On the 250th anniversary of the composer's death, this volume offers an in-depth look at the "Great Eighteen" organ chorales, among the most celebrated works for organ, and a milestone in the history of the chorale. Addressed to organists, scholars, and general listeners alike, this lucid and engaging book examines the music from a wide spectrum of historical and analytical perspectives.

Stinson examines the models used by Bach in conceiving the original pieces, his subsequent compilation of these works into a collection, and his compositional process as preserved by the autograph manuscript. Himself an accomplished organist, Stinson also considers various issues of performance practice and concludes with a discussion of the music's reception--its dissemination in manuscript and printed form, its performance history, and its influence on later composers. Completely up-to-date and presenting a wealth of new material, much of it translated into English for the first time, this study will open up fresh perspectives on some of the composer's greatest creations.

Designed for both the practicing choral director and the choral methods student, this is the only book that offers such a wealth of information on choral sight-singing under one cover. Topics covered include the history of sight-singing pedagogy and research, a detailed survey of prominent methods and materials, and a host of practical strategies for teaching and assessment. Demorest's comprehensive and practical guide takes the mystery out of teaching music reading and should be a part of every choral conductor's library.

"For the Time Being" is a pivotal book in the career of one of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. W. H. Auden had recently moved to America, fallen in love with a young man to whom he considered himself married, rethought his entire poetic and intellectual equipment, and reclaimed the Christian faith of his childhood. Then, in short order, his relationship fell apart and his mother, to whom he was very close, died. In the midst of this period of personal crisis and intellectual remaking, he decided to write a poem about Christmas and to have it set to music by his friend Benjamin Britten. Applying for a Guggenheim grant, Auden explained that he understood the difficulty of writing something vivid and distinctive about that most cliched of subjects, but welcomed the challenge. In the end, the poem proved too long and complex to be set by Britten, but in it we have a remarkably ambitious and poetically rich attempt to see Christmas in double focus: as a moment in the history of the Roman Empire and of Judaism, and as an ever-new and always contemporary event for the believer. "For the Time Being" is Auden's only explicitly religious long poem, a technical tour de force, and a revelatory window into the poet's personal and intellectual development. This edition provides the most accurate text of the poem, a detailed introduction by Alan Jacobs that explains its themes and sets the poem in its proper contexts, and thorough annotations of its references and allusions."

Described as the "life and soul of British contemporary music", Jane Manning is an internationally celebrated English concert and opera soprano. In this new follow-up to her highly regarded New Vocal Repertory, Volumes I and II, she provides a seasoned expert's guidance and insight into the vocal genre she calls home. Vocal Repertoire for the Twenty-First Century spans the late middle-20th century through the second decade of the 21st. Manning's comprehensive selection of contemporary art songs ranges from the avant-garde to the more easily accessible, including substantial song cycles, shorter encore pieces, and songs suitable for auditions and competitions. The two-volume guide presents expertly-informed selections tailored to particular voice types. Each of the 160 selections is accompanied by a highly detailed performance guide, music examples, levels of difficulty, and a brief encapsulation of vocal characteristics or challenges contained in the piece. A supplemental companion website provides composer biographies and an up-to-date list of recommended recordings. With a focus on younger composers in addition to prominent figures, Manning encourages singers to refresh and expand their recital repertoire into less familiar territory, and discover the rewards therein. Volume 1 features works written before 2000, including pieces from such renowned composers as John Cage ("The Wonderful Widow of Eighteen Springs", "A Flower"), Andre Previn ("Five Songs"), and Igor Stravinsky ("The Owl and the Pussycat").

Choral Repertoire is the definitive and comprehensive one-volume presentation of the canon of the Western choral tradition. Designed for practicing conductors and directors, students and teachers of choral music, amateur and professional singers, scholars, and interested vocal enthusiasts, it is an account of the complete choral output of the most significant composers of this genre throughout history. Organized by era (Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern), Choral Repertoire covers general characteristics of each historical era; trends and styles unique to various countries; biographical sketches of over 500 composers; and performance annotations of more than 5,000 individual works. This book will be an essential guide to programming, a reference tool for program notes and other research, and, most importantly, a key resource for conductors, instructors, scholars, and students of choral music.

Contents: 1. Magnificat Anima Mea (Coro) 2. Et Exultavit (Aria) 3. Quia Respexit (Aria) 4. Omnes Generationes (Coro) 5. Quia Fecit Mihi Magna (Aria) 6. Et Misericordia (Duetto) 7. Fecit Potentiam (Coro) 8. Deposuit (Aria) 9. Esurientes (Aria) 10. Suscepit Israel (Terzetto) 11. Sicut Locutus (Coro) 12. Gloria Patri (Coro) Unabridged digitally enhanced reprint of the vocal score prepared by musicologist Karl Straube and published by C.F. Peters, Leipzig in the late 19th century. Bach composed the initial version in E flat in 1723 for the Christmas Vespers in Leipzig which contained several Christmas texts. Over the years he removed the Christmas-specific texts to make it suitable for year-round performance, transposing it into D major to provide better sonority for the trumpets. The work is divided into twelve parts which can be grouped into three movements, each beginning with an aria and completed by the choir. This large-format, easy-to-read vocal score, a welcome addition to the libraries of choruses and orchestras everywhere, is completely compatible with the widely available orchestra material reprinted by E. F. Kalmus.

for TTBB unaccompanied, with a piano reduction This is a simple, well-arranged carol based on a sixteenth-century tune.

