Greta Tomlins (1912–72)
Composer; Teacher
Works published by MoV
Let all the world in every corner sing (SATB & organ)
Let all the world in every corner sing
(SATB & organ)
Tomlins’ setting of George Herbert’s Antiphon, Let all the world in every corner sing, is dedicated to Margaret Deneke and the choir of Lady Margaret Hall (LMH). Whilst Tomlins ran the choir at Homerton, Cambridge, Deneke was her counterpart at LMH, Oxford University’s first women’s college. Published in 1945, this setting makes ingenious use of an alternating time signature, addressing the unusual poetic metre with apparent ease, and allowing the important words to fall on the first beat of the bar. The chorus, ‘Let all the world in every corner sing, My God and King’, is heard four times in Tomlins’ setting. Whilst the same melody is used each time, Tomlins gives the other vocal parts different music, in particular by changing the melodic direction of their parts. The mostly-conjunct vocal writing makes this setting a joy to sing for every voicepart, and the strophic structure delivers an effective anthem that is pleasingly quick to learn.
Let all the world in every corner sing
(SATB & organ)
This work is published in our anthology Volume 1 and as a licenced digital pdf
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Perusal score coming soon
(August 2025)
Greta Tomlins (1912–72)
Greta Tomlins was an English composer best known for her sacred choral music and carols. Tomlins was educated at Roedean School and read Music at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. She continued her studies in composition at the Royal College of Music. Although Tomlins largely wrote vocal music, her Alpine Suite for percussion, piano and strings was also very well received. Tomlins was a fervent champion of women’s education: in 1941 she was appointed as a lecturer in music at Homerton College, Cambridge (then a female-only establishment). She was greatly admired by her students, namely for introducing choral singing into the heart of the college’s musical life. Weekly choir attendance was compulsory. During these rehearsals on a Friday evening, Tomlins introduced the students to a wide range of music: from Hebridean love songs to Handel’s Messiah.
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