for SATB, piano, and optional guitar, bass, and drum kit Samba Mass is a joyous and colourful setting of the Latin Missa brevis. The work is framed by the gentle bossa nova style of the warm Kyrie and relaxed Agnus Dei, which is prefaced by a funky Benedictus. The compelling rhythms of samba come to the fore in the second movement, a vivacious Gloria, which is followed by a beautiful Sanctus that offsets a steady flow of quavers with rhythmic syncopations. The stylistic piano part can be played as written or serve as a guide, and an optional guitar, bass, and drum kit part is available separately for band accompaniment. Performers will enjoy exploring the interplay between voices and the rich, warm colours of the samba and bossa nova styles. This work was originally commissioned in a version for upper voices by the New Orleans Children's Chorus, Cheryl Dupont, Director, in celebration of the 20th anniversary of the Crescent City Choral Festival, June 2019.

for SSA, piano, and optional guitar, bass, and drum kit Samba Mass is a joyous and colourful setting of the Latin Missa brevis. The work is framed by the gentle bossa nova style of the warm Kyrie and relaxed Agnus Dei, which is prefaced by a funky Benedictus. The compelling rhythms of samba come to the fore in the second movement, a vivacious Gloria, which is followed by a beautiful Sanctus that offsets a steady flow of quavers with rhythmic syncopations. The stylistic piano part can be played as written or serve as a guide, and an optional guitar, bass, and drum kit part is available separately for band accompaniment. Performers will enjoy exploring the interplay between voices and the rich, warm colours of the samba and bossa nova styles.

London Town was commissioned and written to be performed by the combined forces of unison children's choir and SATB mixed voices, with piano. The vividly communicative six-movement work, which is accompanied throughout, is full of musical contrasts from the jaunty 'London Zoo' to the solemn 'Lines written in the Tower of London'. The work celebrates London through its six songs and contains texts by Rudyard Kipling, Walter Raleigh, and William Wordsworth alongside new material by Delphine Chalmers and the composer. It has sections for adult voices alone and sections for children's voices alone alongside passages for the two forces to combine as a full choir.

Choral Music: A Research and Information Guide, Third Edition, offers a comprehensive guide to the literature on choral music in the Western tradition. Clearly annotated bibliographic entries guide readers to resources on key topics within choral music, individual choral composers, regional and sacred choral traditions, choral techniques, choral music education, genre studies, and more, providing an essential reference for researchers and practitioners. Covering monographs, bibliographies, selected dissertations, reference works, journals, electronic databases, and websites, this research guide makes it easy to locate relevant sources. Comprehensive indices of authors, titles, and subjects keep the volume user-friendly. The new edition has been brought up to date with entries encompassing the latest scholarship, and updated references and annotations throughout, capturing the continued growth of literature on choral music since the publication of the second edition.

for soprano and baritone soloists, SATB chorus, and orchestra This significant seven-movement work from Cecilia McDowall presents an imaginative pairing of extracts from The Notebooks of Leonardo da Vinci with texts from the Latin Missa pro defunctis. Da Vinci's reflective and penetrating insights into the nature of mortality and all that it encompasses cast new light on the familiar Requiem texts, and McDowall employs her orchestral forces to create a rich, atmospheric backdrop to the profound narrative presented by the chorus and soprano and baritone soloists. Dark, sonorous writing precedes an energetic 'Sanctus', and the closing bars of the luminous 'Lux aeterna' create a powerful allusion to da Vinci's concept of 'The Perspective of Disappearance'.

for SSAA and organ, and optional brass ensemble and timpani Commissioned by Benenden School, Make We Merry is an eight-movement piece which sets texts from the 15th to 19th centuries to a variety of choral textures with a highly characterful accompaniment. A vast array of sentiments is depicted, from quiet expectance and gentle wonder to boisterous jubilation, and the different movements provide a wonderfully paced journey through these moods. The final movement brings back motifs from the opening and grows to a thrillingly climactic ending to this exciting Christmas concert work.