The practices of singing and teaching singing are inextricable, joined to each other through the necessity of understanding the vocal art and craft. Just as singers must understand the physical functions of voice in order to become musically proficient and artistically mature, teachers too need to have a similar mastery of these ideas - and the ability to explain them to their students - in order to effectively guide their musical and artistic growth. With this singer-instructor relationship in mind, Richard and Ann Alderson's A New Handbook for Singers and Teachers presents a fresh, detailed guide about how to sing and how to teach singing. It systematically explores all aspects of the vocal technique - respiration, phonation, resonance, and articulation - with each chapter containing exercises aimed at applying and teaching these principles. Beyond basic vocal anatomy and singing fundamentals, the handbook also covers such understudied topics as the young voice, the changing voice, and the aging voice, along with helpful chapters for teachers about how to organize vocal lessons and training plans. Thoughtfully and comprehensively crafted by two authors with decades of singing and teaching experience between them, A New Handbook for Singers and Teachers will prove an invaluable resource for singers and teachers at all stages of their vocal and pedagogical careers.

This is the first book to survey the performing practices in English choral music in the fifteenth, sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, including the period of the English Reformation. The essays, all written by specialists in the field, consider in depth such areas as the growth and development of the 'church' choir, related issues of vocal tessitura, performing pitch, the systems of pronunciation appropriate for Latin- and English-texted music, and the day-to-day training of choristers. There is also an investigation of the local circumstances under which many of the important manuscripts of the period were compiled, which reveals an unsuspectedly close interrelationship between domestic music and music for the church. In addition, a study of surviving sources reveals that they give little more than a general guide as to their composers' and copyists' intentions.

Singing has been a characteristic behaviour of humanity across several millennia. Chorus America (2009) estimated that 42.6 million adults and children regularly sing in one of 270,000 choruses in the US, representing more than 1:5 households. Similarly, recent European-based data suggest that more than 37 million adults take part in group singing. The Oxford Handbook of Singing is a landmark text on this topic. It is a comprehensive resource for anyone who wishes to know more about the pluralistic nature of singing. In part, the narrative adopts a lifespan approach, pre-cradle to senescence, to illustrate that singing is a commonplace behaviour which is an essential characteristic of our humanity. In the overall design of the Handbook, the chapter contents have been clustered into eight main sections, embracing fifty-three chapters by seventy-two authors, drawn from across the world, with each chapter illustrating and illuminating a particular aspect of singing. Offering a multi-disciplinary perspective embracing the arts and humanities, physical, social and clinical sciences, the book will be valuable for a broad audience within those fields.

Christ Church cathedral is an Anglican cathedral in a catholic country. Musical and archival sources (the most extensive for any Irish cathedral) provide a unique perspective on the history of music in Ireland. Christ Church has had a complex and varied history as the cathedral church of Dublin, one of two Anglican cathedrals in the capital of a predominantly Catholic country and the church of the British administration in Ireland before1922. An Irish cathedral within the English tradition, yet through much of its history it was essentially an English cathedral in a foreign land. With close musical links to cathedrals in England, to St Patrick's cathedral in Dublin, and to the city's wider political and cultural life, Christ Church has the longest documented music history of any Irish institution, providing a unique perspective on the history of music in Ireland. Barra Boydell, a leading authority on Irish music history, has written a detailed study drawing on the most extensive musical and archival sources existing for any Irish cathedral. The choir, its composers and musicians, repertoire and organs are discussed within the wider context of city and state, and of the religious and political dynamics which have shaped Anglo-Irish relationships since medieval times. More than just a history of music at one cathedral, this book makesan important contribution to English cathedral music studies as well as to Irish musical and cultural history. BARRA BOYDELL is Senior Lecturer in Music, National University of Ireland, Maynooth.

The Oxford Book of Flexible Choral Songs is the perfect resource for secular choirs and singing groups who like the flexibility to perform songs in a range of combinations from unison to SATB. Each piece may be performed by a mixed choir, but is also presented with flexible scoring options, clearly explained throughout, enabling performance by various combinations of singers, including upper voices or men's voices alone. As well as new arrangements of existing repertoire, the collection also features newly commissioned original works, specially written for flexible forces.

This book deals less with physical techniques of conducting and more with human relationships: how the conductor functions with his or her ensembles.

