Anhand der Entfuhrung aus dem Serail wird systematisch aufgezeigt, wie sich das markante Stimmprofil der Besetzung der Urauffuhrung 1782 am Nationaltheater in Wien darstellt. Indem Mozart der Virtuositat und dem Stimmumfang seiner Erstbesetzung (Catarina Cavalieri, Valentin Adamberger, Ernst Dauer, Therese Teyber und Ludwig Fischer) in ausserordentlichem Masse entgegenkommt, sprengt er gleichermassen den musikalischen Rahmen der Gattung des Singspiels. Das musikalisch-kunstlerische Ergebnis des Zusammentreffens von Mozart und "seinen" Sangern ist eine gluckliche Synthese zwischen der Leistungsfahigkeit der Sanger und der Inspiration des Komponisten. Die Partitur wird sichtbares Zeugnis von Mozarts Kunst, fur Stimmen zu schreiben. So kann das Werk als Musterbeispiel fur eine gegenseitige kunstlerische Befruchtung gelten.

This is the first ever book-length study of the a cappella masses which appeared in France in choirbook layout during the baroque era. Though the musical settings of the Ordinarium missae and of the Missa pro defunctis have been the subject of countless studies, the stylistic evolution of the polyphonic masses composed in France during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries has been neglected owing to the labor involved in creating scores from the surviving individual parts. Jean-Paul C. Montagnier has examined closely the printed, engraved and stenciled choirbooks containing this repertoire, and his book focuses mainly on the music as it stands in them. After tracing the choirbooks' publishing history, the author places these mass settings in their social, liturgical and musical context. He shows that their style did not all adhere strictly to the stile antico, but could also employ the most up-to-date musical language of the period.

for tenor soloist, SATB choir, and organ Written for the marriage of HRH The Princess Elizabeth and Lieutenant Philip Mountbatten in Westminster Abbey, 20 November 1947.

for STB soli and unaccompanied SATB choir This unaccompanied motet was first performed at the dedication of the Battle of Britain Chapel in Westminster Abbey, London, and has an accordingly sombre tone. It opens with a haunting treble/soprano solo, and this ethereal atmosphere continues with unexpected harmonic shifts and hushed vocal writing. The words are taken from The Wisdom of Solomon (3: 1-5) and convey death as peaceful for those who have been 'righteous'. This motet would therefore be particularly well-suited to funeral or memorial services.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied Vaughan Willliams made numerous arrangements of the old English folk song Greensleeves throughout his career, most notably the Fantasia on 'Greensleeves', based on music from his opera Sir John in Love. This version for mixed choir uses four-part scoring to create a continuously flowing texture, with hushed dynamics and expressive harmonies bringing a sense of timelessness to the setting.

Originally entitled Thanksgiving for Victory, A Song of Thanksgiving is a powerful and moving work that celebrates the Allies' victory in World War II. It was first recorded in 1944 while the war was still ongoing, but was not broadcast until victory had been achieved in May of the following year. Comprising seven movements, it sets texts from the Bible alongside words by Shakespeare and Kipling, lending the work a sense of timelessness and grandeur. Scores and parts for both the full and reduced accompaniments are available on hire.

for SATB and strings or organ This is a full anthem for mixed voices with a brief section for SA. The words are based on Psalm 39. String material is available on hire.

for SATB unaccompanied Based on the well-known carol e wish you a merry Christmas this arrangement provides a spirited setting for mixed voices with an introduction from the upper voices. Short in duration and entertaining, this piece is a perfect closer for any holiday program.

The practices of singing and teaching singing are inextricable, joined to each other through the necessity of understanding the vocal art and craft. Just as singers must understand the physical functions of voice in order to become musically proficient and artistically mature, teachers too need to have a similar mastery of these ideas - and the ability to explain them to their students - in order to effectively guide their musical and artistic growth. With this singer-instructor relationship in mind, Richard and Ann Alderson's A New Handbook for Singers and Teachers presents a fresh, detailed guide about how to sing and how to teach singing. It systematically explores all aspects of the vocal technique - respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation - with each chapter containing exercises aimed at applying and teaching these principles. Beyond basic vocal anatomy and singing fundamentals, the handbook also covers such understudied topics as the young voice, the changing voice, and the aging voice, along with helpful chapters for teachers about how to organize vocal lessons and training plans. Thoughtfully and comprehensively crafted by two authors with decades of singing and teaching experience between them, A New Handbook for Singers and Teachers will prove an invaluable resource for singers and teachers at all stages of their vocal and pedagogical careers.

