Setting the well-known text by Joseph Addison, The spacious firmament is a mysterious and powerful concert work. Bullard uses a variety of textures throughout the piece, resulting in a unique and memorable choral work that will be welcomed by more experienced choirs.

The Kikapust Choral Series offers choirs an extensive choice of close-harmony a cappella arrangements. All of our arrangers / composers - Jonathan Rathbone, Ben Parry & Mark Williams - were long-standing members of the Swingle Singers.

Composed for the Reykjavik Cathedral Choir's "Solo Dei Gloria" Festival in 2004, Advent Antiphons is an exquisite concert setting of the Great O Antiphons. Traditionally chanted or sung between 17 and 23 December, the Antiphons comprise seven brief prayers which proceed in sequence, charting events from before Creation through to the birth of Christ. The powerful sentiments conveyed in these texts are brought to the fore in Chilcott's masterful writing for double choir; he embroiders a beautifully textured work in which echoes of plainchant combine with richly expressive harmony. In the third and fifth movements, the composer instructs the individual sopranos and altos in each choir to sing their parts in their own rhythm, to entrancing effect. Without doubt, this is some of Chilcott's finest music to date; subtle yet potent, haunting, and uplifting.

Songlist: O Sapientia, O Adonai, O Radix Jesse, O Clavis David, O Oriens, O Rex Gentium, O Emmanuel

The weather, the most quintessentially English of topics, was the inspiration for Bob Chilcott's Weather Report, written for the BBC Singers. Chilcott weaves together a tapestry of well-known weather rhymes to create a work that is energetic, quirky, and entertaining. His choral writing is inventive and full of character, using layered rhythms and jazzy harmonies. This is a fun piece to perform, and perfect as a light addition to any concert programme.

Like the basic bread and wine elements of Mass, the fundamental musical materiel of "Brief Mass" are simple. Yet, like the profound and eternal meanings of Mass, the use and development of the musical materials strive for deeper musical dimensions. The pitch material of each movement is basic, very limited, and does not stray from its foundation pitches. Each individual movement serves as a vital link to the whole of the work. "Brief Mass" requires a minimum of eight singers for performance: SSAATTBB. It is suggested that the singers be divided into two separate SATB antiphonal choirs.

"If There's Anybody Here (From Out of Town)" bounces across the USA, cataloging locales and scenes in toe-tapping fashion. Dave Briner's arrangement for men's quartet plus women's quartet was made famous in an excellent performance by Panache (1990 SAI International Champion Quartet) and Acoustix (1990 BHS International Champion Quartet,) and works well for choruses also.

Composed for unaccompanied Double Mixed Chorus, these two songs were commissioned by the Swedish Broadcasting Corporation for the 75th Anniversary Concert of the Swedish Radio Choir. Based on two poems by Ann Jaderlund with text in Swedish and an English translation.

Songlist: Djupt I Rummet, Kyss Min Mun

Poulenc was a member of Les Six, a group of young French composers, Milhaud, Auric, Durey, Honegger and Tailleferre, who also had links with Erik Satie and Jean Cocteau. He embraced the Dada movement's techniques, creating melodies that would have challenged what was considered appropriate for Parisian music halls. Here is a fine set of his unaccompanied choral works. With English translation by Robert Hess.

Songlist: La Blanche Neige, A peine defiguree (Barely Disfigured), Par une nuit nouvelle (Through a New Light), Tous les droits (All the Rights), Belle et ressemblante (Beautiful and Resembling), Marie, Luire (To Dawn)

Includes the Grammy Award winner "A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square" as recorded by The Manhattan Transfer. The note-for-note arrangement matches the original recording!

Songlist: Deck The Halls, The Gene Puerling Sound, Silent Night, Snowfall, A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square, April in Paris, Autumn in New York, Dancing in the Dark, Indian Summer

16 minutes.

A powerful setting for 8-part choir of three of the Good Friday responses at matins: "Tenebrae factae sunt," "Tradiderunt me" and "Iesum tradidit impius." Commissioned by Cappella Nova and recorded by them on Linn Records. 20 minutes.