This volume comprises twenty-eight of the finest oratorio choruses, complete short choral works, and movements from masses or requiems from the seventeenth to the twentieth centuries. Drawing repertoire from Britain and mainland Europe, the volume features renowned choruses and familiar cornerstones of the repertoire, as well as some choral discoveries, all in new, carefully researched, and practical editions. Playable piano reductions for rehearsal use are included in the main volume, with a separate volume of purpose-made three-stave organ accompaniments, and newly typeset orchestral material available on rental. Intended for choral societies and cathedral, church, and concert choirs, this is a unique collection of choral classics for mixed voices and orchestra, and an invaluable practical addition to any choir's library.

for upper voices, SATB, and piano (with snare and tenor drums and solo cello) or chamber orchestra This profound setting of poems by Wilfred Owen explores the idea of the sun as a redemptive force. The sense of human connection and vivid imagery of the natural world imbued in Owen's poetry is perfectly conveyed in Chilcott's music, which is rich in highly effective word painting and melodies as visceral as the poetry itself. The first movement, 'Song of Songs', sets the tone for the work, balancing a sense of reverence and solemnity with hopefulness and optimism, and a poignant and moving setting of Futility is a powerful focal point. Chilcott supplements the choral texture to great effect, with snare and tenor drum creating a mood of expectancy in 'Spring Offensive' and a middle movement for tenor and cello soloists that inhabits a stark musical landscape that blossoms harmonically as the soldier tells of the 'fellowships' and 'beauty' they have found.

Passion Music continues the fusion of jazz and choral music so successfully blended in Will Todd's Mass in Blue. The structure highlights different points in the Passion story, beginning with a new setting of 'Greater love has no man' and including an evocative Stabat Mater, a movement focusing on the seven last words of Christ, and a setting of 'Were you there when they crucified my Lord?'. While some sections are reflective, Todd also makes full use of his understanding of energetic jazz and gospel. The vocal soloist is given plenty of expressive freedom, singing both with the choir and independently to achieve the characteristic jazz-soul style. The seven-piece jazz accompaniment, which is presented in the vocal score as a piano reduction for rehearsal only, completes the ensemble. The full score and set of parts for the jazz accompaniment are available on sale and hire. A complete backing track and individual rehearsal tracks for the vocal parts are also available to download.

for upper voices with piano accompaniment and unaccompanied A celebration of Oxford's popular Songbird series, this collection of nine original works for upper voices in two, three, and four parts meets the need for fresh concert repertoire for youth and women's choirs. Featuring well-known composers such as Kerry Andrew, Cecilia McDowall, and Sarah Quartel, the collection includes a variety of styles and moods and a selection of pieces that are all melodically appealing and immediately approachable, with a contemporary twist. Texts from across the years touch on a range of themes, from the empowering to the quirky, with a particular emphasis on the natural world. Performance notes from compilers Neil Ferris and Joanna Tomlinson provide invaluable tips for rehearsal and performance, making this a complete and practical collection for contemporary upper-voice choirs.

for sopranos, altos, and unison men with piano or organ or orchestra This collection includes nine of John Rutter's most popular Christmas carols, re-scored by the composer into three parts: for sopranos, altos, and unison men. From 'Star Carol' to 'All bells in paradise', these festive favourites continue to delight choirs and audiences across the world.

(Music Sales America). One of the finest works of all Vivaldi's choral settings, arranged for the upper voices by Desmond Ratcliffe. Uplifting and melodic, the intoxicating tunes and spellbinding optimism of Gloria have helped it to become one of the most popular works in the Baroque choral repertoire.

for SATB and piano or organ Psalmi Penitentiales comprises three settings of sections from the Penitential Psalms, interspersed with four arrangements of the well-known Ubi caritas plainchant. Often recited during Lent, the three psalms that Bullard has chosen give expression to feelings of penitence and remorse. The setting, for mixed four-part choir with organ or piano accompaniment, responds to the drama and changes of mood within the Latin text with expressive melodic lines and richly varied harmonies. The psalms may also be performed separately, giving the work added flexibility in performance. Psalmi Penitentiales is an excellent companion to Bullard's Wondrous Cross, ideal for choirs seeking a substantial choral work for Lent and Passiontide.

