December 2006
Eden.co.uk. Date unknown.
Obituaries
Obituary from Church Times
Obituary from The Telegraph (subscription required)