Songlist: Tenebrae factae sunt, Tradiderunt me, Iesum tradidit impius

with optional Oboe and Viola

This arrangement is one of several Jim was commissioned to write by Voces8 for their Christmas album, Snowed In, and it was nominated for a 2009 CARA award. Its stillness and simplicity is intended to evoke both the awe and fear that Mary must have felt upon being told she was to give birth to the long-expected Messia Jim Clements is a British choral composer, arranger, orchestrator, and singer. He has written for numerous world-famous artists, including Tom Jones, The King's Singers, Tim Minchin, and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and has been nominated for three CARA awards. His music is published by Edition Peters, and has been recorded on Decca Classics, Inertia Records, Priory Records, Signum Classics, Universal Records, and others. He is a member of the GRAMMY-nominated early music vocal ensemble, Stile Antico, which records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi.

The classic Irving Berlin tune that was sung by Fred Astaire in the movie Top Hat, here in a 3-minute arrangement by Jim Clements for unaccompanied SSAATTBB. A wistful start leads to an effortless swing arrangement over a walking bass.From VOCES8 arranger-in-residence Jim Clements, who helped create the distinctive jazz sound of VOCES8.

An a cappela chorus with German text for eight voices, composed by Johannes Brahms.

A Choral Extended Work for SSAATTBB Divided Chorus with B Solo composed by Johannes Brahms.

Former Swingle Singers Jonathan Rathbone has developed a reputation for creating challenging but highly rewarding arrangements for more experienced singers and here is a great example. Fun to learn, fun to sing!

Featured on the Swingle Singer's CD titled 'Notability,' this fast paced classical romp is fun and challenging for even the most advanced choral groups

One of the Swingle Singers' most well known vocalized overatures, this very advanced chart includes the complete work all sung with inner-changable scat syllables

Largo from New World Symphony

Songlist: Nine Hundred Miles, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, The Oak and the Ash

Long ago, an argument arose between mountains and rivers, stars and ants, lions and bears on the nature of God. A terrible cacophony of quarreling voices rang out until wise Old Turtle quelled the din, explaining that God is all that we dream of, and all that we seek... all that we come from and all that we can find. Based on the book by Douglas Wood, with its elegant dream-like watercolors by Cheng-Khee Chee, Song of Wisdom from Old Turtle is a choral and symphonic experience, which must not only be heard, but felt by the soul! Staying true to the text of the story, Joseph Martin has masterfully crafted the many characters and moods of the book into a musical fantasy for mixed chorus and narrator. Brant Adams' rich and colorful orchestration adds depth and a sense of awe to this choral symphony. The work leaves audiences speechless, until they jump to their feet in enthusiastic applause!

Acclaimed American composer Kirke Mechem at his best with these most interestingly themed pieces with text by poets Sara Teasdale and Paul Dunbar, and British writer Siegfried Sassoon. This Choral Cycle includes three pieces: "Birds at Dusk" (Teasdale), "The Caged Bird" (Dunbar), and "Everyone Sang" (Sassoon).

Songlist: Birds at Dusk, The Caged Bird, Everyone Sang

Composed in 1987, this work for a cappella chorus of approximately nine minutes' duration was written on the occasion of the bestowing of an honorary doctorate on the composer by the Universidad Autonoma de Madrid. Penderecki employs four stanzas of the traditional verse attributed to Hrabanus Maurus, and assigns varying numbers of voices within the four overlapping standard ranges (SATB) so that the density of the choral sound is also modulating throughout the piece which proves to be a particularly effective device for creating musical imagery.

In March 1987 Penderecki's Song of Cherubim for a cappella choir was premiered at a gala concert given in Washington D.C. on the occasion of Mstislav Rostropovich's 60th birthday.

In 1955, while in the midst of working on a musical version of Voltaire's CANDIDE with the distinguished American playwright Lillian Hellman, Leonard Bernstein wrote these a cappella choruses as incidental music for the play THE LARK, adapted by Miss Hellman from the original French version by Jean Anouilh. Since the drama is about the trial of Joan of Arc, Mr. Bernstein's music is deliberately evocative of that great Saint's medieval era. The initial presentation of the play took place on October 28, 1955 at the Plymouth Theater in Boston, with a cast that included Julie Harris, Boris Karloff, Christopher Plummer and Theodore Bikel.

