Night sky filled with stars and the Milky Way galaxy visible over a body of water. A faint glow is seen on the horizon with a shooting star and light streaks across the sky, surrounded by silhouetted trees and rocky shoreline.

Samuel Ives -

Works

A Selection of my Works

  • “In the month of June, 2025, I finished composing my first mass. This requiem mass consists of 8 movements, written for Choir, chamber orchestra and instrumental soloists. Composing the mass was an incredibly emotional experience for me. Beautifully restful movements like the Agnus Dei, and the Pie Jesu, contrast the haunting Domine Jesu Christe (Offertory) and Libera me Domine. The atonal reverence of the Sanctus; the beauty and solemnity of the Kyrie . The introduction a moody, but gentle start, with solo flute and clarinet alongside the choir. The solo cello plays a prominent role in this mass, particularly in the last movement, In Paradisum. The Cello finishes the entire requiem, and brings everything to a peaceful end. This requiem offers exciting musical diversity, whilst showing deep respect for the words and the occasion this music represents.”

  • “Black, Black Night, originally composed as an a capella piece, was written in March 2023 and premiered, with a string quartet, in February 2025. The piece was inspired by a journal entry I wrote whilst on my travels in Bolivia, 2018. We were so remote, there was no light pollution. The night we saw the milky way and hundreds of stars, was the night that inspired me to write the words and music for this piece. Black, Black Night celebrates the meekness and majesty of creation, the eeriness of space, and the comfort of the Andes.”

    Listen below (sound without words, see below for details about the score). Also see the premiere review on my reviews page.

  • “I composed this piece with a brief being about one of the four elements. I chose water. It is an a capella piece for SSAATTBB. I wanted the music to reflect the waters beauty, healing and life. The words were written by myself. I thought of Jesus, and the story of Him offering the lady at the well life giving water, and that those who come to him will never thirst again. The piece has a theme of forgiveness, cleansing, and renewing. The music is powerful in places, but calm, quiet and peaceful throughout.”

    Listen below (sound without words, see below for details about the score).

  • “I was inspired to write this piece when I watched a television show about Antarctica. It was this short piece that started my interest in writing music for TV. I discovered that I particularly loved writing music to accompany nature.”

    Listen below.

  • “I have really enjoyed building a small collection of TV themes, some 30 seconds to the longest at 55 seconds. My favourite genre to write for is Murder Mystery (Theme No.1 & No.4). My favourite theme is No.3 which I’ve called my Spy Theme. My most recent theme No.5 has a surprise ending. No.2 very clearly has a romantic Christmas feel, with choir and the celesta. This collection is ever expanding and I hope to compose music for television.”

    Listen to all my TV themes using the playlist below.

  • Prelude

    “This is the start of my Fairytale Suite, each movement will depict a different character. This suite is scored for a large symphony orchestra, and although the prelude may be short I believe it offers a captivating start into a magical world. Have a listen below, but be warned, the beginning of the piece starts quiet then crescendos into a loud introduction before the quieter theme comes in. This suite is a work in progress, the full length suite will be available to listen to once completed.”

    Movement I. The Wizard

    “A really eery start led by Bassoons and Alto Flute, then a sudden, loud, dramatic entrance as the wizard appears. The beginning is built around the whole tone scale. The atmosphere changes when the wizard’s theme is introduced as he bumbles along, mixing potions. I had great fun with this movement and loved using the Celesta and Alto Flute to create a magical atmosphere.”

    Listen below.

  • “I wrote this short piece inspired by the many birds I used to spot in the woodlands behind my house. Similarly to ‘Antarctica’ I took inspiration from a documentary series that I watched. I love all the different emotions portrayed in this piece and the flutes, representing the birds really stand out.” Listen below.

  • “I wrote this piece of music (2019) for the Eastbourne String Orchestra, ran by the East Sussex Music Service. I had the privilege of leading rehearsals for this piece and conducted the premiere at the Congress Theatre in Eastbourne, in front of 800 people. At the time I was a member of this orchestra and absolutely loved being part of the music service. I played in the viola section, and knew the orchestra well. I wanted to get the difficulty level right, but I also wanted the piece to have some challenges. I was supported by the wonderful teaching staff, who helped me in the rehearsals and taught me how to conduct. It remains the only piece I’ve written for a youth orchestra, but I would like to compose more.” Listen below.

  • “A piece I wrote whilst studying A Level Music, inspired by the amazing composer Bernard Hermann. We were studying him at the time, and had a great time looking through his scores for the movie ‘Psycho’ . We were tasked to compose a piece of music in the style of Hermann. I really enjoyed this project. It started out with a repeated rhythmic idea, and choosing to write the piece in the whole tone scale. The beginning is intense, but the middle offers a quieter, spookier feel, with instruments representing different characters and sounds. I would love to see a string orchestra premiere this piece one day.”

    A score will soon be made available at the British Music Collection.

  • “I wrote this piece when I was at the East Sussex Academy of Music, doing A Level Music (2017). This piece was written for a video sent to us by the Arts Council about the Cuckmere Valley (A place once very local to me). My favourite thing about the entire piece is the clarinet melody at the start. It is an obscure piece, but tells the story of the Cuckmere haven through texture, melody and instrumentation. The second half of the piece brings in the introduction of ‘Man’ and how we have effected the landscape. This piece has been performed twice, (2019, 2025). I am currently working on a Cuckmere Suite as suggested by the gentleman who reviewed the piece at the premiere. The Cuckmere is one of my earliest pieces, but one I’m still pleased with.”

  • “I am currently working on a second mass which is proving an exciting challenge. I continue to write TV themes too. I am currently composing a Christmas carol for a competition this year.”

Penguins in Antarctica

This film was produced by The Cue Tube. The music belongs to Samuel Ives.

There is a 4 second wait at the start.

Audio Tracks

A selection of music will be available to listen to using the Soundcloud playlist further down this page. There are 14 tracks to listen to, scroll down the playlist to see the rest of the tracks.

Some phone users may find it easier to use my Soundcloud page for better navigation.

PDF Scores

A handful of my scores will soon be made available.