Competition entry is now closed
The Harold Smart Memorial
Composition Competition
This annual competition, run by the RSCM, was established in 1988 to encourage the composition of simple anthems.
Dr Harold Smart was a GP who went on to specialize as an ear, nose and throat surgeon. He was a member of an RSCM affiliated church and had a love of church music, but was by no means proficient.
The closing date for the competition is 31 October 2022 and the winner will receive a prize of £500, with the possibility of publication by the RSCM.
Competition Set Text
This year, we have commissioned a text from the Revd Canon Dr Gordon Giles, Canon Chancellor of Rochester Cathedral, and a regular contributor to both Church Music Quarterly and Sunday by Sunday magazines. The words are designed to be particularly suitable for RSCM Music Sunday, which will be held on 11 June 2023. The winning anthem will feature as the Music Sunday anthem 2023, and will therefore be performed by choirs across the country and beyond.
In the sound of song, praise the Lord,
from depths of bass to tenor high,
with alto joining every chord,
full choir now taking up the cry:
Praise the Lord, Alleluia!
When music tunes our songs of woe,
and sorrow makes lament our tone,
the Spirit breathes in hearts aglow
to ground our bass in God alone.
Praise the Lord, Alleluia!
Faith bids us sing notes high and low
to sing of hope to God above
for peace on earth for all to know
and trust in Christ, the Lord of love.
Praise the Lord, Alleluia! Amen.
The anthem should be written to be sung in the context of a church service. Performance time should not exceed five minutes. It should be written for sopranos, altos and unison lower voices (tenors and basses) and the accompaniment (if required) should not be technically demanding. The work should reflect contemporary musical styles.
The adjudicators for the competition will include Philip Moore, formally director of music at York Minster and himself an eminent composer of church music; Joanna Forbes L’Estrange, one of the RSCM’s best-selling composers; Hugh Morris, director of the RSCM; and Tim Ruffer, the RSCM’s head of publishing.
Competition Entry Details
Entries should be submitted as PDF files only by email to press@rscm.com. No other type of files will be accepted. Please include ‘Harold Smart’ in the subject line of your email.
Submitted compositions should not bear the name of the composer or any other identifying information.
Entrants are required to include their details in the accompanying email, including name, address, email and contact phone number. These details will not be seen by the adjudicators.
The winning entry will be awarded a prize of £500 and will be considered for publication by RSCM Publications.
The adjudicators reserve the right not to make an award if the standard of entries does not warrant it. The adjudicators will not correspond with competitors.
The closing date for entries is 31 October 2022.