Songlist: Spring Song, Court Song, Soldier's Song, Prelude, Benedictus, Sanctus, Requiem, Gloria

A collection of Haiku Kai. Commissioned for the 2002 World Choral Symposium, May Sky is based on haiku written by Japanese and Japanese-American detainees in camps in the American West.

French traditional song for 8 part a cappella.

These arrangements of the Five Spirituals grew from the arranger's desire to see a larger and more interesting repertoire for mixed choruses, and were created with the approval of Tippett's biographer and execture, Merion Bowen. Whilst the spirituals suit mixed choruses of various sizes and remain as 'basically simple' as the originals, there are several musical challenges in the arrangements.

Songlist: Steal Away, Nobody Knows, Go Down Moses, By And By, Deep River

Central to Vask's work are human beings and nature. The beauty of nature versus the threat of it, and the human role in it. His human and cultural image is therefore not very optimistic. However, in his work Vasks expresswes wonder and beauty. Especially in his early compositions. The choral work Mate Saule (Mother Sun) from 1975 is one such work. It seems nothing but an evocation of a sun with sparse melodies that break away from the sound as halos and sun breaking through the clouds. Meanwhile, this work is also a piece that is exemplary for the later choral works of Vasks. Although the piece is almost entirely diatonic, drop the instrumental notation for the votes and nice dissonant textures right on. These are things that Vasks in his later work refined and enriched.

Text in Latvian.

Phillipe de Monte wrote Super flumina Babylonis (By the streams of Babylon, there we sat and wept) and sent it to William Byrd who responded by setting the subsequent verses of the psalm text Quomodo Cantabimus (How shall we sing the Lord's song in a foreign land). This edition allows these wonderful pieces to be sung as a unit or separately.

Songlist: Super flumina Babylonis, Quomodo Cantabimus

Simon and Garfunkel : The Sound of Silence

An exquisite and evocative arrangement by Alexander L'Estrange of Paul Simon's 1960s classic song as performed by Simon and Garfunkel. This 4.5-minute unaccompanied SSAATTBB arrangement embraces the classic folk-rock song style so loved by Simon and Garfunkel.Alexander L'Estrange is a multi-faceted composer, arranger, jazz musician and choral animateur who has been dubbed 'the added 9th of choral music'.

A wonderful unaccompanied SSAATTBB arrangement made for VOCES8 by Naomi Crellin of the classic Simon and Garfunkel song. This 3.5-minute arrangement revels in the atmosphere of the original song while also fusing brilliant harmonies.Naomi Crellin is an Australian composer, arranger and musical director/singer with a cappella ensemble 'The Idea of North'.

All Three charts are featured on The Swingle Singer's album 'Around The World Folk Songs.'

Songlist: The Ash Grove, Bushes and Briars, Charlie is My Darling

All Three charts are featured on The Swingle Singer's album 'Around The World Folk Songs.'

This arrangement of "Abide With Me" begins with a very beautiful and effective male a cappella section. This sets the stage for the rest of the piece which rises in intensity and volume until the final and triumphant ending. Abide With Me displays mans complete dependence on God and is very moving for both the audience and the singer. "Sweet, Sweet Spirit" is a bright and warm song that is perfect for a large choir. The fact that it is A Cappella adds greatly to the rich charm of the piece as well as making it highly rewarding to sing. "A Prayer" - This inventive and original composition bestows rich and luminous harmonies to the a cappella choral parts. It is a haunting call for the Lord to save us from sin. This piece requires proficient sopranos and is very fulfilling to an innovative and talented choir. "Hail, all hail", is an animated and vivid a cappella piece. This work will explore the brighter colors and sounds of the choir, allowing a powerful majestic result. Great for Christmas, this work allows the choir to let loose and make a joyful sound!

Songlist: Abide With Me, Sweet Sweet Spirit, A Prayer, Hail, All Hail

Eight songs for eight-part vocal groups. The VOCES8 A Cappella Songbook includes many of the group's favorite songs - ranging from folk and classical through spiritual and pop.