Parry's Songs of Farewell were composed over the final decade of his life. The elegiac tone of the Songs may also reflect a sense of loss caused by the First World War - in which some of Parry's most promising students at the Royal College of Music lost their lives - and a decline in national confidence, expressed in a different manner in Parry's famous Jerusalem of 1916. The motets are among Parry's most eloquent and concise works, and deservedly form part of the rich canon of British choral music. This edition, by Associate Professor Robert Quinney, Director of the Choir of New College, Oxford, is the first to offer a critical assessment of the autograph manuscripts, held in the Bodleian Library, Oxford. It offers a significant earlier version of a section of the fourth motet, rescored passages from the fifth, helpful notes on performance, and supporting online materials. A comprehensive and practical edition, it also provides a clear and elegant presentation of the text.

The Midnight of your Birth is a charming collection of five carols by Bob Chilcott for upper voices and piano. Equally suited to women's choirs and youth choirs, the carols range from unison ('The Blackbird with One White Feather') to three parts, with one ('The Angel did Fly') featuring a mezzo-soprano solo. The texts, all by long-term collaborator Charles Bennett, weave an imagery of birds and the natural world with the Christmas narrative. Chilcott's music is the perfect match, combining characteristically singable melodies with pleasing harmonic colours, buoyant syncopation, and tender reflection. Containing five fresh and accessible carols, this book is the ideal addition to any upper-voice choir's library.

for upper voices, SATB, and harp My Perfect Stranger is a captivating setting of Kevin Crossley-Holland's retelling of the Christmas story. Following an expectant prologue, the central movement is rich in characterization as soloists from within the choir take on the roles of key players in the narrative, with the upper voices adopting the role of the guiding star, as well as enriching the texture at important moments in the story. Beginning with the harp ostinato of the prologue, the epilogue asks the listener to reflect on the story we have heard, challenging us to consider the part we might have played and asking 'what have you to say and sing?'. The work's vibrant part for harp makes for a compelling alternative to the more conventional keyboard accompaniment.

for SA and Men, accompanied and unaccompanied This collection of nine of John Rutter's finest and most popular anthems, scored for SA Men, has been carefully compiled to be both accessible to a wide range of choirs and appropriate to the needs of today's liturgy. With the inclusion of so many 'classics' covering a variety of texts and styles, this anthology is ideal for working church choirs requiring flexible options.

for SATBarB unaccompanied The shades of Finzi and Vaughan Williams are strongly present in these three delightful unaccompanied choral settings, and yet the style and execution are wholly Rutter's own. O mistress mine is a jaunty jazz waltz, Be not afeard casts a dreamy spell with dusky sonorities and magical harmonies, and Sigh no more, ladies brings the set to a cheerfully melodious and high-spirited conclusion.

for solo violin, upper-voice choir (women's and/or advanced children's choir), with harp, and strings or organ Visions is a four-movement showpiece for solo violin in unique combination with upper-voice choir, harp, and strings (or organ). Inspired by the idea of 'Jerusalem' both as a Holy City and a utopian ideal of heavenly peace and seraphic bliss, the composer has selected four biblical texts, in English and Latin, that express different aspects of this vision. The profound subject matter is taken up in the celestial soundworld of the choir and the virtuosic, vibrant, and expressive writing for violin, all set against a backdrop of rich textures and harmonies in the strings and harp. The work may be performed by women's or boys' voices. The accompaniment is available in two different instrumentations: harp and string ensemble or harp and organ.