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Books > Music > Other types of music > Sacred & religious music
for SATB and piano or orchestra Male voices take the leading role
in this mixed-voice arrangement of the tender and well-loved solo
piece attributed to Caccini (and usually sung to 'Ave Maria'). In
keeping with the cumulative embellishment of the original,
Wilberg's version starts with unison men and gradually adds more
parts, always grounded by the lower voices. Similarly, the
accompaniment's texture thickens as the piece develops, with the
instrumental version starting with strings only, building up to a
full orchestral climax before a gentler coda.
In the last decades of the 17th century, the feast of Christmas in
Lutheran Germany underwent a major transformation when theologians
and local governments waged an early modern "war on Christmas,"
discouraging riotous pageants and carnivalesque rituals in favor of
more personal and internalized expressions of piety. Christmas
rituals, such as the "Heilig Christ" plays and the rocking of the
child (Kindelwiegen) were abolished, and Christian devotion focused
increasingly on the metaphor of a birth of Christ in the human
heart. John Sebastian Bach's Christmas Oratorio, composed in 1734,
both reflects this new piety and conveys the composer's experience
living through this tumult during his own childhood and early
career. Markus Rathey's book is the first thorough study of this
popular masterpiece in English. While giving a comprehensive
overview of the Christmas Oratorio as a whole, the book focuses on
two themes in particular: the cultural and theological
understanding of Christmas in Bach's time and the compositional
process that led Bach from the earliest concepts to the completed
piece. The cultural and religious context of the oratorio provides
the backdrop for Rathey's detailed analysis of the composition, in
which he explores Bach's compositional practices, for example, his
reuse and parodies of movements that had originally been composed
for secular cantatas. The book analyzes Bach's original score and
sheds new light on the way Bach wrote the piece, how he shaped
musical themes, and how he revised his initial ideas into the final
composition.
for SSAATTBB unaccompanied When spring comes walking is a warm and
optimistic setting of an evocative poem by Charles Bennett that
explores themes of rebirth, nature, and celebration. Chilcott
embraces the return of spring with gentle sustained melodies, rich
harmonies, and a quote from the traditional carol 'O come, O come,
Emmanuel'. This piece is suitable for both advent and Easter.
for SATB and organ Written for the 2018 BBC Advent broadcast sung
by the choir of St John's College, Cambridge, A Prayer to St John
the Baptist sets an artfully crafted text that combines Guido
d'Arezzo's Ut queant laxis (itself a Hymn to John the Baptist, as
well as a medieval music-teaching mnemonic) with Thomas Merton's
poem on the same subject. The organ's flowing quavers represent
Merton's baptismal 'rivers of water', while the largely octatonic
melodies conjure a tellingly mysterious atmosphere.
for SATB and piano or organ or orchestra This sprightly setting of
a sixteenth-century English text tells the tale of a jolly shepherd
named Wat. With an upbeat triple metre and a joyful swing feel,
this carol has imaginative, contrasting textures, a memorable
refrain, and a rousing finish. Two versions of the vocal score are
available: one with piano accompaniment and one with organ
accompaniment. Full scores and parts are available for purchase or
hire.
for SATB (with divisions) and piano or small orchestra Originally
published in Carols for Choirs 2, Rutter's arrangement of this
well-known carol is energetic and joyful. The memorable and buoyant
melody is supported and driven by lively piano accompaniment,
making it well-suited for Christmas concerts and services.
Orchestral material is available on hire.
for SATB unaccompanied A mystical, atmospheric carol for Epiphany,
The Wise Men and the Star sets a text by contemporary writer Lucia
Quinault that depicts the journey of the wise men as they follow
the star. Tarney's appealing musical language creates a sense of
expectancy, and there are beautiful moments of stillness and quiet
that enable the listener to reflect on the wonder of the events of
the season.
for SSSSAATBB unaccompanied In this haunting arrangement of the
well-known carol, Higgins creates a mystical soundscape by layering
a single motif in a four-part soprano canon. These repetitions echo
throughout and support the various textures explored in each verse,
producing a dramatic and atmospheric setting of the Basque carol.
Suitable for chamber and concert choir.
for SATB and piano or organ or orchestra This sprightly setting of
a sixteenth-century English text tells the tale of a jolly shepherd
named Wat. With an upbeat triple metre and a joyful swing feel,
this carol has imaginative, contrasting textures, a memorable
refrain, and a rousing finish. Two versions of the vocal score are
available: one with piano accompaniment and one with organ
accompaniment. Full scores and parts are available for purchase or
hire.
for SATB accompanied or unaccompanied Offprinted from Carols for
Choirs 5, this exquisite setting of a familiar text by Isaac Watts
has flexible scoring, with choirs encouraged to explore different
options for each of the four verses. The music is gentle, flowing,
and peaceful, perfectly reflecting the nativity scene the poet so
vividly depicts.
for SSATB and piano Reginald Unterseher has adapted his much-loved
lower-voice arrangement of this well-known hymn by John Adam
Granade for mixed-voice choir. The arching vocal lines are
accompanied by a rhythmic, undulating piano part evocative of the
rivers the hymn-writer describes.
for SATB unaccompanied This is a warm and contemplative setting of
the medieval Latin hymn, suitable for communion services or for
Lent, Passiontide, or Corpus Christi. Built around harmonic
sequences and an appealing opening phrase, and with a gently
romantic feel, Parry's setting offers a charming alternative to
more familiar settings of these words.
for SATTBB unaccompanied Victimae paschali laudes is an atmospheric
arrangement of the traditional plainsong melody for this Latin text
for Easter Sunday. Changing metres enable an authentic presentation
of the plainsong style, and Lawson effectively employs
interjections of 'alleluia' within the main body of the text as a
powerful expression of the triumph of life over death that is at
the heart of the Easter story.
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