for SSAA unaccompanied A bright and breezy piece with a charming text by Charles Bennett, A Tree of Song begins with a jaunty 7/8 figure which recurs throughout the piece, with a spirited melody floating above. Alternation between passages of 4/4 and 7/8 gives a lively offbeat feel, with the piece only taking on a darker tone in a brief central section.

for SA, piano, and percussion This is an uplifting and expressive setting of a fun, descriptive text by Christie Dickason that characterizes the sky in an imaginative way. The compelling melodies are underpinned by a dynamic piano part, often featuring rippling quavers, and charcterful interjections from the glockenspiel and suspended cymbal complement the narrative. A contrasting middle section in triple time quotes from the Northumbrian folk song 'When the boat comes in', while the final section is affirmatory in feel, emphatically repeating the final line of the poem, 'and I will grow'.

for SATB and piano/orchestra Wilberg's arrangement of Robert Lowry's text and melody is a beautifully reflective take on the well-known hymn. Simple vocal lines are enhanced by a gently flowing accompaniment, rich in suspensions and harmonic interest. This part can be played on the piano, or by the unusual combination of flutes, cors anglais, harp, and strings.

for SATB and piano Written for the 2016 'Requiem to Cancer' event at St Paul's Church, Covent Garden, Now is the Time sets hopeful and inspirational words by Marie Curie. McDowall's setting is optimistic and appealing, with charming interplay between the voices and piano.

for soprano solo and SSATB unaccompanied Cecilia, Busy Like a Bee is a reflective and reverential setting of a text adapted from the Divine Office for St Cecilia's Day. The influence of plainchant is particularly apparent in the soprano solo, and McDowall intersperses effective imitative passages amidst homophonic writing with rich harmonies.

for SATB and organ Setting the George Herbert poem 'Whitsunday' from the 1633 collection The Temple, this lilting, gentle anthem is particularly useful for Whit Sunday services. Syncopations and duplets provide rhythmic interest, with memorable melodies, sumptuous harmonies, and contrasting textures making this a rewarding anthem for performer and listener alike.

for soprano solo, SSATB, and organ As Each Leaf Dances is a setting of a powerful text by Kevin Crossley-Holland about the cruelty of child abuse being overcome by love and kindness. Reflecting this, the first section features a relentless organ part, jagged vocal lines, and dissonant harmonies, before giving way to a jaunty, dancing, and uplifting second section.

for SA, piano, and percussion This original composition sets the composer's own text celebrating freedom of expression and the music within each of us. Accompanied by hand-drum and piano, the piece is an exciting and engaging sing filled with teachable moments and opportunities for musical growth, with simple legato and two-part passages, and vocal percussion. Also available in a version for CBar, piano, and percussion, which is fully compatible with this upper-voice version.

"This is an excellent and authoritative book -- one that will no doubt become the standard biography of Richard Rodgers". -- Allen Forte, Yale University

Richard Rodgers, a musical genius whose Broadway career spanned six successful decades, composed more than a thousand songs for the American stage. Although he reaped wealth, success, and recognition that included two shared Pulitzer Prizes, Rodgers found happiness elusive. In this first comprehensive biography of Rodgers, William G. Hyland tells the full story of the complex man and his incomparable music.

Hyland's portrait of Rodgers (1902-79) begins with his childhood in an affluent Jewish family living in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan. During college years at Columbia University and early work on the amateur circuit and Broadway, Rodgers entered into a historic collaboration with the lyricist Lorenz Hart. The team produced a dozen popular shows and such enduring songs as "The Lady Is a Tramp". Rodgers' next partnership, with Oscar Hammerstein II, led to the creation of the musical play, a new and distinctively American art form. Beginning with Oklahoma in 1943, this pair dominated Broadway for almost twenty years with a string of hits that remain beloved favorites: Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, and The Sound of Music. When Hammerstein died in 1960, Rodgers began a new phase in his career, writing the lyrics to his own music, then joining lyricists Stephen Sondheim, Sheldon Harnick, and Martin Charnin. Despite periods of depression, excessive drinking, hypochondria, and devastating illness at different points in his life, Rodgers' outpouring of music seemed little affected, and he continued to compose untilhis death at age seventy-seven. An icon of the musical theater, Rodgers left a legacy of timeless songs that audiences return to hear over and again.

for SATB double choir unaccompanied This setting of Orlando Gibbons and Catullus is a re-working of Gibbons's celebrated 17th-century madrigal (of the same title) for five voices. It retains the lilting depiction of the swan and the original composer's love of antiphonal effects and rich texture, providing an ideal platform for established choirs to explore tone, blend, and musical imagery.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied First performed by the Choir of St Luke's Episcopal Church, Evanston, Illinois, in 2016, this powerful motet sets a reflective text by Augustine of Hippo. Connoisseurs of Jackson's music will recognise the hallmarks of his highly accessible style: inventive harmony that is largely diatonic but never plain, and textures that encompass the blazingly sonorous and the expressively intimate.

for SATB unaccompanied This anthem for unaccompanied choir juxtaposes the words of the Antiphon for the Washing of Feet on Maundy Thursday with 'The red rose whispers of passion' by the poet John Boyle O'Reilly. Jackson combines lyrical polyphonic phrases for upper and lower voices with atmospheric passages for full choir, frequently accompanied by repeated half-whispered text in free time.

for SATB or unison voices and organ This joyous, celebratory introit sets well-known words from Psalm 95 and features appealing recitative-like melodies, striking harmonies, and fluctuating metre. The flexible scoring facilitates performance by SATB choir, unison voices, or high voices, and the organ part provides a supportive yet compelling accompaniment. O come, let us sing has been recorded by Wells Cathedral Choir, conducted by Matthew Owens, on the CD 'Flame Celestial' (REGCD320).

for SSAA, solo cello, djembe, and piano This evocative anthem, from the larger work Snow Angel, is a piece of two halves. Opening with a haunting cello line, the first section ('God Will Give Orders') is mystical and ethereal, until a vibrant figure from the djembe lifts the music into the second section ('Sweet Child'), which is uplifting and bold in character, with a distinctly African feel and an effective a cappella ending.

for SATB, trumpet in C, and organ This substantial anthem was composed in 2015 to celebrate the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta and to mark Salisbury Cathedral's stewardship of the charter since 1215. Rutter succeeds in weaving together passages from the books of Isaiah, Zechariah, and Amos with music that is both ceremonial and mysteriously intense to create a dignified and powerful work.

for SATB, trumpet, and organ/orchestra The second of two Rutter anthems celebrating the 800th anniversary of Magna Carta, Give the king thy judgments, O God is a ceremonial work that draws upon the Book of Psalms alongside text written by the composer to create a suitably festive piece. Although the prevailing mood is jubilant, the closing pages provide a prayerful moment as Orlando Gibbon's gentle hymn tune Song 1 is interpolated to great effect. This anthem is featured on Rutter's highly-acclaimed CD The Gift of Life. A trumpet in C part is included in the vocal score, and a B flat trumpet part is available separately.

for SATB and piano/orchestra John Rutter's rousing drinking song Good Ale, which was originally published as part of his cycle of six choral settings with small orchestra When Icicles Hang, is full of spirit and character. An accompaniment for orchestra is available on hire/rental.