for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied Characteristically sung on Christmas Day, this Catholic chant depicts mystery and wonder at the birth of Jesus, as witnessed by the animals. The second half of the text relates to words spoken by Elizabeth, welcoming Mary into her home. In McDowall's setting, deep, sonorous chords open and close the piece, which has a sustained tempo that gives space for the melismatic vocal lines and rich harmonies to take full effect. O magnum mysterium is the first of McDowall's set of three 'O' text settings conceived as Trinity Triptych.

for SSATB unaccompanied The O nata lux text is taken from a 10th-century anonymous hymn that uses the concept of light to symbolise hope, a particularly pertinent theme for Advent. Throughout this setting the sopranos intertwine their high, melodic lines above interjections from the lower voices, creating an atmosphere of ethereal luminosity. O nata lux is the second of McDowall's set of three 'O' text settings conceived as Trinity Triptych.

for SATB and organ Light Triumphant Breaks combines the text of the Sarum introit from the second Sunday of Advent and a translated anonymous Greek text using dancing dotted rhythms and intricate articulation. A free use of metre and contrapuntal movement make this a lively and jubilant piece that would be enjoyed by church and cathedral choirs alike.

Music was one component of the cultural continuum that developed in the contiguous civilizations of the ancient Near East and of Greece and Rome. This book covers the range and gamut of this symbiosis, as well as scrutinizes archeological findings, texts, and iconographical materials in specific geographical areas along this continuum. The book, volume VIII of Yuval - Studies of the Jewish Music Research Centre at the Hebrew University, provides an updated scholarly assessment of the rich soundscapes of ancient civilizations.

The first in-depth study of the ceremonial and music performed at British royal and state funerals over the past 400 years. British royal and state funerals are among the most elaborate and solemn occasions in European history. This book is the first in-depth study of the ceremonial and the music performed at these events over the past 400 years, fromthe funeral of Elizabeth I in 1603. Covering funerals of both royalty and non-royalty, including Nelson, Wellington and Churchill, this study goes up to the funerals of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother in 2002 and the ceremonial funeral of Baroness Thatcher in 2013. While some of these funerals have received a good deal of attention - especially the 1997 funeral of Diana, Princess of Wales - these extraordinary events have largely not been discussed in their longer historical context. The book examines the liturgical changes in the Anglican funeral rite since the Reformation and also the change from the so-called 'public' to 'private' funerals. It includes many new findings onthe development of the ceremonial and its intricate peculiarities, as well as new insights into the music and its performance. British Royal and State Funerals shows that, despite a strong emphasis on continuity in the choice of music, the ceremonial itself has shown an astonishing flexibility over the last four centuries. Overall, the book also contributes to the debate on the monarchy's changing public image over time by paying particular attention to topics such as tradition and propaganda. Drawing on substantial research in principal libraries and archives, including those of Westminster Abbey, the College of Arms, Lambeth Palace and the British Library, this book is an exhaustive resource for musicologists, musicians and historians alike, providing an unprecedented insight into this most sombre of royal and state occasions. MATTHIAS RANGE is author of Music and Ceremonial at British Coronations (2012). He is a post-doctoral researcher for the Digital Image Archive of Medieval Music and its partner AHRC-funded Tudor Partbooks project at the Faculty of Music, University of Oxford.

for SATB chorus and organ, or orchestra This uplifting and highly effective arrangement of the popular Stanford hymn-tune ENGLEBERG, to words by Fred Pratt Green, was commissioned by the Broadway Baptist Church (Fort Worth) in Texas, and later recorded for broadcast by The Tabernacle Choir. The piece is suitable for regular worship services but most often at special praise services, choral liturgies, and musical feasts, and for recognizing the work of church musicians.

Here are the results of two Harvard University seminars on 19th century African-American music, led by Eileen Southern in 1982 and 1986. This volume consists of 11 major contributions by faculty members of smaller American colleges and universities. Much of this information does not appear in any previously published secondary literature. Each chapter is immediately comprehensible by anyone interested in the subject, even without the terse perspective offered in the introduction. . . . A major contribution to the field. Choice The discovery of Black music by Northern whites during the Civil War opened the way for many Black musicians and singers to pursue successful careers as composers and concert and stage artists. This collection of essays and bibliographical materials is an important contribution to our knowledge of their achievements and experiences in the post-Civil War period. Reflecting the combined efforts of leading specialists in the field, it documents and describes the careers of individual artists and performing groups and provides a vivid picture of what it was like to be Black and a musician in late nineteenth-century America. The introduction provides a background for the post-Civil War Developments and shows how the papers included in the anthology are related to the overall topic and to each other. The collection begins with a discussion of the music of Black Americans during the war years, both in military bands and individual performance. Several essays present biographical and bibliographical information on well-known concert performers and other musicians of the postwar period, including Nellie Brown Mitchell, Marie Selika Williams, P. G. Lowery, Sam Lucas, and the Fisk Jubilee Singers. Musical genres such as revival hymns and plantation melodies are considered together with the nineteenth-century musical and literary sources of modern Gospel. An essay on musical promotion offers some insights on concert management as it affected Black performers in New York and Boston. Another essay on keyboard music includes a bibliography of existing compositions by Black composers. The volume concludes with a bibliography of research sources and a general index particularly useful as a reference and guide for students with an interest in nineteenth-century Afro-American music.