Songlist: Feeling Good, Nobody Does It Better, Folksong Medley, Erlkoenig, Shenandoah, Opera Medley, Wade in the Water, The Luckiest

A sublime and otherworldly 4.5-minute arrangement by Geoff Lawson of the iconic 2001 song by the British rock band Radiohead. Arranged for SATB (with divisi) and piano (with an option for strings and harp replacing piano). Flowing and mysterious, tranquil yet pensive, Pyramid Song is both simple and complex and endlessly fascinating.Geoff Lawson is an arranger and orchestrator who frequently works with VOCES8 on arrangements for their albums.

A fantastic arrangement by Alexander L'Estrange of Luis Demetrio and Pablo Beltran Ruiz's classic piece that makes for an entertaining stage performance piece. Arranged for unaccompanied SSAATTBB, this 4-minute sultry Latin groove is perfect for dance-themed or jazz programming.Alexander L'Estrange is a multi-faceted composer, arranger, jazz musician and choral animateur who has been dubbed 'the added 9th of choral music'.

A gorgeous unaccompanied SSAATTBB arrangement of Manning Sherwin's classic song, surely one of the most famous melodies from the 1930s. Written to be performed at leisurely pace with indulgent harmonies, and 3.5 minutes in length.

Canada has a rich lore of folk music. The three melodies in this Suite come from the province of Quebec. These arrangements were commissioned by the McGill Univeristy Chamber Choir in Montreal.

Songlist: Tout garcon qui sert, Le Roi Boit, Rossignolet

The Swingle Singers often use "Flight Of The Bumble-Bee"as an encore piece. It has to go as fast as possible using a great variety of scat syllables in order to avoid lock-jaw. It also includes a fairly literal vocal transcription of Debussy's famous piano piece, "Claire de Lune." The tessituras are quite wide ranging from low D-flats for the basses to high B-flats for the sopranos. It is probably best sung with the help of microphones. This transciption of a Chopin "Etude Op. 25 No.9" is probably easier to sing than it is to play! It should be performed at a brisk pace, with the main melody alternating between the Tenors and the First Sopranos. "Overture to Marriage of Figaro" - It was an interesting challenge to arrange this wonderful overture for eight voices. My group has often used it to open a concert. Of course it is very difficult but quite a few choirs have managed to master it. I think it works equally well on or off mikes, as long as a proper balance is maintained among the voices. Ward Swingle

Songlist: Flight of the Bumble-Bee, Clair de Lune, Etude 25 No. 9, Overture to Marriage of Figaro

'Pastime With Good Company' is an evocation of Renaissance vocal and instrumental styles in which some of the singers are asked to imitate recorders, tabors and shaums. 'The Agincourt Song' recounts the victory of Henry V over the French at Agincourt. As in 'Pastime with Good Company,' the singers must imitate the sounds of Renaissance instruments. 'Country Dances' is a fast-moving potpourri of traditional country tunes. One theme that recurs is that of the Arkansas Traveler. The accompanying sounds evoke various country-music instruments: fiddles, banjos, jugs, etc. 'Music History 101 is a trip through Music History to the tune of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star," treated as a Gregorian Chant, a Medieval Round, a Madrigal, a Bach Chorale, a Schubert Lied and many other styles including jazz and rap. El paisanito features an alto duet with an accompaniment that imitates strumming Spanish guitars. In the men's version, the duet is sung by two male altos. 'L'amour de moi' features a soprano solo with a string-like accompaniment along with vocalized bass and drums. The three melodies in 'Tour garcon qui sert bien son maitre' come from the province of Quebec. These arrangements were commissioned by the McGill Univeristy Chamber Choir in Montreal.

Songlist: Pastime with Good Company, The Agincourt Song, L'amour de moi, Country Dances, El paisanito, Music History 101

'How Do I Love Thee' is a a traditional choral setting of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's wonderful poem. 'Tre Karleksdikter' means 'Three love-poems.' These are settings of well-known Swedish poets, and would present a good challenge for a choir wanting to explore the Swedish language. 'It Was A Lover And His Lass' is a setting of Shakepeare's famous sonnet. The text has a lot of scat-like syllables (e.g. "hey-ding-a-ding") which Ward Swingle was able to adapt and use as part of the guitar-like accompaniment.

