The fusion of text with music is one of the most powerful methods by which a composer can express emotion to an audience, yet, all too often, the diction of choral groups is lacking to such a degree as to make the text unintelligible. So argues Duane R. Karna, who in The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal brings together 30 essays by experts from around the world to describe how the character symbols of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can be used by singers in the choral rehearsal. In an effort to conquer one of the greatest challenges facing choral directors and their choirs, contributors explore the use of the IPA system in a vast range of languages. Readers will find essays devoted to the use of IPA on matters of lyric diction for the following tongues: Baltic Languages, Basque, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Dutch, Ecclesiastical Latin, English, Finnish, French, Georgian, German, Germanic Latin, Greek, Hawaiian, Hebrew, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swahili, and Swedish. Holding firmly to the belief that basic instruction in IPA character is part of a choir's training, Karna and his contributors see enormous potential for choirs to expand considerably their foreign-language repertoire and save considerable rehearsal time. The Use of the International Phonetic Alphabet in the Choral Rehearsal is the ideal primer for choral directors and choirmasters as well as choir members.

This work was once credited to Mozart but later discounted as being by him and attributed instead to the composer Jan Zach (1699-1773). Rcent Zach scholarship has largely discredited the idea of Zach being the composer. In any case, this work has remained quite popular for good reason regardless of who the actual composer may have been. This new, beautifully engraved vocal score edited by Richard Sargeant will be welcomed by choruses worldwide interested in performance or study of this delightful piece of Latin church music from Mozart's time.

Composed at while returning from a concert trip to Italy, this setting of the Latin hymn text was possibly heard for the first time on 21 March of 1767 at the Kloster Seeon in Bavaria. The vocal score offered here is a newly engraved one in a very easy-to-read and convenient format designed for choruses, carefully edited by Richard W. Sargeant, Jr

For this beloved Cantata, the classic vocal score arranged by Bernhard Todt as a companion to the renowned Bach Gesellschaft Ausgabe was re-engraved by G. Schirmer in the early part of the 20th century with Henry Drinker's English translation added beneath the original German text. Now available in an easy-to-use, convenient size designed to fit comfortably in choral folders.

For the "Credo in E minor, RV 591," Vivaldi borrows some material he composed for his "Magnificat," which places it later - probably after 1727. This completely choral work has much in common stylistically with the very famous "Gloria" (RV 589) and with his earlier psalm setting "In exitu Israel" (RV 604). Clayton Westermann's 1970 edition, with an English translation beneath the Latin text, is reprinted here in a digitally-enhanced, easy-to-read format.

Haydn's second great oratorio, known in English as "The Seasons," was composed 1799-1800 in the wake of the great success and popularity of its predecessor. As with "The Creation," the German libretto provided to Haydn was the work of Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who adapted and translated excepts from the lengthy English poem of James Thompson also entiled "The Seasons." The premiere, given on April 24, 1801 in Vienna, was successful - but not as wildly popular as the previous work. The score reproduced here is an authoritative vocal and piano score in German, English and French issued by Breitkopf und H rtel in the early 20th century, with the original piano reduction carefully edited by Paul Klengel. As with all PLP scores a percentage of each sale is donated to the amazing online archive of free music scores and recordings, IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library.

Having been inspired by performances of Handel oratorios while visiting London in 1791-92 and 1794-95, Joseph Haydn determined to write one of his own and was given an English libretto entitled "The Creation," which had originally been offered to Handel years before. This libretto, whose author is still not known, was loosely based upon Biblical sources (Genesis, Pslams) and John Milton's epic "Paradise Lost." Haydn presented it to Baron Gottfried van Swieten, who adapted and translated the work into the German libretto used for the composition of the new oratorio. "Die Sch pfung" occupied Haydn from 1796-98 and was given its first performance in Vienna's Schwarzenberg Palace on April 30, 1798 before an invited audience of nobles, government officials, prominent musicians. The public crowded outside in an attempt to hear the work in such number that a police detachment was needed to keep order, and the first public performance (March 19, 1799) was sold out months in advance. The authoritative vocal score reissued here, first published by Breitkopf und H rtel of Leipzig in the early 20th century, features the original German text with English and French beneath, and a playable piano reduction by Paul Klengel. As with all PLP scores a percentage of each sale is donated to the amazing online archive of free music scores and recordings, IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library.

Originally composed in 1786 as a work for orchestra, Haydn's piece inspired by the Seven Last Words of Christ was recast as a string quartet the next year and published as his Op. 51. On his way to London in 1794, Haydn heard an adaptation of his orchestral work for chorus with orchestra made by the Passau kapellmeister Joseph Friebert with German text based upon the original Latin seven words. Impressed, Haydn decided to make his own choral version, with a revised German text by Gottfried van Swieten. The new cantata version was premiered before an invited audience in Vienna on March 17, 1796 and first performed before the public over two years later (April 1, 1798). The vocal score reissued here is an authoritative one originally published in early years of the 20th century by C. F. Peters of Leipzig. As with all PLP scores a percentage of each sale is donated to the amazing online archive of free music scores and recordings, IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library.