A dictionary containing 3500 biographical entries, each representing a composer whose work has been used within the worship of the church in Britain and Ireland.

for SSATB unaccompanied In this sensitive choral arrangement of 'Nimrod' from Elgar's Enigma Variations, Michael Higgins sets the Eucharistic hymn 'O salutaris Hostia', written by St Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi. The familiar melody passes seamlessly between the voice parts, and Elgar's lush, rich soundworld is perfectly emulated by the choral textures Higgins has fashioned.

for TTBB unaccompanied or with optional handbells (or percussion, or organ) Sarah Quartel brings a fresh take on a familiar fifteenth-century text in this enchanting carol. The dialogue between Mary and the infant Jesus is woven to a beguiling folk-like melody, in 6/8 metre, through each of the voice parts, with each verse ending in the lilting refrain 'Lully, by by, lullay'. Also available in a version for upper voices or SATB.

for TTBB unaccompanied This profoundly beautiful setting by John Rutter of one of the earliest English prayers, from the Sarum Primer of 1514, has been specially adapted by the composer for tenors and basses.

for TTBB unaccompanied This lively reimagining of the traditional hymn is a thrilling a cappella arrangement which pairs the soaring legato melody with a rhythmic vocal accompaniment. Together, these elements capture both the gentle hope and the profound joy contained in the text. Also including moments of tenderness and reflection, the piece comes to a rousing close with an energy that engages singers and audience alike. Also available in a version for SSA unaccompanied and SATB unaccompanied.

for SATB (with divisions) and organ. Maurice Ravel's popular Pavane pour une infante defunte is here arranged for mixed voices and organ, allowing choirs to perform this beautiful staple of the orchestral repertoire for the first time. Rupert Gough's arrangement sets the words of the 'Requiem aeternam' to the existing melody, and features a characterful and active organ part that underpins the sustained vocal lines. The piece has been recorded by The Choir of Royal Holloway on the album Messe da pacem.

for SSAA unaccompanied. Consisting of two sections, this large-scale Christmas motet opens with a rich homophonic texture that is synonymous with Victoria's compositions. This is followed by imitation in the vocal lines before a triple-metre section of resounding 'alleluia's. The secunda pars begins with new melodic lines that are beautifully explored before a reprise of the music from the prima pars. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied. A short upbeat setting of words from Psalms 9, 95, and 97, Cantate Domino opens with a triple-metre dance-like section that features optional clapping. Brown juxtaposes a darker, more chromatic middle section that has an optional verse in French, before reprising the joyful opening material.

for SATB and organ. This setting of verses from John 7 imaginatively depicts the 'rivers of living water' and the contrasting 'parched land' in episodic form, providing musical structure, variety, colour, and atmosphere. An independent but delicate organ part brings further colour while underpinning long vocal lines, which interweave and occasionally perform unaccompanied.

for SSSAA unaccompanied. The opening of this motet displays Massaino's skill in the art of word-painting with soaring lines that play on the word 'arise' (Surge). Punctuated with occasional homophonic writing, the beautiful melodic lines find clever use of imitation across all voices. The secunda pars increases the quick imitation of the vocal lines, mirroring the excitement of the text 'the time of pruning has come' (Tempus putationis advenit). This, coupled with the introduction of shorter note values, creates a joyful celebration of the text from the Song of Songs. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

for SSAA double choir unaccompanied. In this compelling motet for the Feast of the Holy Trinity, Handl artfully embodies symbolism of the Trinity within the motet's structure. The three verses surrounded by a refrain of 'O beata Trinitas' may have been deliberately chosen to represent the Trinity, as it is the only example where Handl includes a true refrain. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

for SSAA unaccompanied. This Marian text for Eastertide, Regina caeli, was set four times by Morales. This setting for four voices was first published in the Spanish composer's 1543 collection and notated in high clefs. The simple-tone plainchant hymn is strongly referenced in each of the vocal lines, with Alto 1 dedicated as a cantus firmus for the majority of the piece. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

for SSSAA unaccompanied. Recent scholarship postulates that this anonymous motet for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary was in fact written by Leonora d'Este, daughter of Duke Alfonso I and Lucrezia Borgia, and abbess of the Corpus Domini Convent in Ferrara. The music and style of d'Este's compositions are skilful in the art of polyphonic writing and the beautiful Sicut lilium inter spinas, written for five voices, is a fine example of this style. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Upper-Voice Polyphony.

for SSA unaccompanied Clemens composed two settings of the Marian text Ego flos campi, one scored for mixed choir of seven voices and this other, more intimate, setting for three voices. Here the voices weave beautiful counterpoint with attractive independent melodies.

for high solo voice and organ This mass setting, with texts in both Latin and English (Book of Common Prayer), is typical of the composer's style: musically sophisticated, with motivic solo lines and a great deal of chromaticism and continual time changes. Vocal range: Eb4-A5 (opt. C6).