-You're having some kind of crisis. -It's called being fifty. You must be having it too. Hilary once protested at Greenham. Now her protests tend to focus on persuading her teenage daughter to go out fully clothed. A frank and funny family drama questioning parental anxieties and life after fifty, Jumpy by April De Angelis premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in October 2011.

for TTBB unaccompanied, with a piano reduction This is a simple, well-arranged carol based on a sixteenth-century tune.

The Glagolitic Mass, written between 1926 and 1927, is not only one of Janacek's most important works: it is also a masterpiece of the twentieth-century choral repertoire. In this fascinating account of the work and its history, Paul Wingfield brings together material from early articles and reviews, letters and manuscripts which form a comprehensive account of the work's genesis and performance history. The author also provides a thorough revision of the Old Church Slavonic text along with English translation, and reconstructs Janacek's 'ideal' version of the work - far more exciting than the less adventurous rearrangement currently performed. Chapters on the music itself offer a full synopsis of the Glagolitic Mass, an in-depth discussion of its musical organisation and a selection of key interpretations of the piece by Janacek and others.

The Glagolitic Mass, written between 1926 and 1927, is not only one of Janacek's most important works: it is also a masterpiece of the twentieth-century choral repertoire. In this fascinating account of the work and its history, Paul Wingfield brings together material from early articles and reviews, letters and manuscripts which form a comprehensive account of the work's genesis and performance history. The author also provides a thorough revision of the Old Church Slavonic text along with English translation, and reconstructs Janacek's 'ideal' version of the work - far more exciting than the less adventurous rearrangement currently performed. Chapters on the music itself offer a full synopsis of the Glagolitic Mass, an in-depth discussion of its musical organisation and a selection of key interpretations of the piece by Janacek and others.

for SSA and organ A wonderful anthem for Christ the King Sunday with words by George Herbert.

A first-of-its-kind history, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir tells the epic story of how an all-volunteer group founded by persecuted religious outcasts grew into a multimedia powerhouse synonymous with the mainstream and with Mormonism itself. Drawing on decades of work observing and researching the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, Michael Hicks examines the personalities, decisions, and controversies that shaped "America's choir." Here is the miraculous story behind the Tabernacle's world-famous acoustics, the anti-Mormonism that greeted early tours, the clashes with Church leaders over repertoire and presentation, the radio-driven boom in popularity, the competing visions of rival conductors, and the Choir's aspiration to be accepted within classical music even as Mormons sought acceptance within American culture at large. Everything from Billboard hits to TV appearances to White House performances paved the way for Mormonism's crossover triumph. Yet, as Hicks shows, such success raised fundamental concerns regarding the Choir's mission, functions, and image.

In recent decades, cognitive neuroscience research has increased our understanding of how the brain learns, retains, and recalls information. At the same time, social psychologists have developed insights into group dynamics, exploring what motivates individuals in a group to give their full effort, or conversely, what might instead inspire them to become free loaders. Art and Science in the Choral Rehearsal explores the idea that choral conductors who better understand how the brain learns, and how individuals within groups function, can lead more efficient, productive, and enjoyable rehearsals. Armed with this knowledge, conductors can create rehearsal techniques which take advantage of certain fundamental brain and social psychology principles. Through such approaches, singers will become increasingly engaged physically and mentally in the rehearsal process. Art and Science in the Choral Rehearsal draws from a range of scientific studies to suggest and encourage effective, evidence-based techniques, and can help serve to reset and inspire new approaches toward teaching. Each chapter outlines exercises and creative ideas for conductors and music teachers, including the importance of embedding problem solving into rehearsal, the use of multiple entry points for newly acquired information, techniques to encourage an emotional connection to the music, and ways to incorporate writing exercises into rehearsal. Additional topics include brain-compatible teaching strategies to complement thorough score study, the science behind motivation, the role imagination plays in teaching, the psychology of rehearsal, and conducting tips and advice. All of these brain-friendly strategies serve to encourage singers' active participation in rehearsals, with the goal of motivating beautiful, inspired, and memorable performances.