Songlist: It was a lover and his lass, How do I love thee?, Tre Karleksdikter

This wonderful Neal Hefti composition, "Li'l Darlin," was written for the Count Basie band. Master word-spinner Jon Hendricks has added some lovely, romantic lyrics. This 8-voice SSAATTBB a cappella treatment of "I Get A Kick Out You" is one of Cole Porter's best loved songs. Some of the scat is in homage to the Double Six of Paris. "Love Walks In" lies in the great pantheon of Gershwin songs. Ward Swingle made a rather easy SATB arrangement dedicated to Cole Tyrell and his fine South Haven (Michigan) High School Choir. This is an 8-voice SSAATTBB a cappella version of the well-known Cole Porter standard.

Songlist: Love Walked In, I Get A Kick Out of You, Li'l Darlin

This version of "Oh, Johnny, Oh" is an evocation of the Andrews Sisters' recording. Three soloists become the Andrews Sisters, while the other singers scat the accompaniment (brass, rhythm and bass guitar). Here the singers have to keep things swinging without the help of bass and drums. Al Jarreau wrote some wonderefully "onomatopaeic" words for Brubeck's fine piano piece, "Blue Rondo a' la Turk.". Ward Swingle transcribed the piano part as faithfully as possible for voices.Perhaps Kurt Weill's most famous song, Mack the Knife was written during his Berlin period, first sung by his wife Lotte Lenya; and later, in a very popular jazz version, by the great Bobby Darin. "Saints Fugue" was first written for the French Swingle group in the early 70's using only scat syllables. Ward Swingle revised it later adding the traditional words.

Songlist: Oh, Johnny, Oh!, Saints Fugue, Blue Rondo a la Turk, Mack The Knife

"Gigue (Suite in C Major)" is a movement from one of Bach's unaccompanied Cello sonatas, arranged here for tenor and bass. It has a fast 3/4 jazz feeling, with some tricky dove-tailing between the voices, the object being to make it sound like on instrument. The Swingle Singers have often used this "Organ Fugue BMV 578" as a concert opener. The challenge in singing without a rhythm section is to make the piece swing without the help of the instruments.The "Bourree" has probably been the most widely performed of all Ward Swingle arrangements. This is an a cappella version using three different styles: child-like "la-la-la's," gently swinging "oo" sounds and rather brassy "ah" sounds.

Songlist: Organ Fugue, Bourree, Gigue, Gavotte

Cole Porter's "Miss Otis Regrets" is an ironic tale of betrayal, revenge and punishment in the form of a minidrama compressed into some 48 measures. It's surely one of the most startlingly original standards in the repetoire. Arranged for 19 voices, "Chatanooga Choo-Choo" was made famous by Tex Benecke, the Modernaires and the Glenn Miller Band. Ward Swingle has attempted a faithful, entirely vocal, adaptation. Also included in this package is "You're The Top."

Songlist: Chatanooga Choo Choo, Fascinating Rhythm, You're the Top, Miss Otis Regrets

Leonard Bernstein once said of Beethoven that when he had a choice of notes, he always picked the right one. The same can be said of Franz Schubert. His unerring choice of notes produced some of music's greatest melodies. A must for your medium jazz ensemble!

Songlist: Moment Musical Op.94 No. 2, Moment Musical Op. 94 No. 3, Moment Musical Op. 94 No. 6

The text from this work is selected from The Book of Songs, China's earliest anthology of poetry consisting of 305 songs popular between the 11th and 6tth centuries B.C. More than half of them are folk songs from various parts of the country, while the rest are ceremonial or festive songs sung at court or at banquets and hymns used during sacrifices to the gods or one's ancestors. Most of the poems are written in a simple and natural style to times and have been highly appreciated throughout the ages and have exerted a profound influence on the development of Chinese literature. The composer has chosen an English translation of the two poems so that this oldest of China's literary classics may be better understood. The musical style is not restricted to the traditional folk song form in pentatonic scale: freer melodic expression is achieved through atonal means and the style of a rustic song is retained. "The Peach Tree" (Tao Yao) is concerned with the popular marriage customs, where woman are considered the possession of men. "Gathering Plantain" (Fou Yi) is a work song sung by women as they gather plantain grass.

Songlist: The Peach Tree (Tao Yao), Gathering Plantain (Fou Yi)