for SATB and organ or orchestra Novo profusi gaudio is a vibrant Christmas motet, setting a medieval text that combines English, Latin, and French words. This joyful account of the nativity is combined with colourful, exuberant music featuring memorable motifs, rhythmic phrases, and triumphant climaxes. Topped off with an extra layer of character from the organ part, this piece is sure to add sparkle to any service or concert at Christmas time.

This in an outstanding collection of twelve African-American spirituals arranged for upper voices. Rosephanye and William C. Powell have collaborated with some of the most talented and respected spiritual arrangers in the United States to deliver specially commissioned, authentic settings. You'll find familiar melodies, such as 'Deep River' and 'Somebody's knockin' at yo' do'', alongside lesser-known spirituals, and a range of styles and moods extending from the aspirational to the celebratory. Many of the arrangements include a 'lead voice' part, allowing the opportunity for solo singing, and idiomatic piano parts support the voices for the accompanied spirituals; piano reductions are included for the unaccompanied arrangements. This inspirational journey through the African-American spiritual tradition is sure to captivate and delight all upper-voice choirs.

for SATB (with divisions) and organ Commissioned and first performed by the choir of Liverpool Cathedral, this anthem is ideal for use during the Feast of Saints Peter and Paul. The choral lines move between sonorous homophonic writing and vibrant imitative passages, and are underpinned by a repeated quaver motif in the organ. Combining a sense of joy with moments of reflection, this anthem will particularly appeal to choirs looking to expand their choral repertoire.

for SATB, accompanied and unaccompanied To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the publication of Carols for Choirs 1, OUP presents a new volume in this ground-breaking series. Carols for Choirs 5 continues the tradition of its predecessors by providing a complete resource for choirs from Advent through to Epiphany. Featuring brand new carols and arrangements of classic tunes, the collection showcases the very best established and new names in choral composition today, both in the UK and world-wide.

for SSA and piano On this day is a bright and exuberant upper-voice setting of the English version of 'Personent hodie' from Piae Cantiones (1582). The text and the manageable vocal parts make this carol particularly suitable for children's voices, but it could equally be sung by adult choirs. The piano part, featuring bell-like passages and a driving momentum, contributes to an overall sense of jubilation. An excellent addition to any carol service or concert.

for SATB and keyboard or orchestra Setting a text by David Warner, this charming composition has a warm, memorable tune and rich, expansive harmonies. Wilberg masterfully moves through different keys and scorings, culminating in a stirring unison 'amen'. Benediction has been recorded on the CD Heavensong: Music of Contemplation and Light, and is ideal for use both in concerts and services throughout the year. An orchestral accompaniment is available on hire.

The introduction of hymns and hymn-singing into public worship in the seventeenth century by dissenters from the Church of England has been described as one of the greatest contributions ever made to Christian worship. Hymns, that is metrical compositions which depart too far from the text of Scripture to be called paraphrases, have proved to be one of the most effective mediums of religious thought and feeling, second only to the Bible in terms of their influence.
This comprehensive collection of essays by specialist authors provides the first full account of dissenting hymns and their impact in England and Wales, from the mid seventeenth century, when the hymn emerged out of metrical psalms as a distinct literary form, to the early twentieth century, after which the traditional hymn began to decline in importance. It covers the development of hymns in the mid seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries, the change in attitudes to hymns and their growing popularity in the course of the eighteenth century, and the relation of hymnody to the broader Congregational, Baptist, Methodist, and Unitarian cultures of the nineteenth and earlier twentieth centuries.
The chapters cover a wide range of topics, including the style, language, and theology of hymns; their use both in private by families and in public by congregations; their editing, publication and reception, including the changing of words for doctrinal and stylistic reasons; their role in promoting evangelical Christianity; their shaping of denominational identities; and the practice of hymn-singing and the development of hymn-tunes.

for SATB and organ The Gift of Charity is a gently flowing anthem. It features beautifully arching phrases, an optional soprano solo, and exultant yet tender climaxes. The text, by Selwyn Image, based on I Corinthians 13, makes it the perfect choice for weddings, but also for use all year round.

