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Christmas Fantasy

20 May 2026

SATB and piano or brass quintet, percussion and organ
Duration: 10 minutes | Difficulty: Easy – Moderately Difficult

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This sparkling work draws together four well-known carols reflecting the joys of being together with friends and loved ones to celebrate the festive season, with hopes for brighter times ahead. Higgins’s lively arrangement of Deck the hall begins with a virtuosic instrumental introduction and features a soprano descant on the final verse. Next, Carol of the Bells employs the glockenspiel in the famous repeating four-note motif, with Higgins bringing a fresh take to this notable melody through new words and an imaginative use of the choir to portray the chiming bells. O Christmas tree, is warm and gentle, with a new text and the opportunity for a charismatic solo verse over a rich cushion of harmonies. The final movement, Here we come a-wassailing, is full of merriment, and, reflecting its composition during the 2020 Covid-19 lockdown, contains a subtle nod at the close towards the chaos of trying to sing ‘together’ online.

We three kings of Orient are

20 October 2023

SATB and piano (with optional percussion)
Duration: 3.5 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

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In this fun, rhythmic arrangement of the classic Christmas carol, Michael Higgins retains the traditional melodic line in the vocal parts, while the use of syncopation and harmonic twists in the piano accompaniment creates an unsteady, off-kilter feel reminiscent of a camel’s gait. With optional percussion adding a contrasting steady pulse, this is a captivating reimagining of the much-loved carol.

See, I am God

20 October 2023

SATB (with divisions) and piano
Duration: 4 minutes | Difficulty: Moderately Difficult – Difficult

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Inspired by Brahms’ classic ‘Geistliches Lied’, ‘See, I am God’ by Michael Higgins with a text by Julian of Norwich was commissioned by Sonoro for their ‘Choral Inspirations’ project. Higgins has taken and enhanced the rich harmonic language used by Brahms, as well as playing with fragments of his melodies and has included a double-canon in the structure. The overall feeling is one of calm, comfort and serenity.

This title will be published by Oxford University Press in November 2026.

Fauré Requiem

19 September 2023

S, Bar solo, SATB, string quintet and organ

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This new arrangement for string quintet and organ was first performed on Remembrance Sunday in 2007 in the intimate setting of the choir stalls at St John’s Church, Wimbledon. By using a small number of singers, similar to the twenty or so in Fauré’s choir at the Madeleine, added to the chamber music quality of the strings, unique colours and textures are created which breathe new life into an otherwise familiar but continually evolving work.

View me, Lord

19 September 2023

SATB unaccompanied
Duration: 2.5 minutes | Difficulty: Easy – Moderately Difficult

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With a text by Thomas Campion, View me, Lord is a tender prayer characterized by its sensitive text-setting. Each verse features a change in voicing, rhythm, and harmony, while the ever-changing metre provides a feeling of fluidity. The tension built throughout the work is finally resolved in the last chord, bringing this contemplative anthem to a peaceful close.

“Another piece that could well contribute to the structure of a concert is View me, Lord . . . Higgins’s version is a simple, homophonic account featuring contemporary harmony that won’t frighten the horses. The general effect is one of tenderness and warmth – exactly the words the composer himself uses at the top of the piece.”

Jeremy Jackman, Choir & Organ, February 2020

Tomorrow shall be my dancing day

19 September 2023

SATB (with divisions) and organ
Duration: 2.5 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

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This sparkling arrangement of the traditional English carol presents the familiar melody through a variety of textures, ranging from unison to five parts. Accompanied by organ, the carol concludes with a soaring soprano descant. Light and rhythmic in style, it dances with joy and celebration, perfect for concerts and services.

Three American Songs

19 September 2023

SATB (with divisions) and piano
Duration: 8 minutes | Difficulty: Moderately Difficult

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Higgins’s arrangements of three North-American traditional songs are sophisticated and beautiful, supported by well-crafted piano accompaniments. The first, ‘Bright morning stars’, is illuminated by a shimmering piano part with opportunities for a soloist or small group. Energy and bounce is abundant throughout the second, ‘Little wheel a-turnin’’, where the melody is passed around the voices and coloured with interesting harmonies. The last piece, ‘He’s gone away’, is a parting song between two lovers with flowing melodies and accompaniment, and ends on a note of anticipation.

O salutaris Hostia

19 September 2023

SSATB unaccompanied
Duration: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Moderately Difficult

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In this sensitive choral arrangement of ‘Nimrod’ from Elgar’s Enigma Variations, Michael Higgins sets the Eucharistic hymn ‘O salutaris Hostia’, written by St Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi. The familiar melody passes seamlessly between the voice parts, and Elgar’s lush, rich sound world is perfectly emulated by the choral textures Higgins has fashioned.

Away in a manger

18 September 2023

SATB and piano or harp
Duration: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Easy

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Higgins’s arrangement of Away in a manger is beautiful and delicate. The first verse is taken by unison upper voices; the second is a cappella, with an optional soloist or small group and sustained ‘ooh’s; and the last verse features fresh, homophonic harmonies. The accompaniment twinkles gently around the voices, contributing towards the magical character of the arrangement.

“I was immediately touched by the exceptionally fine and tender setting of Away in a manger by Michael Higgins. The lilting piano or harp part floats over arpeggio figures with occasional touches of a gently placed seventh and ends with a haunting two-octave unison. […] This beautifully crafted piece would work so well with young singers as well as adult choirs.”

Joy Hill, Choir & Organ, August 2021

The Angel Gabriel

2 September 2023

for SSSSAATBB unaccompanied
Duration: 3 minutes | Difficulty: Moderately Difficult

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In this haunting arrangement of the well-known carol, Higgins creates a mystical soundscape by layering a single motif in a four-part soprano canon. These repetitions echo throughout and support the various textures explored in each verse, producing a dramatic and atmospheric setting of the Basque carol. Suitable for chamber and concert choir.

“It must be hard to think of anything original to do with The Angel Gabriel but Higgins has managed it with sophisticated textures contributing to an imaginative arrangement.”

John Quinn, MusicWeb International