for SATB and piano This uplifting work by American composer Reginal Wright sets a text by the nineteenth-century poet Arthur O'Shaughnessy. The powerful words are sung to a memorable melody embellished with syncopation and triplets. The voices are accompanied by rippling broken chords enriched with falling chromatic lines.

for SSA and piano In O be joyful, McGlade presents the words of Psalm 100 with a clarity and sincerity that amplifies the message of the text. The piece moves through a variety of tonalities and metres, which is typical of the composer's style. The lyrical melody lines from the upper voices are supported by a sensitive and melodic piano accompaniment.

for SATB unaccompanied Bob Chilcott has composed O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth our Queen, a reflection on the 16th-century piece of the same title by William Byrd, for the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. Chilcott uses the same text and some melodic ideas from Byrd's original piece, while developing and embellishing them with rich harmonic language and changing metre.

Choral Sight Reading provides a practical and organic approach to teaching choral singing and sight-reading. The text is grounded in current research from the fields of choral pedagogy, music theory, music perception and cognition. Topics include framing a choral curriculum based on the Kodaly concept; launching the academic year for beginning, intermediate, and advanced choirs; building partwork skills; sight-reading; progressive music theory sequences for middle to college level choirs; teaching strategies; choral rehearsal plans as well as samples of how to teach specific repertoire from medieval to contemporary choral composers. This volume includes basic and advanced music theory concepts to develop fluent sight-reading skills for reading standard choral repertoire, providing examples for the process outlined in Chapters 6-8 of Volume 1 (Choral Artistry). This guide provides choral directors with a choral curriculum and choral rehearsal models that place performance, audiation, partwork, music theory, and sight-signing skills at the heart of the choral experience, through a 'sound thinking' approach to teaching that results in greater efficiency in creating independent choral singers with a well-rounded repertoire.

for SATB unaccompanied In Grown about by fragrant bushes, Skempton sets a poem by Robert Louis Stevenson using gentle, lilting melodies. The theme of loss is sensitively conveyed in a tonal language that is made more expressive through the use of chromaticism. The voices move homophonically throughout and changing time signatures aid the movement of the piece.

for SABar and piano Higgins' 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. Also available in a version for SSA and piano.

for SABar and piano Suitable for concert use, this simple, delightful setting of a Yeats poem embraces nature's beauty and the secret joy of solitude. Soaring melodies, rich harmonic language, and a piano part that is both driving and supportive create a piece that is evocative and poignant. Also available in versions for SSA and piano and TTB and piano.

for SABar unaccompanied The Parting Glass is a traditional Scottish song, often sung as a farewell at the end of a get-together. Sarah Quartel's arrangement features close harmonies, idiomatic Scotch snap rhythms, and effective interjectory moments in what is a largely homophonic setting. The arrangement was made for the composer's friend Matt Jones, who served with the Canadian Military in Afghanistan in 2010-2011; his deployment and eventual safe return inspired the setting of the piece. With its valedictory message, The Parting Glass would make a fitting end to a performance, perhaps as an encore item. Also available in versions for SATB and TTBB.

for CCBar and piano Ian Crawford breathes new life into this traditional American tune by employing a bluegrass-inspired style, jaunty syncopations, and an upbeat tempo. The light but supportive piano accompaniment uses punchy clustered chords, and the melody is shared between the voice parts. This flexible arrangement is accommodating and idiomatically written for changing male voices.

for CCBar and piano This is a beautiful reworking of a popular folk hymn. The parts are arranged sensitively for changing male voices and there are optional solos at the beginning and end. Crawford employs a powerful homophonic texture, as well as interweaving countermelodies that allow each section to take the lead.

for SABar and piano This sensitive, authentic arrangement of a well-known Yiddish folksong introduces singers to the harmonic characteristics of Yiddish music. Clapping and body percussion is employed to great effect, and a pronunciation guide and English translation are included, along with a brief contextual note.

for SATB (with SAT semi-chorus) and cello Quartel has chosen a powerful combination of texts by Hildegard von Bingen and Mother Teresa for this emotive choral work. The main choir is accompanied by a small ensemble singing the word 'love' with rippling ostinati that reflect the title of the work. The solo cello line contributes lyrical melodic lines, moving into triplet rhythms and broken chords as the piece progresses to its emotive climax.

for SATB and piano In A Song of Blue, Chilcott explores the power of music through the metaphor of nature. This piece opens with a simple ostinato in the piano accompaniment that is glittering, yet melancholic. The upper voices begin by singing in unison, reflecting the peace and stillness of the words, before expanding into larger, more complex textures and yearnful harmonies.