Joseph Haydn's eleventh mass - entitled "Missa in Angustiis" or 'Mass in Troubled Times' was composed in the summer of 1798 in the midst of a series of financial cutbacks imposed by his patron, Prince Nokolaus Esterh zy II, as a result of the economic turmoil from Napoleon's invasion of Austria the previous year. The wind players of the Esterh zy orchestra had been dismissed, and the composer was exhausted and ill in the wake of his preparation and supervision of his oratorio "The Creation." The work was given its premiere on September 23, 1798 at Stadtpfarrkirche near Eisenstadt. The nickname "Lord Nelson Mass" may have resulted from the work being performed at the time of Lord Nelson's visit to the Esterh zy palace in 1800. The vocal score reproduced here retains the composer's original virtuosic vocal parts, with the original Latin text and an English translation beneath. The keyboard reduction was probably made by Vincent Novello in the early 19th century. As with all PLP scores a percentage of each sale is donated to the amazing online archive of free music scores and recordings, IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library.

Haydn's final mass was given its premiere in Eisenstadt, at the Esterh zy place chapel on September 9th, 1802. The nickname "Harmoniemesse" derives from the German term for a wind ensemble. In contrast to the "Nelsonmesse" of 1798, a wind section was available for the orchestra used to accompany the soli and chorus, and the instruments are featured prominently. The work entered the choral repertoire almost immediately and remains a favorite to this day. The score reissued here was first published in the early 20th century by C. F. Peters of Leipzig. The keyboard reduction is adapted from the one originally made for organ by Vincent Novello in the early 1800s. As with all PLP scores a percentage of each sale is donated to the amazing online archive of free music scores and recordings, IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library.

Dvorak's "Stabat Mater" is a work deeply inspired by personal tragedy in the composer's life. Originally sketched between February and May of 1876 as a delayed response to the death of his daughter Josefa, the work was not completed in definitive form until late 1877, in the wake of the passing of two other children (daughter Ruzena and son Otakar). The work was finally premiered on 23 December 1880 in Prague, with vocalists and chorus from the Czech Provisional Theatre conducted by Adolf Cech. The work was first published early the following year by Simrock, with the vocal featuring the piano reduction of Josef Zubaty. The score reproduced here has been edited by Otakar Sourek and was first issued by the Czech State Publishing concern as part of the complete works of Dvorak. As with all PLP scores a percentage of each sale is donated to the amazing online archive of free music scores and recordings, IMSLP - Petrucci Music Library.

This new vocal score is a digitally enhanced reprint of the score prepared by the renowned English musicologist J. A. Fuller-Maitland in 1896 to coincide with the full score issued several years before as part of Breitkopf & Hartel's complete edition of Mozart's works.

While there are many similarities between solo and choral singing, they are not the same discipline, and it is important to realize the different approaches necessary for each. In The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting: A Handbook for Achieving Vocal Health, Olson presents the unique perspective of choral singing from a soloist's viewpoint, providing a clear outline of several issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. She discusses concepts as diverse as body position in rehearsal and acoustic sound production, and she offers practical ideas for solving these challenges. Teaching examples and case studies help illustrate the problems and offer potential solutions for handling the challenges of the choral environment. After a general overview of vocal technique, the chapters address the physiological, psychological, pedagogical, acoustic, and interpretive issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. Concepts, such as phonation; resonation and timbre; approaches to diction; voice classification; choral blend; interpreting emotion; relationships among choral conductor, singer, and teacher of singing; and the use of vibrato are examined in detail. Concluding with a conversation with two choral conductors, as well as a glossary, bibliography, and index, this volume is beneficial to singers, teachers, and conductors alike.

While there are many similarities between solo and choral singing, they are not the same discipline, and it is important to realize the different approaches necessary for each. In The Solo Singer in the Choral Setting: A Handbook for Achieving Vocal Health, Olson presents the unique perspective of choral singing from a soloist's viewpoint, providing a clear outline of several issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. She discusses concepts as diverse as body position in rehearsal and acoustic sound production, and she offers practical ideas for solving these challenges. Teaching examples and case studies help illustrate the problems and offer potential solutions for handling the challenges of the choral environment. After a general overview of vocal technique, the chapters address the physiological, psychological, pedagogical, acoustic, and interpretive issues facing the solo singer in the choral setting. Concepts, such as phonation; resonation and timbre; approaches to diction; voice classification; choral blend; interpreting emotion; relationships among choral conductor, singer, and teacher of singing; and the use of vibrato are examined in detail. Concluding with a conversation with two choral conductors, as well as a glossary, bibliography, and index, this volume is beneficial to singers, teachers, and conductors alike.

