This rehearsal pack provides all of the material needed to help prepare the unison voices for a performance of Birdland, Bob Chilcott's engaging musical drama following the quest of Pip the Sparrow to be accepted into the Dawn Chorus. Along with a copy of the vocal score, the pack contains a photocopiable booklet containing the part for unison voices and lyric sheets for all of the movements in which the unison voices participate. In addition, you will find a unique access code for a companion website containing downloadable audio rehearsal tracks (performances) for the unison voices part, PowerPoint resources for teaching and rehearsing the unison voices, and PDFs of the unison voices part and lyric sheets for printing.

for SSAATTBB unaccompanied The Island Itself is a setting of the poem Homage to Omey by Irish poet, Joan McBreen. The imagery of the sea conveyed in the text is reflected through lilting, syncopated rhythms. The melody is supported by a bed of ostinati sung with vocables. The swelling dynamics and long, held notes create an immersive wash of sound.

Shooting at the Moon celebrates the music and lyrics of Kevin Ayers, one of the great bohemian voices of British music. Kevin Ayers was an English singer-songwriter who was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement and a founding member of the band Soft Machine in the 60s. With introductions by Galen Ayers, Josh Payne and Robert Wyatt, this book includes all the lyrics from Ayers' solo career and documents a period of the UK music scene between Psychedelia and Glam Rock. Immerse yourself in the world of this influential cult singer-songwriter, with pages from his own notebooks, exclusive photographs, Ayers' own collages and the occasional recipe.

This book contains nine pieces from ABRSM's Grade 5 Piano syllabus for 2023 & 2024, three pieces chosen from each of Lists A, B and C - ideal for both Practical and Performance Grade exams. The pieces have been carefully selected to offer an attractive and varied range of styles, creating a collection that provides an excellent source of repertoire to suit every performer.The book also contains helpful footnotes and, for those preparing for exams, useful syllabus information. A version of this book with audio download is also available.

for SABar and piano Show them you care ('cos it's Christmas) is a setting of an original text by Mark De-Lisser and Clare Dove in a pop ballad style. It conveys a heartfelt and powerful message that is perfect for Christmas concerts. The song includes solos from each vocal section and the voices are supported by a piano accompaniment enriched with extended and altered chords.

for SSA and piano In O be joyful, McGlade presents the words of Psalm 100 with a clarity and sincerity that amplifies the message of the text. The piece moves through a variety of tonalities and metres, which is typical of the composer's style. The lyrical melody lines from the upper voices are supported by a sensitive and melodic piano accompaniment.

for solo organ In this organ voluntary, Skempton has crafted a wash of melting lines using his distinctive harmonic language. Affirmation expands from a singular note into undulating four- and five-part textures. This, combined with its molto largo tempo, instils a reflective mood.

for SATB (with SAT semi-chorus) and cello Quartel has chosen a powerful combination of texts by Hildegard von Bingen and Mother Teresa for this emotive choral work. The main choir is accompanied by a small ensemble singing the word 'love' with rippling ostinati that reflect the title of the work. The solo cello line contributes lyrical melodic lines, moving into triplet rhythms and broken chords as the piece progresses to its emotive climax.

for SSA and piano This uplifting work by American composer Reginal Wright sets a text by the nineteenth-century poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy. The powerful words are sung to a memorable melody embellished with syncopation and triplets. The voices are accompanied by rippling broken chords enriched with falling chromatic lines. A version for SATB and piano is also available.

for SATB and piano. An upbeat setting of words by Charles Bennett celebrating the arrival of spring, Opening features changing metres, a compelling verse-refrain structure, and catchy melodies. A darker middle section mirrors the text's reflection on winter's snow and silence, before the music opens out into a final, joyful statement of the verse and refrain as the first signs of spring appear.

for SSAATTBB and oboe John Rutter creates a peaceful and contemplative atmosphere in this new arrangement of the traditional German carol, Es ist ein' Ros' entsprungen. The piece opens with a lyrical melody from the solo oboe, over a wash of gentle, hummed vocal harmonies. Rutter continues the carol by underpinning the vocal melodies with 'ah's and hummed parts, and keeping the dynamics soft, to retain its tranquility.

for SATB (with divisions) and two soloists unaccompanied In this beautiful setting, Latvian composer Laura Jekabsone presents a modern, popular take on the familiar carol text by Henry John Gauntlett. The piece is led by two soloists (one upper voice, one lower voice), who the choir underpin with a rich harmonic cushion of a cappella-style scats. The melodies are instantly memorable, and the choir's move from an accompanying role to presenting the final chorus gives a powerful lift and emphatic conclusion to this effective Christmas work.