for SABar and organ or piano With words by the composer, this warm, expressive anthem calls to Christ, the light of the world, to bring justice, hope, and joy to our lives. The simple, memorable melody is supported by a gently flowing organ part, with straightforward but effective harmonies from Altos and Baritones in verse two. Offprinted from The Oxford Book of Easy Flexible Anthems.

for SSAATTBB and oboe John Rutter creates a peaceful and contemplative atmosphere in this new arrangement of the traditional German carol, Es ist ein' Ros' entsprungen. The piece opens with a lyrical melody from the solo oboe, over a wash of gentle, hummed vocal harmonies. Rutter continues the carol by underpinning the vocal melodies with 'ah's and hummed parts, and keeping the dynamics soft, to retain its tranquility.

for SABar and piano This is a vibrant setting of a poem by George Parsons Lathrop that describes how music underpins all earthly life. An active piano part provides an energetic undercurrent to compelling vocal lines, with the voices beginning in unison before opening out into two and then three parts. Music of Life is the perfect selection for choirs looking to celebrate the life-affirming power of music. Also available in a version for SSA and piano.

for SATB (with divisions) and two soloists unaccompanied In this beautiful setting, Latvian composer Laura Jekabsone presents a modern, popular take on the familiar carol text by Henry John Gauntlett. The piece is led by two soloists (one upper voice, one lower voice), who the choir underpin with a rich harmonic cushion of a cappella-style scats. The melodies are instantly memorable, and the choir's move from an accompanying role to presenting the final chorus gives a powerful lift and emphatic conclusion to this effective Christmas work.

for SATB unaccompanied Setting original words by the artist Marc Bratcher, this tender and evocative carol for unaccompanied SATB choir is suitable for performance at Christmas or Epiphany. The work opens with a gently flowing soprano solo, displaying Rutter's characteristic gift for melody, before the thematic material is developed by the full choir, with some divisi.

for SATB (with divisions) unaccompanied Commissioned by King's College, Cambridge, for the 2021 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Cecilia McDowall's setting of this well-known fifteenth-century macaronic text is expressive and ethereal. Employing the richness of her distinctive harmonic palette, McDowall pairs upper and lower voices to great effect throughout, contrasting polyphonic writing with moments of rhythmic unison. The carol abounds in rise and fall of both melody and dynamic, before drawing to a hushed, atmospheric close.

for SATB unaccompanied The three movements of A Winter Breviary are entitled: 'We look for you', 'The year's midnight', and 'The unexpected early hour'. The movements are each based on an Indian classical Raag: Raag Hamsadhwani, Raag Malkauns, and Raag Ahir Bhairav, respectively. The texts, by poet Rebecca Gayle Howell, are linked to the Christian services of Evensong, Matins, and Lauds, and are eco-carols written from the perspective of a different point in time-evening, midnight, and daybreak-using nature to explore a different part of the Christmas story. The first two movements have a serene and pensive atmosphere that contrasts with the third movement, which uses an energetic compound time signature and bell-like melodic shapes.

for treble solo and SATB unaccompanied This atmospheric carol sets the well-known 'O magnum mysterium' text in the version famously used by Victoria, with its tender, devotional additions. Set in four parts, the work unfolds simply, from stillness and silence, in awe and contemplation. The choral writing is effectively punctuated with a high solo voice singing phrases that call to mind fragments of the plainsong chant on the same text, appointed as a Responsary for Christmas Day.

for SATB and organ Simon Biazeck has artfully arranged Dyson's Evening Service in C minor for mixed voices, transposing the work up a tone to better suit the SATB vocal ranges. The arrangement is engaging and eminently singable, allowing this staple of the repertoire to reach new choirs and audiences.

for SATB double choir unaccompanied Chilcott sets this beautiful new text by Charles Bennett in a lush style. The vivid imagery is brought to life through the composer's warm harmonic palette. The Pear Tree Carol is a contemplative celebration of new life and nature. It would be equally suited to a winter concert or Christmas carol service.

for SSA and piano The time draws near is instantly recognisable as Chilcott. The text, by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, describes the feeling of anticipation before the birth of Christ. Chilcott has set these words using a pure and effective melody in the verses, complimented by jubilant refrains of 'Gloria in excelsis Deo'.

for SATB choir unaccompanied This imaginative setting of the well-loved text O little town of Bethleham, by Phillips Brooks, displays McGlade's characteristic rich and expressive harmonies, with their jazz inflections. Opening with a plaintive two-part harmony for upper voices, the scoring expands into lush four- and five-part textures. McGlade uses swelling dynamics, legato vocal lines, and freely changing metre. O little town of Bethlehem would be a superb choice for Christmas services and concerts.