Described as the "life and soul of British contemporary music", Jane Manning is an internationally celebrated English concert and opera soprano. In this new follow-up to her highly regarded New Vocal Repertory, Volumes I and II, she provides a seasoned expert's guidance and insight into the vocal genre she calls home. Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century spans the late middle-20th century through the second decade of the 21st. Manning's comprehensive selection of contemporary art songs ranges from the avant-garde to the more easily accessible, including substantial song cycles, shorter encore pieces, and songs suitable for auditions and competitions. The two-volume guide presents expertly-informed selections tailored to particular voice types. Each of the 160 selections is accompanied by a highly detailed performance guide, music examples, levels of difficulty, and a brief encapsulation of vocal characteristics or challenges contained in the piece. A supplemental companion website provides composer biographies and an up-to-date list of recommended recordings. With a focus on younger composers in addition to prominent figures, Manning encourages singers to refresh and expand their recital repertoire into less familiar territory, and discover the rewards therein. Volume 2 features works written from 2000 onwards, including pieces from contemporary composers Mohammed Fairouz ("Annabel Lee"), Missy Mazzoli ("As Long as We Live"), Judith Weir ("The Voice of Desire"), and Raymond Yiu ("The Earth and Every Common Sight").

for TTBB and piano, or orchestra, or piano and strings This hearty song from the cantata In Windsor Forest (adapted from the opera Sir John in Love) is full of character. With a rollicking 'oom-pah' accompaniment and spirited vocal writing, it makes a fun and entertaining closing number or encore. Orchestral material is available on hire.

Described as the "life and soul of British contemporary music", Jane Manning is an internationally celebrated English concert and opera soprano. In this new follow-up to her highly regarded New Vocal Repertory, Volumes I and II, she provides a seasoned expert's guidance and insight into the vocal genre she calls home. Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century spans the late middle-20th century through the second decade of the 21st. Manning's comprehensive selection of contemporary art songs ranges from the avant-garde to the more easily accessible, including substantial song cycles, shorter encore pieces, and songs suitable for auditions and competitions. The two-volume guide presents expertly-informed selections tailored to particular voice types. Each of the 160 selections is accompanied by a highly detailed performance guide, music examples, levels of difficulty, and a brief encapsulation of vocal characteristics or challenges contained in the piece. A supplemental companion website provides composer biographies and an up-to-date list of recommended recordings. With a focus on younger composers in addition to prominent figures, Manning encourages singers to refresh and expand their recital repertoire into less familiar territory, and discover the rewards therein. Volume 1 features works written before 2000, including pieces from such renowned composers as John Cage ("The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs", "A Flower"), Andre Previn ("Five Songs"), and Igor Stravinsky ("The Owl and the Pussycat").

The Oxford Book of Flexible Choral Songs is the perfect resource for secular choirs and singing groups who like the flexibility to perform songs in a range of combinations from unison to SATB. Each piece may be performed by a mixed choir, but is also presented with flexible scoring options, clearly explained throughout, enabling performance by various combinations of singers, including upper voices or men's voices alone. As well as new arrangements of existing repertoire, the collection also features newly commissioned original works, specially written for flexible forces.

The Oxford Book of Flexible Choral Songs is the perfect resource for secular choirs and singing groups who like the flexibility to perform songs in a range of combinations from unison to SATB. Each piece may be performed by a mixed choir, but is also presented with flexible scoring options, clearly explained throughout, enabling performance by various combinations of singers, including upper voices or men's voices alone. As well as new arrangements of existing repertoire, the collection also features newly commissioned original works, specially written for flexible forces.

An indispensable and practical guide to protecting and improving the voice. The gift of a beautiful voice is one to be preserved until old age, and will give great pleasure to the singer and the listener alike. This book will enable the singer to be able to sustain a clear tone effortlessly throughout a rehearsal or performance. The advice offered here will be invaluable to both solo and choral singers, and applies to all kinds of singing. As the voice is a living organ, understanding and exercises are needed to keep it fit just as the rest of the body does. The book provides the secrets and techniques that some singers have paid great sums for!

Singing has been a characteristic behaviour of humanity across several millennia. Chorus America (2009) estimated that 42.6 million adults and children regularly sing in one of 270,000 choruses in the US, representing more than 1:5 households. Similarly, recent European-based data suggest that more than 37 million adults take part in group singing. The Oxford Handbook of Singing is a landmark text on this topic. It is a comprehensive resource for anyone who wishes to know more about the pluralistic nature of singing. In part, the narrative adopts a lifespan approach, pre-cradle to senescence, to illustrate that singing is a commonplace behaviour which is an essential characteristic of our humanity. In the overall design of the Handbook, the chapter contents have been clustered into eight main sections, embracing fifty-three chapters by seventy-two authors, drawn from across the world, with each chapter illustrating and illuminating a particular aspect of singing. Offering a multi-disciplinary perspective embracing the arts and humanities, physical, social and clinical sciences, the book will be valuable for a broad audience within those fields.

