This companion volume provides organists with new, dedicated three-stave accompaniments to twenty-four of the twenty-eight choruses in the main Sacred Choruses volume. In every case, these organ transcriptions, made by John Rutter, are based directly on the original orchestral versions and will facilitate church performances without orchestra.

for SAB and piano Chilcott has re-scored this serene, reflective anthem, originally for upper voices, for SAB, making it accessible to choirs with a limited number of male voices. A rich addition to the Choral Evensong repertory, the anthem presents an artful juxtaposition of an original setting of William Fuller's 'Evening Hymn', most famously set by Henry Purcell, with the plainsong melody for the Latin hymn 'Te lucis ante terminum', in J. M. Neale's English translation.

for SATB (with divisions) and piano This sombre and evocative 'Stabat mater' is taken from Passion Music, a concert and liturgical work that continues Todd's fusion of jazz and choral music so successfully blended in his Mass in Blue. The delicate piano part often falls away to spiritual a cappella sections, and a soaring line for solo soprano rises out of the texture to draw the setting to a close.

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 (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 unison voices, with optional second part, and piano This is the key is a dramatic, narrative piece, perfect for children's and youth choirs. It can be sung in unison throughout, or the score contains options for two parts, sometimes singing alternating phrases and at other times singing together in two-part harmony. Sections in different tempos and keys create a variety of moods, and the continuous piano part features running quavers, a rhythmic bass line, and shimmering spread chords.

SSAA unaccompanied I will be with you sets a reflective text by the composer with a message of enduring solace. Lush harmonies, with predominantly homophonic passagework, coupled with flowing and cascading lines in every voice part make for a tranquil musical experience. Also available in a version for unaccompanied SATB choir.

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 solo tenor and SSATB unaccompanied Following on from the publication of Jackson's settings of the seven 'O' antiphons under the title Seven Advent Antiphons, O Virgo virginum is a setting of the Latin text recognised as the eighth 'O' antiphon and performed as such in many Christian traditions. Jackson's imaginative setting features a melismatic line for tenor soloist and aleatoric writing.

for SSAA unaccompanied Oliver Tarney has re-worked his popular unaccompanied minature The Waiting Sky for upper voices. The evocative text by Lucia Quinault depicts a rural winter scene, and is skilfully set to music by Oliver Tarney to create a lucidly reflective piece. There is a sense in both the text and the music of waiting for the 'shining star' and, while it would make a beautiful addition to a concert programme at other times of the year, the setting is perfect as a reflective carol for Advent, anticipating the wonder of the birth of Christ.

for SATB unaccompanied This short sacred work for unaccompanied mixed choir is a highly atmospheric setting of the poet Henry Vaughan's mystical and enigmatic poem of the same name. Written for the choir of St Peter's College, Oxford, the work has a sonorous quality and uses extended harmonies to great effect.

for SATB unaccompanied I will be with you sets a reflective text by the composer with a message of enduring solace. Lush harmonies, with predominantly homophonic passagework, coupled with flowing and cascading lines in every voice part make for a tranquil musical experience. Also available in a version for SSAA unaccompanied choir.

for unison voices, with optional descant, and piano This attractive piece for unison voices celebrates the wonder of the 'bright new moon'. The composer's own text, based on traditional Hebridean poems, is set to a simple, flowing melody, and the optional descant in the final section soars over the melody and introduces an echo effect. The piano accompaniment supports the vocal lines while providing additional colours and textures.

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.

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 SSA and piano This atmospheric setting of familiar words from Shakespeare's As You Like It is sprightly and uplifting, with singers being asked by the composer to perform with 'a bit of frost and a knowing smile'. Blow, blow, thou winter wind was originally published in the collection Hark, hark, the lark.

Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo tells the extraordinary story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy forced by war to flee her home and embark on an arduous journey to Europe with her sister. In this five-movement cantata Nujeen's story - recounted in her biography 'The Girl from Aleppo' (co-authored by Christina Lamb) - is retold by Kevin Crossley-Holland and richly scored by Cecilia McDowall. A wealth of musical effects are employed to capture the narrative, including chorales, rhythmic spoken sections, body percussion, and a solo violin part infused with Middle Eastern flavours. The prevailing mood of Nujeen's story is embodied by the final line of a chorale that bookends this unique concert work: 'singing the song of life itself.'

for SATB unaccompanied The text for this imaginative and effective piece by Gabriel Jackson is a response to Allen Ginsberg's A Supermarket in California by Latvian poet Karlis Verdins, translated here by Ieva Lesinska. As in Ginsberg's poem, the initial setting is a supermarket, depicted with vivid imagery such as 'a weary, shrivelled apple', before the angel protagonist expounds on their observations about contemporary society. Pleasingly alliterative lines such as 'he'd babble boozily about tanks' are artfully given rhythmic emphasis by Jackson, who fully exploits the dramatic intent of the poem, giving space for the text to come through by homophonic setting, a pure harmonic language, and often sparse textures.

for SATB and organ This is a flexible hymn for general worship, with an original hymn tune ('Charleston') by Howard Helvey. Either Francis Scott Key's 'Lord, with glowing heart I'd praise thee' or Charles Wesley's 'Love divine, all loves excelling' may be sung, and Helvey employs hymnody's most popular traits, including a majestic organ introduction, an emphatic unison first verse, and a soaring soprano descant.