Singing has been a characteristic behaviour of humanity across several millennia. Chorus America (2009) estimated that 42.6 million adults and children regularly sing in one of 270,000 choruses in the US, representing more than 1:5 households. Similarly, recent European-based data suggest that more than 37 million adults take part in group singing. The Oxford Handbook of Singing is a landmark text on this topic. It is a comprehensive resource for anyone who wishes to know more about the pluralistic nature of singing. In part, the narrative adopts a lifespan approach, pre-cradle to senescence, to illustrate that singing is a commonplace behaviour which is an essential characteristic of our humanity. In the overall design of the Handbook, the chapter contents have been clustered into eight main sections, embracing fifty-three chapters by seventy-two authors, drawn from across the world, with each chapter illustrating and illuminating a particular aspect of singing. Offering a multi-disciplinary perspective embracing the arts and humanities, physical, social and clinical sciences, the book will be valuable for a broad audience within those fields.

for SATB and organ or orchestra With a text by David Warner on the parable of The Prodigal Son from St Luke's Gospel, this dramatic choral work brings to life the ancient, universal story of reconciliation and belonging. The closely woven text and music feature an expansive range of expression-plaintive, exuberant, and resolute-before concluding with a transcendent coda that gives way to reverberating 'Amen's. With echoes of some of the minimalist elements of Wilberg's Requiem, as well as Arvo Part, Henryk Gorecki, and John Tavener, the work is scored for mixed voices without soloists, allowing the choir to function like a Greek chorus-sometimes narrating, sometimes participating in the action, sometimes reflecting on it-all underpinned by organ, or orchestra, or chamber ensemble.

Vocal, Instrumental, and Ensemble Learning and Teaching is one of five paperback books derived from the foundational two-volume Oxford Handbook of Music Education. Designed for music teachers, students, and scholars of music education, as well as educational administrators and policy makers, this third volume in the set emphasizes the types of active musical attributes that are acquired when learning an instrument or to sing, together with how these skills can be used when engaging musically with others. These chapters shed light on how the field of voice instruction has changed dramatically in recent decades and how physiological, acoustical, biomechanical, neuromuscular, and psychological evidence is helping musicians and educators question traditional practices. The authors discuss research on instrumental learning, demonstrating that there is no 'ideal' way to learn, but rather that a chosen learning approach must be appropriate for the context and desired aims. This volume rounds out with a focus on a wide range of perspectives dealing with group performance of instrumental music, an area that is organized and taught in many varied ways internationally. Contributors Alfredo Bautista, Robert Burke, James L. Byo, Jean Callaghan, Don D. Coffman, Andrea Creech, Jane W. Davidson, Steven M. Demorest, Robert A. Duke, Robert Edwin, Shirlee Emmons, Sam Evans, Helena Gaunt, Susan Hallam, Lee Higgins, Jere T. Humphreys, Harald Jers, Harald Jorgensen, Margaret Kartomi, Reinhard Kopiez , William R. Lee, Andreas C. Lehmann, Gary E. McPherson, Steven J. Morrison, John Nix, Ioulia Papageorgi, Kenneth H. Phillips, Lisa Popeil, John W. Richmond, Carlos Xavier Rodriguez, Nelson Roy, Robert T. Sataloff, Frederick A. Seddon, Sten Ternstrom, Michael Webb, Graham F. Welch, Jenevora Williams, Michael D. Worthy

In recent decades, cognitive neuroscience research has increased our understanding of how the brain learns, retains, and recalls information. At the same time, social psychologists have developed insights into group dynamics, exploring what motivates individuals in a group to give their full effort, or conversely, what might instead inspire them to become free loaders. Art and Science in the Choral Rehearsal explores the idea that choral conductors who better understand how the brain learns, and how individuals within groups function, can lead more efficient, productive, and enjoyable rehearsals. Armed with this knowledge, conductors can create rehearsal techniques which take advantage of certain fundamental brain and social psychology principles. Through such approaches, singers will become increasingly engaged physically and mentally in the rehearsal process. Art and Science in the Choral Rehearsal draws from a range of scientific studies to suggest and encourage effective, evidence-based techniques, and can help serve to reset and inspire new approaches toward teaching. Each chapter outlines exercises and creative ideas for conductors and music teachers, including the importance of embedding problem solving into rehearsal, the use of multiple entry points for newly acquired information, techniques to encourage an emotional connection to the music, and ways to incorporate writing exercises into rehearsal. Additional topics include brain-compatible teaching strategies to complement thorough score study, the science behind motivation, the role imagination plays in teaching, the psychology of rehearsal, and conducting tips and advice. All of these brain-friendly strategies serve to encourage singers' active participation in rehearsals, with the goal of motivating beautiful, inspired, and memorable performances.

The Ivy and the Holly is a superb collection of carols and motets for Advent, Christmas, and Epiphany by contemporary composers. Scored for mixed voices - a cappella and with organ - the anthology embraces a range of styles and sonorities. Here are plainchant lines, lilting melodies, and overlapping phrases; lively, energetic settings and soft, reflective ones; dancing rhythms and rich, sumptuous harmonies. Encompassing a variety of texts, with settings of medieval English verse and biblical passages alongside poems by celebrated writers, this collection will be welcomed by concert and church choirs alike.