The B-minor Mass has always represented a fascinating challenge to musical scholarship. Composed over the course of Johann Sebastian Bach's life, it is considered by many to be the composer's greatest and most complex work. The fourteen essays assembled in this volume originate from the International Symposium 'Understanding Bach's B-minor mass' at which scholars from eighteen countries gathered to debate the latest topics in the field. In revised and updated form, they comprise a thorough and systematic study of Bach's Opus Ultimum, including a wide range of discussions relating to the Mass's historical background and contexts, structure and proportion, sources and editions, and the reception of the work in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. In the light of important new developments in the study of the piece, this collection demonstrates the innovation and rigour for which Bach scholarship has become known.

Nearly a half century after her death in 1972, Mahalia Jackson remains the most esteemed figure in black gospel music history. Born in the backstreets of New Orleans in 1911, Jackson during the Great Depression joined the Great Migration to Chicago, where she became an highly regarded church singer and, by the mid-fifties, a coveted recording artist for Apollo and Columbia Records, lauded as the "World's Greatest Gospel Singer." This "Louisiana Cinderella" narrative of Jackson's career during the decade following World War II carried important meanings for African Americans, though it remains a story half told. Jackson was gospel's first multi-mediated artist, with a nationally broadcast radio program, a Chicago-based television show, and early recordings that introduced straight-out-of-the-church black gospel to American and European audiences while also tapping the vogue for religious pop in the early Cold War. In some ways, Jackson's successes made her an exceptional case, though she is perhaps best understood as part of broader developments in the black gospel field. Built upon foundations laid by pioneering Chicago organizers in the 1930s, black gospel singing, with Jackson as its most visible representative, began to circulate in novel ways as a form of popular culture in the 1940s and 1950s, its practitioners accruing prestige not only through devout integrity but also from their charismatic artistry, public recognition, and pop-cultural cachet. These years also saw shifting strategies in the black freedom struggle that gave new cultural-political significance to African American vernacular culture. The first book on Jackson in 25 years, Mahalia Jackson and the Black Gospel Field draws on a trove of previously unexamined archival sources that illuminate Jackson's childhood in New Orleans and her negotiation of parallel careers as a singing Baptist evangelist and a mass media entertainer, documenting the unfolding material and symbolic influence of Jackson and black gospel music in postwar American society.

Vocal, Instrumental, and Ensemble Learning and Teaching is one of five paperback books derived from the foundational two-volume Oxford Handbook of Music Education. Designed for music teachers, students, and scholars of music education, as well as educational administrators and policy makers, this third volume in the set emphasizes the types of active musical attributes that are acquired when learning an instrument or to sing, together with how these skills can be used when engaging musically with others. These chapters shed light on how the field of voice instruction has changed dramatically in recent decades and how physiological, acoustical, biomechanical, neuromuscular, and psychological evidence is helping musicians and educators question traditional practices. The authors discuss research on instrumental learning, demonstrating that there is no 'ideal' way to learn, but rather that a chosen learning approach must be appropriate for the context and desired aims. This volume rounds out with a focus on a wide range of perspectives dealing with group performance of instrumental music, an area that is organized and taught in many varied ways internationally. Contributors Alfredo Bautista, Robert Burke, James L. Byo, Jean Callaghan, Don D. Coffman, Andrea Creech, Jane W. Davidson, Steven M. Demorest, Robert A. Duke, Robert Edwin, Shirlee Emmons, Sam Evans, Helena Gaunt, Susan Hallam, Lee Higgins, Jere T. Humphreys, Harald Jers, Harald Jorgensen, Margaret Kartomi, Reinhard Kopiez , William R. Lee, Andreas C. Lehmann, Gary E. McPherson, Steven J. Morrison, John Nix, Ioulia Papageorgi, Kenneth H. Phillips, Lisa Popeil, John W. Richmond, Carlos Xavier Rodriguez, Nelson Roy, Robert T. Sataloff, Frederick A. Seddon, Sten Ternstrom, Michael Webb, Graham F. Welch, Jenevora Williams, Michael D. Worthy

The Ivy and the Holly is a superb collection of carols and motets for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany by contemporary composers. Scored for mixed voices - a cappella and with organ - the anthology embraces a range of styles and sonorities. Here are plainchant lines, lilting melodies, and overlapping phrases; lively, energetic settings and soft, reflective ones; dancing rhythms and rich, sumptuous harmonies. Encompassing a variety of texts, with settings of medieval English verse and biblical passages alongside poems by celebrated writers, this collection will be welcomed by concert and church choirs alike.