for SATB and piano This is the final movement (Epilogue) of the cantata In Windsor Forest, which is based on music from the opera Sir John in Love. It sets a text from The Book of Airs (1601) by Philip Rosseter and Thomas Campion, creating a celebratory atmosphere with a spirited opening theme and rich choral textures.

for SATB with organ or orchestra O what their joy And their glory must be is a wonderful anthem, based on a traditional French melody. The text has been translated from the Latin of Abelard by J.M. Neale and the work is scored for SATB with an Organ reduction of the original Orchestral score. Orchestral parts ffor full orchestra are available on hire.

Late medieval motet texts are brimming with chimeras, centaurs and other strange creatures. In The Monstrous New Art, Anna Zayaruznaya explores the musical ramifications of this menagerie in the works of composers Guillaume de Machaut, Philippe de Vitry, and their contemporaries. Aligning the larger forms of motets with the broad sacred and secular themes of their texts, Zayaruznaya shows how monstrous or hybrid exempla are musically sculpted by rhythmic and textural means. These divisive musical procedures point to the contradictory aspects not only of explicitly monstrous bodies, but of such apparently unified entities as the body politic, the courtly lady, and the Holy Trinity. Zayaruznaya casts a new light on medieval modes of musical representation, with profound implications for broader disciplinary narratives about the history of text-music relations, the emergence of musical unity, and the ontology of the musical work.

for soprano soloist, SSA chorus, and piano This tender lullaby sets William Ballet's well-known text 'Sweet was the song the Virgin sang'. An expressive soprano solo is gently accompanied by SSA chorus and a piano reduction of the original orchestral accompaniment. The lullaby is taken from the Christmas Cantata Hodie, for which scores and parts are available on hire.

for SATB and piano or organ This expressive anthem brings together excerpts from the gospels that express God's commandment to mankind to love one another. Underpinned by a flowing piano or organ accompaniment, Love one another explores this profound topic with sensitive harmonies and effective modulations. Although suitable for performance throughout the church year, this anthem would be particularly affecting in a Wedding or Maundy Thursday service.

for SATB and organ This uplifting anthem combines two well-known texts that are commonly read at weddings: 1 Corinthians 13:13 ('And now these three remain: faith, hope, and love. But the greatest of these is love.') and Song of Solomon 8:6-7 ('For love is strong as death. Many waters cannot quench love, neither can the floods drown it.'). The music perfectly mirrors the message of the texts, with flowing solo organ passages and melodic vocal lines building to full homophonic textures at the climax. Portraying a theme that is both personal and eternal, Faith, hope, and love remain is suitable for use not only as part of a wedding ceremony but also for general services and concerts.

(Music Sales America). One of the finest works of all Vivaldi's choral settings, arranged for the upper voices by Desmond Ratcliffe. Uplifting and melodic, the intoxicating tunes and spellbinding optimism of Gloria have helped it to become one of the most popular works in the Baroque choral repertoire.

for SATB and piano, organ, or orchestra First published in a two-part version in The Oxford Book of Flexible Carols, Alan Smith's In the Beginning is presented separately here in a mixed-voice arrangement. Kevin Carey's text is set to gently lilting music, perfect for choirs and settings at Christmas. Orchestral material is available on hire/rental.

for SATB with optional solo, unaccompanied This is a sonorous and dramatic arrangement of Robert MacGimsey's Christmas spiritual by Canadian composer Larry Nickel. It opens with an optional solo that may be sung by the sopranos, and, towards the end, the rest of the choir sings a beautiful and repetitive pattern on 'oo' while the sopranos take the melody towards a surprising but effective close.

for SATB and organ or orchestra With a text by David Warner on the parable of The Prodigal Son from St Luke's Gospel, this dramatic choral work brings to life the ancient, universal story of reconciliation and belonging. The closely woven text and music feature an expansive range of expression-plaintive, exuberant, and resolute-before concluding with a transcendent coda that gives way to reverberating 'Amen's. With echoes of some of the minimalist elements of Wilberg's Requiem, as well as Arvo Part, Henryk Gorecki, and John Tavener, the work is scored for mixed voices without soloists, allowing the choir to function like a Greek chorus-sometimes narrating, sometimes participating in the action, sometimes reflecting on it-all underpinned by organ, or orchestra, or chamber ensemble.