The human voice an incredibly beautiful and expressive instrument, and when multiple voices are unified in tone and purpose a powerful statement is realized. No wonder people have always wanted to sing in a communal context-a desire apparently stemming from a deeply rooted human instinct. Consequently, choral performance has often been related historically to human rituals and ceremonies, especially rites of a religious nature. This Historical Dictionary of Choral Music examines choral music and practice in the Western world from the Medieval era to the 21st century, focusing mostly on familiar figures like Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, and Britten. But its scope is considerably broader, and it includes all sorts of music-religious, secular, and popular-from sources throughout the world. It contains a chronology, an introduction, a bibliography, and more than 1,000 cross-referenced dictionary entries on important composers, genres, conductors, institutions, styles, and technical terms of choral music.

In Conversations with Joseph Flummerfelt: Thoughts on Conducting, Music, and Musicians, Donald Nally presents a window into the mind and heart of one of America's most celebrated and distinguished choral conductors. Through questions from Nally, his former student, Flummerfelt provides a captivating narrative tracing his formative years and influences, his most important artistic collaborations, and his approach to conducting and music. The conversation further develops into a philosophical discussion on cultural influences and obstacles in art, how one teaches conducting, and the foundations of ensemble music-making. Through these intimate conversations, Flummerfelt reveals his life, art, and ideas, from his close collaborations with some of the world's greatest orchestral conductors to his work as Artistic Director of Westminster Choir College. The topics range from his approaches to style, conducting gesture, sound generation, and choral sound to the psychology of music-making and the contemporary environment of art-making. Nally's interview style captures the energy and rhythm of Flummerfelt's speech so that the conductor's "voice" and passion is easily perceived, and the material is presented as a highly organized yet spontaneous and free conversation. Flummerfelt discusses his early career influences from such musicians as Robert Shaw and Nadia Boulanger and reveals his thoughts on composers like Igor Stravinsky, Samuel Barber, Benjamin Britten, and Olivier Messiaen. The more than 30 photos present a visual record of Flummerfelt's collaborations with many of the great musicians of our time, and a biographical timeline, a list of collaborating orchestras and conductors, and a discography are also included.

First performed under the composer's direction on Easter Sunday of 1779 in Salzburg Cathedral, the 'Coronation' Mass has become a staple of the choral repertoire. This newly engraved score, completely compatible with the widely available orchestra parts originally issued by Breitkopf und Hartel and reissued by Kalmus and others, employs Otto Taubmann's piano reduction in an easy-to-read A4 size.

Schubert composed his sixth and final mass in the summer of 1828; it was premiered posthumously, on October 4, 1829, in the Viennese Parish Church of the Holy Trinity under the direction of the composer's brother, Ferdinand. In addition to five vocal soloists and chorus, the work is scored for pairs of oboes, clarinets, bassoons, horns and trumpets, three trombones, timpani, and strings. Unabridged digitally enhanced reprint of the vocal score prepared by Julius Spengel that was first issued in Leipzig by Breitkopf and Hartel in the late 19th century to coincide with their publication of the complete works edition.

Dvorak's choral masterpiece was first performed at the Birmingham Festival on October 9, 1891 under the composer's direction. It immediately entered the standard repertoire. This new vocal score is a digitally-enhanced reissue of the one edited by Karel Solc as part of Dvorak's complete works, published by the Czech State publishing concern, SNKLHU, in the late 1950s. Now in a very readable A4 size, this score will be a welcome addition for vocalists, choruses and pianists alike.

Mahler's penultimate symphony recieved its premiere performance in Munich on September 12th, 1910 with a chorus of about 850, and an orchestra of 171. These massive forces led to Mahler's agent dubbing the work "Symphony of a Thousand." Mahler did not approve of the title at all, but it remains. The piece was a great success at its premiere, one of few of Mahler's works to be well received in his lifetime. It was the last premiere of one his works that Mahler witnessed before his death. Unabridged digitally enhanced reprint of the vocal score prepared by Josef Woss that was first published in 1910 by Universal Edition, Vienna.

An insteresting case of self-borrowing. Bach took music from this work for his own Mass in B-minor (BWV 191/1 corresponds to the Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191/2 to the Domine Deus, BWV 191/3 to the Cum sancto spiritu). This unusual cantata, the only one with a Latin text, may have been written to celebrate the Peace of Dresden (which ended the 2nd Silesian war) and first performed on Christmas day, 1745. This newly engraved, carefully edited vocal score is based on the Bach Gessellschaft edition. The convenient A4 size is ideal for vocalists, choruses, and rehearsal pianists.

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.

This newly engraved vocal score for Mozart's popular youthful Mass has been carefully edited, complete with measure numbers, using Trexler's classic keyboard arrangement as a starting point. It is compatible with the orchestral material issued by both Kalmus and Breitkopf and with that of the Neue Mozart Ausgabe. The large A4 format is especially helpful for choruses, vocalists and accompanists.