for SATB choir and piano four-hands or orchestra First published in My Song in the Night (2009), Wilberg's Down to the River to Pray is a spirited arrangement of the traditional melody. The piano duet accompaniment provides a folk-like rhythmic underpinning, and the piece ascends to a magnificent finish. Orchestral material is available on hire/rental.

for SATB and organ or orchestra Featured in My Song in the Night (2009), Amazing grace! is a majestic arrangement of the well-known melody. Beginning with male voices in unison, Wilberg gradually introduces more vocal parts, building ultimately to a grand climax in eight parts. A subtle Scottish influence is evident through the use of drones and a Scotch snap motif in the organ. Orchestral material is available on hire/rental.

for SATTBB unaccompanied Gombert's In illo tempore: loquente Jesu is a six-part unaccompanied study in intricate part-writing, with sinuous stepwise motion and persistent imitative entries. The optimism of the text, taken from the Gospel of Luke, is reflected in the music of this buoyant motet, and the dashes of harmonic colour, unexpected cadences, and elaborate textures make this highly rewarding counterpoint to sing.

This is a major collection of organ music for students, players, and church musicians of all levels and abilities. Compiler and editor Anne Marsden Thomas has drawn on her long experience of teaching and playing to select the most attractive, tuneful repertoire in two sets of graded anthologies, one set (3 volumes) for manuals only, the second set (3 volumes) for manuals and pedals. Within each book the pieces are grouped according to service needs into Preludes, Interludes, Processionals, and Postludes. The repertoire spans the 16th to the 21st century, with some new pieces written especially for the collection. A number of pieces throughout the collection have been selected for the ABRSM organ syllabus. The result is a wonderful collection of repertoire for all players, containing a wealth of attractive and varied pieces that will offer much practical support for church musicians and enrich and develop their playing.

This is a major collection of organ music for students, players, and church musicians of all levels and abilities. Compiler and editor Anne Marsden Thomas has drawn on her long experience of teaching and playing to select the most attractive, tuneful repertoire in two sets of graded anthologies, one set (3 volumes) for manuals only, the second set (3 volumes) for manuals and pedals. Within each book the pieces are grouped according to service needs into Preludes, Interludes, Processionals, and Postludes. The repertoire spans the 16th to the 21st century, with some new pieces written especially for the collection. A number of pieces throughout the collection have been selected for the ABRSM organ syllabus. The result is a wonderful collection of repertoire for all players, containing a wealth of attractive and varied pieces that will offer much practical support for church musicians and enrich and develop their playing. Oxford Service Music for Organ: Manuals and Pedals, Book 1 was winner of the Music Industries Association's Best Classical Publication 2011.

This is a major collection of organ music for students, players, and church musicians of all levels and abilities. Compiler and editor Anne Marsden Thomas has drawn on her long experience of teaching and playing to select the most attractive, tuneful repertoire in two sets of graded anthologies, one set (3 volumes) for manuals only, the second set (3 volumes) for manuals and pedals. Within each book the pieces are grouped according to service needs into Preludes, Interludes, Processionals, and Postludes. The repertoire spans the 16th to the 21st century, with some new pieces written especially for the collection. A number of pieces throughout the collection have been selected for the ABRSM organ syllabus. The result is a wonderful collection of repertoire for all players, containing a wealth of attractive and varied pieces that will offer much practical support for church musicians and enrich and develop their playing.

This is a major collection of organ music for students, players, and church musicians of all levels and abilities. Compiler and editor Anne Marsden Thomas has drawn on her long experience of teaching and playing to select the most attractive, tuneful repertoire in two sets of graded anthologies, one set (3 volumes) for manuals only, the second set (3 volumes) for manuals and pedals. Within each book the pieces are grouped according to service needs into Preludes, Interludes, Processionals, and Postludes. The repertoire spans the 16th to the 21st century, with some new pieces written especially for the collection. A number of pieces throughout the collection have been selected for the ABRSM organ syllabus. The result is a wonderful collection of repertoire for all players, containing a wealth of attractive and varied pieces that will offer much practical support for church musicians and enrich and develop their playing.

