for SATB and piano Ring the bells is a joyful setting of a text by Frances Crosby that celebrates the coming of Christmas. Written in a lively compound time, the carol explores one melodic refrain through numerous keys and textures, giving each verse a different energy. The voices are supported by resonant harmonies in the piano that cheerfully mimic the 'bells' and 'harps' in the text.

for SATB (with divisions) and piano This is a high energy, foot-tap inducing setting of a well-known text. The bluesy melodies, jazzy harmonies, and swung rhythms give the piece a gospel feel and fill you with the infectious urge to boogie along to the music. Powerful voices and enthusiasm required. An optional bass and drum kit part is available as a free PDF download from the OUP website. Also available in a version for SSA and piano.

for SA (with soprano solo) and piano This thought-provoking carol takes up the topical theme of the plight of refugees, drawing parallels with the stories and reception of Christ's birth. The text, by the composer, alludes to familiar lines from the Coventry Carol, rooting the piece in tradition while encouraging us to consider our present. The verses feature contrasting textures and changing metres, while a soft, reflective refrain stands steadfastly in triple metre. This carol was originally published in a version for unaccompanied mixed voices, with soprano solo.

for SSA and piano This is a high energy, foot-tap inducing setting of a well-known text. The bluesy melodies, jazzy harmonies, and swung rhythms give the piece a gospel feel and fill you with the infectious urge to boogie along to the music. Powerful voices and enthusiasm required. Also available in a version for SATB and piano. An optional bass and drum kit part is available as a free PDF download from the OUP website.

for SATB unaccompanied Poems of Love and War sets a sequence of nine poems from 'Viking Poetry of Love and War' by Judith Jesch. The war poems are formal and celebratory, making vivid use of figures of speech known as 'kennings', while the love poems are more direct, and sometimes playful. Skempton's imaginative settings bring these striking texts to life, artfully using changing metres to evoke the sound of spoken word.

for SATB (with divisions) and organ Setting his own text, Archer's new carol is specifically dedicated to Mary. 'Ave Maria's are interspersed between flowing melodies that rock gently in 3/4 time, while the central section offers brief introspection in the tonic minor. Accompanied by a supportive organ part throughout, the voices finish with a jazzy chord progression, leaving behind a warm, Christmassy feeling.

for SSATB unaccompanied Written to commemorate the centenary of the foundation of the International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Brightest Star sets a powerful text by Sean Street. The poem describes the call for assistance made by the occupied Channel Islands in 1944 and the response of the Red Cross ship, the Vega, which came to their aid, drawing parallels between this story and the light and hope of the seasons of Christmas and Epiphany. The bleak wartime conditions are portrayed by dissonant harmony and downward sliding phrases, and extracts from the Bailiff of Jersey's letter of appeal, sung by the lower voices, draw attention to the gravity of the situation. In contrast, the upper voices bring an ethereal quality to the texture, with closing phrases that are suggestive of the traditional French carol Les anges dans nos campagnes ('Angels, from the realms of glory').

for SSA and piano Higgins's setting of this popular folk song is simple and wistful, particularly well-suited for children's and youth choirs. With delicate quaver flourishes, the piano accompaniment flows gently alongside the vocal lines, creating suspensions that reflect the mysterious demands of the narrator. Originally published in The Oxford Book of Flexible Choral Songs for three-part choir.

for soprano solo and SATB unaccompanied In this innovative arrangement Stanley M. Hoffman takes Henry Purcell's most popular solo aria, the 'Lament' from his opera Dido and Aeneas, and reimagines it as a work for unaccompanied soprano solo and SATB choir, thus making a staple of the solo song repertoire available for choral performance. The chromatic passage that opens the piece is sung wordlessly by the bass section, and Hoffman's setting features imaginative interplay between chorus and soloist, sharing the well-known lyrics between them, and sensitive dynamic contrasts.

This book is a pioneering attempt to explore the fascinating and hardly known realm of reciting poetry in medieval and Renaissance Italy. The study of more than 50 treatises on both music and poetry, as well as other literary sources and documents from the period between 1300 and 1600, highlights above all the practice of parlar cantando («speaking through singing - the term found in De li contrasti, a fourteenth-century treatise on poetry) as rooted in the art of reciting verses. Situating the practice of parlar cantando in the context of late medieval poetic delivery, the author sheds new light on the origin and history of late Renaissance opera style, which their inventors called stile recitativo, rappresentativo or, exactly, parlar cantando. The deepest roots of the Italian tradition of parlar cantando are thus revealed, and the cultural background of the birth of opera is reinterpreted and revisited from the much broader perspective of what appears to be the most important Italian mode of music making between the age of Dante and Petrarch and the beginning of Italian opera around 1600.

for SATB (with divisions) and piano Marked 'light and flowing', Quartel's setting of Sara Teasdale's poem 'Peace' features slow, sustained vocal writing over a piano part with continual moving quavers. The harmonic palette is rich and warm, and soaring soprano lines conjure Teasdale's vivid celestial imagery.

for SATB unaccompanied In this bittersweet pastoral setting Bednall's flowing melody lines are paired with the tender words of the contemplative First World War poet, Siegfried Sasson. The 5/4 metre lends a wistful whimsical feel to the music, allowing the piece to flow freely, whilst retaining the playful syncopation so familiar in folk music. The poem itself is a rare step outside Sassoon's typical First World War themes. Rather, Idyll describes a summer garden where he wishes to meet somebody, who, it seems, has passed away. A beautifully creative work offering heartache and warmth in equal measure.

for SA and piano This is a beautiful setting of an anonymous medieval text that follows a broken-hearted lover into the woods. Fluctuating between major and minor keys, Chilcott's melody is full of nostalgia and grows intensely towards the middle of the piece. The parts are supported by a warm and flowing piano accompaniment. 'All for Love of One' was originally published in the collection Five Songs for Upper Voices.

for tenor solo and SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied Setting a beautiful text by Charles Bennett, this is a gentle, optimistic piece that remembers those lost to conflict and looks encouragingly towards peace. The tenor solo is supported by vocal accompaniment with oscillating harmonies and warm melodic figures. In the final section, the sopranos take over the melody before the soloist brings the piece to a finish with dreams of 'a blue sky'.

for TBarB and piano Originally published as part of the upper-voice collection As you sing and now re-arranged for TB voices, this is a thrilling and high-energy piece setting a text by Jennifer Thorp. Young uses body-percussion, sound effects, repeating themes, and strong rhythms to capture the characteristics of a river, creating a fun and dynamic piece suitable for concert performance.

for SSATBarB unaccompanied Setting words by the composer, Swept Away is a beautiful and haunting piece with pop-inspired rhythms and harmonies. The scat syllables of the insistent lower parts are combined with a flowing melody in the soprano line to create a powerful work exploring the journey of the singers and the ability of the wind to carry them to their destination.

for SSA and piano or harp This anthem sets a powerful poem by John Henry Newman that reflects on the spirituality of solitude. An imaginative interplay between voices and instrumental accompaniment is prevalent throughout, with effective contrasts between tranquillo and animato sections and delicate ostinato patterns. An alternative accompaniment for harp is available for purchase. The anthem is also available in a version for SATB and guitar or piano.

for SATB and organ or orchestra This bright and exultant arrangement of Michael Praetorius's melody 'Puer nobis nascitur' is presented with two text options: 'O splendor of God's glory bright' for general worship and 'That Easter day with joy was bright' for use at Easter. Sparkling organ interludes, characterised by flutes and piccolos in the orchestral accompaniment, punctuate the lilting melody, which is given contrasting treatment in each of the verses, from presentation in unison to rich four-part harmony.