for SATB and organ This lively setting of the Venerable Bede's Christ is the morning star features all the hallmarks of McDowall's original and vibrant style. With rich harmonies, compelling modulations, and a flowing organ accompaniment, this piece is perfect for services and concerts throughout advent.

for SSA and piano Inspired by the simple directness of William Chatterton Dix's vivid, pictorial text, the composer explores the breadth of the choral canvas in this expressive and artful carol. The piece has a straightforward verse-chorus structure, with gentle development of the verse material and an effective motif to close each verse, making it accessible to and rewarding for choirs of all abilities. Also available in a version for mixed voices.

for SSAA (with divisions) unaccompanied Cecilia McDowall's fresh and appealing style is amply displayed in this cycle, subtitled 'Three Shakespeare Songs'. In total, six Shakespeare texts are used, and McDowall's response encompasses a fleet-footed impression of Scottish fiddle music, a gorgeously plangent slow movement, and a helter-skelter finale that broadens to a mysteriously pitchless ending. Also available for SSATB.

for SATB and piano or chamber ensemble Written in 1978 for the choir of Clare College, Cambridge, this gentle, dreamy lullaby has gone on to become one of John Rutter's most popular carols. Full scores and instrumental parts (flute, oboe, harp, and strings) are available on hire and on sale. Also available in a version for SSAA.

for SATB with optional piano Inspired by the simple directness of William Chatterton Dix's vivid, pictorial text, the composer explores the breadth of the choral canvas in this expressive and artful carol. The piece has a straightforward verse-chorus structure, with gentle development of the verse material and an effective motif to close each verse, making it accessible to and rewarding for choirs of all abilities. Also available in a version for upper voices.

for SATB & piano/chamber orchestra This charming carol, composed in 1975 by Barbara Bell, was discovered by John Rutter, who enlisted the help of John Suchet and Classic FM to track down the composer. Haunting in character, but with a delightful French waltz feel and a sweeping piano part, La Berceuse has been recorded by Voces8 on the Decca label.

for SATB (with divisions) and organ This jubilant carol sets a fifteenth-century text that rejoices in the birth of the baby Jesus. Bednall's rhythmically exciting setting features frequently changing time signatures, with 7/8 passages creating a jaunty feel. There are a variety of tempi and textures: a slower, tender middle section contrasts with the lively outer sections, and an unaccompanied section for the choir is juxtaposed against glittering, rhythmic organ passages. An ideal opener for any Christmas Carol concert, the work is featured on the Choir of Truro Cathedral's CD A Year at Truro (Regent Records).

for SATB unaccompanied This warm and expressive carol sets a Christmas poem by English poet U. A. Fanthorpe that centres on the moment of Christ's birth. Fleeting unisons call the listener's attention to the focal point of the text, the 'moment', and the rich, luminous harmonies create a sense of wonder at this momentous event.

for SATB and organ Written for the 20th Anniversary of Norwich Cathedral Girls' Choir, this setting of the well-known All Saints Day text juxtaposes flowing melodic lines in the sopranos with rich homophonic passages, each bringing the text to the fore. The organ plays a prominent role, providing gentle undulating accompaniment, as well as fanfare-like exclamations.

for SATB (with divisions) and piano or chamber orchestra Rutter's charming piece sets a secular text by the composer that emphasises the significance of music and harmony in an ephemeral world. A simple accompaniment figure in the piano provides the backdrop to alternating unison and polyphonic verses that manage to capture both nostalgia for what was and optimism for what is to come.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied The text for this arrangement of the second of William Walton's Two Pieces for Strings from Henry V' is based on the line 'Touch her soft mouth, and part' from Shakespeare's Henry V (Act 2, Scene 3). Featured on the Tenebrae Consort's CD Sun, Sea, Moon and Stars (released January 2016), this melancholic setting is simple yet highly effective.

for SATB double choir and piano or small ensemble Another winning collaboration between Bob Chilcott and author Charles Bennett, this work was commissioned by Age UK Oxfordshire as part of a project to highlight and combat loneliness. The singers assume the role of narrator, guiding the listener on a journey made by boat, with nine choral songs presenting their own stories within this larger excursion. The outer movements provide a watery framework with rippling figures and gentle choral waves. An air of nostalgia pervades 'My father's boat' and 'What we did on our holiday', while the central songs use naval and meteorological imagery to speak of some of life's difficulties. Soliloquies between the choral songs highlight a variety of solo instruments, but these may be omitted if performing with piano.

