for SATB unaccompanied This gentle anthem, written for the Choir of St Chad's College, Durham, sets a text that is adapted from several prayers of St Chad. Warm dynamic swells and rich harmonies emphasize the meaning of these prayers. Bednall has added movement to this calm and reflective piece through the use of melismatic vocal phrases and falling triplet figures.

for SATB and organ Light Triumphant Breaks combines the text of the Sarum introit from the second Sunday of Advent and a translated anonymous Greek text using dancing dotted rhythms and intricate articulation. A free use of metre and contrapuntal movement make this a lively and jubilant piece that would be enjoyed by church and cathedral choirs alike.

for high solo voice and organ This mass setting, with texts in both Latin and English (Book of Common Prayer), is typical of the composer's style: musically sophisticated, with motivic solo lines and a great deal of chromaticism and continual time changes. Vocal range: Eb4-A5 (opt. C6).

for medium solo voice and organ This mass setting, with texts in both Latin and English (Book of Common Prayer), is typical of the composer's style: musically sophisticated, with motivic solo lines and a great deal of chromaticism and continual time changes. Vocal range: C4-Gb5 (opt. A5).

With a host of accessible, quality new settings, and with pieces based on all the major hymn tunes, these volumes are a must for every church organist's library.

for SATB and organ, with optional congregation This congregational mass setting is short and accessible, with a congregational part that may be intuitively learnt. The organ plays a supportive role throughout, while the choral parts are of melodic and harmonic interest, but always keeping the discernibility of the text at the fore. The congregational part, which may be photocopied, is available at the back of the vocal score.

This powerful piece, dating from 2010, shows off the full resources of any organ it is played on. Its driving rhythms and exhilarating, often bitonal, harmonies recall such French organist-composers as Langlais and Messiaen, and while there is often an improvisatory feel, the music is far from formless, and its carefully planned structure contributes crucially to its success.

for SATB unaccompanied In this bittersweet pastoral setting Bednall's flowing melody lines are paired with the tender words of the contemplative First World War poet, Siegfried Sasson. The 5/4 metre lends a wistful whimsical feel to the music, allowing the piece to flow freely, whilst retaining the playful syncopation so familiar in folk music. The poem itself is a rare step outside Sassoon's typical First World War themes. Rather, Idyll describes a summer garden where he wishes to meet somebody, who, it seems, has passed away. A beautifully creative work offering heartache and warmth in equal measure.

Commissioned for the 40th birthday of the organist Paul Walton, Walton's Paean is a work of great verve, with compelling rhythms, exciting harmonies, and catchy melodies propelling the celebratory music forward. Through the boisterous excitement, legato passages emerge as the piece hurtles towards the resounding finale. There is also a little joke in the occasional references to the music of Paul Walton's namesake, William.

for SS and organ This movement from Make We Merry sets the words of the seventeenth-century Christmas text 'Sweet was the song' to a straightforward and lyrical solo line in the first soprano part, with an imitative second soprano part joining towards the end. The organ accompaniment gently underpins the tender vocal lines throughout.

for SATB unaccompanied This gentle, lilting anthem sets verses from the psalms that speak of devotion to and delight in the Lord. Bednall's sophisticated and appealing musical language gives colour and expression to the text and creates a devotional atmosphere perfectly suited to the psalmists' words.

for SATB unaccompanied The Scholar is a sensitive setting of Robert Southey's poem that explores a man's kinship with the dead. With Bednall's characteristic metrical fluidity and effective word setting, this piece will provide a moment of quiet reflection in a concert programme.

for SSATB unaccompanied This simple and exquisite miniature keeps the text, the fourth-century Latin Hymn to the Virgin Mary, at the fore, with instructions from the composer to accent the melodic lines according to word stress rather than position in the bar. The musical style is a fusion of old and new, with plainchant-like melodies and tonality set against expressively dissonant contemporary harmonies. Tota pulchra est was recorded by The Epiphoni Consort on the CD David Bednall: Sudden Light (Delphian, DCD34189)

for SATB unaccompanied Aspire to God, my soul sets a macaronic text by Canon John Dilnot, with the titular words recurring throughout the setting as an emphatic refrain. This short anthem is optimistic and uplifting in tone, with frequently changing time-signatures that convey a rhythmic fluidity and the flexibility to follow the declamation of the words.

for SATB unaccompanied A group of three miniatures for unaccompanied mixed voices, Some corner of a foreign field sets poems by three First World War soldiers: John William Streets, Goldfeld (about whom no more than his surname is known), and Rupert Brooke. Bednall's settings are slow, expansive, and expressive, giving space for the listener to reflect on the profoundly moving texts. Brooke's 'The Soldier' brings a particularly poignant conclusion to the set, with melismas employed for dramatic effect.

for SATB unaccompanied This high-energy, majestic setting of well-known words from the psalms is a welcome addition to the service repertory. The changing metre brings the text to the fore, and the semiquaver movement that passes between parts creates a sense of motion and drive that is fitting for this uplifting and joyous hymn of praise.

for unison upper voices, solo violin, and organ or piano Bednall's beautiful setting of this much-loved prayer is warm, simple, and immediate. The vocal line is expertly lyrical and the accompaniment suitably supporting, with a serene line for solo violin that soars above the texture. Ave Maria was recorded by Benenden Chapel Choir, conducted by Edward Whiting, Jennifer Pike (violin), and David Bednall (organ) on the CD 'Stabat Mater' (Regent, REGCD481).

for SATB or unison voices and organ This joyous, celebratory introit sets well-known words from Psalm 95 and features appealing recitative-like melodies, striking harmonies, and fluctuating metre. The flexible scoring facilitates performance by SATB choir, unison voices, or high voices, and the organ part provides a supportive yet compelling accompaniment. O come, let us sing has been recorded by Wells Cathedral Choir, conducted by Matthew Owens, on the CD 'Flame Celestial' (REGCD320).