Discussion of original performance conventions of Bach's sacred works - cantatas, Passions, masses - by practising musician and director of Taverner choir. What type of choir did Bach have in mind as he created his cantatas, Passions and Masses? How many singers were at his disposal in Leipzig, and in what ways did he deploy them in his own music? Seeking to understand the verymedium of Bach's incomparable choral output, Andrew Parrott investigates a wide range of sources: Bach's own writings, and the scores and parts he used in performance, but also a variety of theoretical, pictorial and archival documents, together with the musical testimony of the composer's forerunners and contemporaries. Many of the findings shed a surprising, even disturbing, light on conventions we have long taken for granted. A whole world away from, say, the typical oratorio choir of Handel's London with which we are reasonably familiar, the essential Bach choir was in fact an expert vocal quartet (or quintet), whose members were also responsible for all solos and duets. (In a mere handful of Bach's works, this solo team was selectively supported by a second rank of singers - also one per part - whose contribution was all but optional). Parrott shows that this use of aone-per-part choir was mainstream practice in the Lutheran Germany of Bach's time: Bach chose to use single voices not because a larger group was unavailable, but because they were the natural vehicle of elaborate concerted music. As one of several valuable appendices, this book includes the text of Joshua Rifkin's explosive 1981 lecture, never before published, which first set out this line of thinking and launched a controversy that is long overduefor resolution. ANDREW PARROTT has made a close study of historical performing practices in the music of six centuries, and for over twenty-five years he has been putting research into practice with his own professional ensembles, the Taverner Consort, Taverner Players and Taverner Choir.

for SATB (with divisions and Soprano solo) unaccompanied This gentle and expressive carol provides a wonderful alternative to more familiar settings of this well-loved text. The music is harmonically rich, and the floating soprano line adds another dimension to the texture. Suitable for a wide range of choirs at Christmas.

for SSAATTBB unaccompanied This is a truly beautiful addition to the Christmas repertory, setting a specially commissioned poem by Charles Bennett. The flexible metre creates a sense of movement, while the luscious harmonies and often-homophonic textures provide an anchor to the choral writing. The Rose in the Middle of Winter will appeal to all mixed-voice choirs looking for a poignant centrepiece for a Christmas concert or service.

for SATB unaccompanied This lively and uplifting carol sets a joyful fifteenth-century Christmas text by James Ryman. The music is rhythmic and powerful, with moments of rich and vibrant harmony offset by the strong, fanfare-like Latin refrain.

"Voices of the Magi" explores the popular Catholic musical ensembles of southeastern Brazil known as "folias de reis" (companies of kings). Composed predominantly of low-income workers, the folias reenact the journey of the Wise Men to Bethlehem and back to the Orient, as they roam from house to house, singing to bless the families they visit in exchange for food and money. These gifts, in turn, are used to prepare a festival on Kings' Day, January 6, to which all who contributed are invited.
Focusing on urban folias, Suzel Ana Reily shows how participants use the ritual journeys and musical performances of the folias to create sacred spheres distinct from, yet intimately related to, their everyday world. Reily calls this practice "enchantment" and argues that it allows the folia communities to temporarily realize the social ideals of mutual reciprocity and equality embodied in their religious beliefs. The contrast between the ritual experiences and daily lives of these impoverished workers reinforces the religious convictions of these devotees of the Magi. Reily explains and analyzes all the aspects of these folias, bringing to life the enchanted journeys that are central to Brazilian Catholic culture.

for SATB and organ The four motets in this set are adapted from Bob Chilcott's large-scale choral work, Salisbury Vespers, which was premiered in Salisbury Cathedral in May 2009. Setting a variety of early Marian texts, the set includes the gentle and expressive 'I sing of a mayden' and the fervent 'Hail, Star of the sea most radiant'. Re-scored for SATB and organ, the motets will be welcomed by choirs of all sizes looking for a more intimate introduction to Chilcott's magnificent landmark work. The motets can be performed as a set or individually, and are suitable for concert and liturgical use. Accompaniments for instrumental ensemble or for brass and organ are available to hire separately for each of the accompanied motets.

for flexible voices in one or two parts, with optional mixed-voice choir and piano or organ or chamber orchestra Due to popular demand, this tuneful carol is being made available as a separate choral publication. Setting a text by Timothy Dudley-Smith, the piece is characterized by a strong, memorable melody and warm harmonies. The choral leaflet preserves the flexible scoring of the original (first published in The Oxford Book of Flexible Carols), making it accessible to choirs of all types and sizes.