Howard Thompson

Having worked closely with young string players for the last 45 years, I enjoy writing music for them which is both enjoyable to play and yet technically challenging.

My own family of three string playing boys were the starting point, so it's not surprising that a good number of my pieces reflect things from a child's world. Many pieces were written for particular children - another way to encourage them to discover the joy of playing music together, surely one of God's best gifts to us!

Other Suites for String Orchestra are also available and also pieces for Cello Quartet or Octet, Viola Quartet, Bassoon Quartet and double reed band. I have also written various pieces for Piano and Piano Duet, a set of Duets for Clarinet and Flute (or second Clarinet), pieces for small ensembles, and a whole range of pieces for choir (SATB), including many Christmas pieces, 3 Negro Spirituals, and a range of hymns and carols.

More recently during covid restrictions I have arranged many well-known pieces for strings so that we could still meet on Zoom - I'm beginning to put these on my site as time allows, as they present a wide range of styles, periods, and tastes, and seem to be enjoyed by all ages, but especially younger players.

Take a look, and a listen, though live sound is so much better!