for SATB and organ or small orchestra Christmas Lullaby was commissioned in 1989 by the Bach Choir in celebration of the seventieth birthday of its conductor, Sir David Willcocks. The haunting melody of the verses and the reflective refrain of 'Ave Maria' have made this an immensely popular carol. The orchestral accompaniment is available on sale and on hire/rental. A version for upper voices is also available.

for SATB (with divisions), oboe, and organ The text combines the nineteenth-century poet and Christian minister George MacDonald's emotive poem Lost and Found with the 'In paradisum' antiphon from the Burial Service in the Liber Usualis. The music is at times ethereal, melancholic, poignant, and life-affirming. The solo oboe and organ writing is integral to the emotive character of the piece, and the word-painting and angelic chorus moments encourage the listener to reflect on the subject at hand. The Quest is featured on the Collegium Records CD The Gift of Life. An orchestration for chamber ensemble (solo oboe, harp, and strings) is available on hire/rental.

for SSA and piano This playful song sets the famous 'Beautiful Soup' poem from Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland in a suitably tongue-in-cheek manner. With lilting rhythms, intertwining lines, and opportunities for portamento, Beautiful Soup will make an enjoyable addition to any concert programme.

for SSA and piano As She Goes sets words by the composer on a reflective yet inspirational theme ('We were born to fly, but your wings come without a trial run'), against the backdrop of images from the natural world. The choral lines are simple and melodic, drawing on the sound-world of the folksong 'My Love's An Arbutus', which opens the work. Ideal for adult and youth upper-voice choirs, as well as children's choruses.

for SATB and piano As Joseph was a-walking is a lilting and uplifting setting of the well-known traditional text about the prophecy of Christ's birth, as received by Joseph from an angel. The accessible musical language, with interesting harmonic inflections, and attractive piano writing makes this an appealing choice for Christmas concerts and services.

for SATB double choir, children's choir, and piano Setting a text by Charles Bennett, The White Field presents a dreamlike scene in which blackbirds plant songs in the cold earth and await the growth of their music. Chilcott's melodies echo through the voices, before a climactic tutti central section giving full voice to the idea of renewal and hope in the depth of winter. A wistful coda completes the reverie as the blackbirds settle to await the return of the sun. The piano part provides harmonic support and rhythmic energy to the voice parts with chordal and semiquaver figurations throughout the work. The White Field was commissioned by the Barbican Centre for London Symphony Chorus and BBC Symphony Chorus for Sound Unbound, November 2015.

for TTBB and piano Like the original version for SATB voices, this new male-voice arrangement of Wide Open Spaces reflects on the journeys and adventures to be found in the wide opens spaces within ourselves and in the world around us. The uplifting melody is passed from the tenors to the baritones before the piece opens out into an expansive texture with rich harmonies. Quartel introduces a playful episode of scat singing before a resolute final chorus brings this evocative piece to a peaceful and serene close.

for SSATB unaccompanied Setting part of a Eucharistic hymn text by Thomas Aquinas, Adoro te devote is a beautiful, devotional piece suitable for liturgical or concert use. Flowing and expressive, it features homophonic sections, melismatic lines, and optional soaring soprano solos. Adoro te devote was written for Martin Baker and Westminster Cathedral Choir and is dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Nepalese Earthquake in April 2015.

for SATB unaccompanied This setting of the well-known fifteenth-century text Lullay, my liking is both simple and effective. With enchanting solos and a gentle choral refrain, this tender carol will bring a moment of stillness and reflection to Christmas concerts and services.

for SATB and piano or organ First published in Carols for Choirs 5, this is a beautiful and touching setting of the well-known fifteenth-century words. The contours of Stroope's melodic writing perfectly mirror the narrative from the manger scene, while the simple refrain highlights the Christ-child's innocence as his mother lulls him to sleep.

for SATB and piano Composed in celebration of David Willcocks's 95th birthday, Jonathan Willcocks sets a suitably uplifting traditional text from Cornwall, the county of his father's birth. Telling the story of the shepherd's and wise men's visits to Jesus, this carol is both joyous and sprightly, and would be suitable for both Christmas and Epiphany.