for narrator, SATB soloists, and SATB choir unaccompanied, with optional bones In this compelling work for narrator, soloists, and choir, Sheehan presents an engaging musical dramatization of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Dickens's text has been artfully abridged by Matthew Guard to facilitate concert performance, and the narration is seamlessly woven into Sheehan's richly diverse score. Suited to performance in a variety of settings, this work sees imaginative arrangements of traditional carols and vibrant and accessible original music combine to bring a familiar festive tale to life.

for SATB unaccompanied The three movements of A Winter Breviary are entitled: 'We look for you', 'The year's midnight', and 'The unexpected early hour'. The movements are each based on an Indian classical Raag: Raag Hamsadhwani, Raag Malkauns, and Raag Ahir Bhairav, respectively. The texts, by poet Rebecca Gayle Howell, are linked to the Christian services of Evensong, Matins, and Lauds, and are eco-carols written from the perspective of a different point in time-evening, midnight, and daybreak-using nature to explore a different part of the Christmas story. The first two movements have a serene and pensive atmosphere that contrasts with the third movement, which uses an energetic compound time signature and bell-like melodic shapes.

for SATB and piano, with optional bass and drum kit Sing we and chant it sets the text of a well-known sixteenth-century madrigal of the same name by Thomas Morley in a jazz waltz style. Chilcott injects energy and fun into the piece through a quick three-time metre and extended and altered chords. This is an offprint from the four-movement work Little Jazz Madrigals. The optional bass and drum kit parts are printed in this vocal score.

for SATB and organ Simon Biazeck has artfully arranged Dyson's Evening Service in C minor for mixed voices, transposing the work up a tone to better suit the SATB vocal ranges. The arrangement is engaging and eminently singable, allowing this staple of the repertoire to reach new choirs and audiences.

for SATB unaccompanied 'Ya basta!' is a Spanish saying that roughly translates to 'Enough is enough!'. Regan has combined this with text from a poem by the Spanish poet Antonio Machado. Ya Basta! has an exuberant and carefree energy, expressing the freedom to walk wherever you choose and to make your own path. The song easy to teach and learn; the score includes helpful tips on pronunciation and improvisation at the break section. Offprinted from Community Voiceworks, ed. Alison Burns and Gitika Partington.

for SSA and piano In this passionate four-movement work, composer Bob Chilcott and lyricist Delphine Chalmers explore themes of inclusivity, identity, and unity. The middle movements, 'Harmony' and 'Rhythm', have strong grooves and rhythmic drive, while the outer movements, 'Unison' and 'Resolution', are steadfast and uplifting. Songs my Heart has Taught Me brings singers and audience together in a celebration of all that unites us. This work was originally published in a version for mixed voices, commissioned by the American Choral Directors Association as the 2021 Raymond W. Brock Memorial Commission.

SATB and piano, with optional bass and drum kit This dynamic collection presents four jazzy settings of favourite madrigals by Thomas Morley, John Bennet, and Orlando Gibbons. The first, 'Sing we and Chant it', is a relaxed jazz waltz with a compelling melody, and singers will especially revel in the rich harmonies of the expressive 'Weep, O mine eyes' setting that follows. 'Learned Poets' has a bossa nova feel with a strong rhythmic groove and characterful syncopations, and the urgent rolling tempo of movement four captures the text's calamity and titular call of 'Fire, fire!', also expressed by a walking bassline that continually drives towards the work's emphatic conclusion. The stylistic piano part may be played as written or serve as a guide, and a bass and drum kit part is available separately for trio accompaniment.

for SATB and piano This uplifting work by American composer Reginal Wright sets a text by the nineteenth-century poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy. The powerful words are sung to a memorable melody embellished with syncopation and triplets. The voices are accompanied by rippling broken chords enriched with falling chromatic lines.

Music has always been at the heart of American television. Amongst the many roles it plays in broadcasting, music entertains viewers with live and videotaped performances, evokes moods and identifies characters and settings, and sells products through commercial jingles. Most importantly, television music steers viewers through the continuous stream of daily programming.
Tuning In looks at and listens to the first fifty years of American narrative television music as a unique art form. Drawing on music in a wide variety of television genres - from westerns to science-fiction thrillers to police dramas to sitcoms and commercials - author Ron Rodman develops a new theory of television music to explain how it conveys meaning to American viewing audiences. Music in television, Rodman argues, finds its origins both in radio and in cinema, and is thus a unique multimedia form that demands its own methods of analysis. From The Dick van Dyke Show and I Love Lucy to Twin Peaks and The X-Files, Rodman's arguments are grounded in a fascinatingly historically wide-ranging and diverse selection of shows.
The book also crosses media genres, looking at how the Broadway stage and the Hollywood film musical have influenced television variety shows and situation comedies. Drawing on music analysis and narrative and semiotic theories, this stimulating book illustrates how music forms part of the code that makes television broadcasts culturally meaningful.