Pepper Choplin : Psalm 23

Review: This major work is an affirmation of assurance that takes us on a musical and spiritual pilgrimage through the beloved 23rd Psalm. Singers and listeners will be carried from peaceful meadows to the shadowed valleys, and from the fragile hope of faith, to life everlasting. A work of scope and substance, Psalm 23 - A Journey with the Shepherd gives directors a wonderful opportunity to program outside the seasonal box. A glorious orchestration by Michael Lawrence decorates the expressive choral writing with color and a theatrical sweep. Songs include: We Are Not Alone; The Lord Is My Shepherd; Restore My Soul; Lead Me on the Paths of Righteousness; Though I Walk through the Valley; You Comfort Me; My Cup Overflows; We Are Not Alone (reprise); Surely Goodness and Mercy. Score and Parts (fl 1-2, ob, cl 1-2, bn, tpt 1-3, hn 1-2, tbn 1-2, tbn 3/tba, perc 1-2, timp, hp, pno, vn 1-2, va, vc, db) available as a Printed Edition and as a digital download.

Songlist: Surely Goodness And Mercy, Lead Me On The Paths Of Righteousness, My Cup Overflows, Restore My Soul, Though I Walk Through The Valley, You Comfort Me, The Lord Is My Shepherd, We Are Not Alone

Pepper Choplin : We Were There

Review: Inspired by the spiritual Were You There, this musical experience is based on several monologues by those who were at the cross. The work leads us through many emotions: from the Holy Love shown to Mary Magdalene, to the intimacy of Mother Mary's Still My Son, to the regret of Peter in It Should Have Been Me. The musical can be of almost any length since each momologue and anthem may be used independently. However We Were There is used, it will provide a powerful Holy Week resource for years to come. Maximum length if all pieces are used: 53 minutes.

Songlist: Were You There, Holy Love, Christ Is Our Brother, Surely This Was the Son of God, How Can It Be?, Still My Son, It Should Have Been Me, We Were There, At the Cross

Per Skriver : Four Sea Songs

Review: Highly regarded Danish composer and choral conductor Per Skiver composed these delightful songs of the sea based on the lyrics of four famous poets. English text for mixed choir a cappella.

Songlist: Break, Break, Break, There Comes A Mumur, At Dover Cliffs, Dreams of the Sea

Percy M. Young (editor) : The English Glee

Review: In the period between the deaths of Handel and Mendelssohn, the glee was the vehicle by which secular part-singing was carried in England. The form is descended from the madrigal, with texts chosen partly in reaction against the vulgarity of the catch. This new history of the glee begins with an introductory essay detailing the form's historical, musical, and social context. Young has selected twenty-six settings, mainly in four parts but with examples in three and five parts, to show the breadth of the glee in its heyday. A unique feature of the form, and of this collection, is the high literary quality of the text and the high musical quality of the settings. This fine new volume is an essential addition to the choral repertory, and is uniform with the other indispensable Oxford classic choral collections: English Romantic Partsongs, The Oxford Book of English Madrigals, The Oxford Book of French Chansons, The Oxford Book of Italian Madrigals, and The Catch Book.

Songlist: The Love Rapture, Death's Final Conquest, The Rose, The Poor Soul Sat Sighing, Thyrsis, When He Left Me, Hark, The Lark, Susanna And The Two Elders, Long May Live My Lovely Hetty, Lady Anne Bothwell's Lament, Ring Out Ye Crystal Spheres, The Nightingale, Take, O Take Those Lips Away, Slow, Slow, Fresh Fount, O Poesy, Here In Cool Grot, Hail! Hallow'd Fane!, Elegy For Cymbeline, Poor Barbara, Merrily Push Round The Glass, Ring Out Ye Crystal Spheres, Under The Greenwood Tree, Hail! Smiling Mourn, Doubt Thou The Stars Are Fire, Ye Spotted Snakes, When From The Skies Divine Cecilia Came, Divine Cecilia

Perpetuum Jazzile : Vocal Ecstasy

Review: From the large Slovenian pop choir Perpetuum Jazzile, best known for their cover of Toto's Africa (with over 19 million YouTube views), this collection of top hits will allow pop, show and concert choirs everywhere to recreate this amazing sound! Several songs have vocal percussion.

Songlist: Joyful, Joyful, Oh Happy Day, Africa, September, Boogie Wonderland, Just The Way You Are, Rosanna, True Colors, In The Stone

Peter Schickele : Go For Broke - A Comedy For Chorus

Review: Around the turn of the 17th century of small group of Italian noblemen and composers, seeking to re-create classic Greek tragedy as they understood it. invented the opera. A somewhat earlier, simpler, and less revolutionary form of musical storytelling was the madrigal opera or madrigal comedy developed by Vecchi and other composers. These works, which were not necessarily staged, consisted of a series of madrigals that told a comic story; unlike opera as we have come to know it, however, this was basically choral form, with vocal ensemble playing the part of a narrator as well as that of each individual character.

Go For Broke is patterned on this model. It consists of six madrigals, that tell the story of a man who find out that good luck is not enough. Sometimes the chorus' words are those of a narrator (Prologue: "Here's John Q. Public..."), and sometimes they are those of our hero himself, or his friend the bartender, or the host of people who descend upon him when good fortune strikes (the middle numbers: Taxes, Charity, and Company at the Bar). The Finale even has a moral. The piece may be done as a concert work or it may be staged in a variety of ways. Although some of the sections may, at the discretion of the performing group, employ solo voices, GO FOR BROKE is basically a story told by a chorus.

Songlist: Prologue, Taxes, Charity, Kin, Company at the Bar, Finale

Peter Warlock : The Choral Music of Peter Warlock - Volume 4

Review: The fourth book in a fabulous series that presents the best of Peter Warlock's Choral Music. Warlock has been described as the Carollist of the last century, and is a treasure of British song-writing. This volume contains a fantastic collection of some of his best and most loved Carols. Eight Carols set for SATB mixed choir and a Piano accompaniment for rehearsal. Warlock has such a way with words, phrasing and melody that these songs are sure to delight singers, players and audiences.

Peteris Vasks : Cross of Golgotha

Review:

Peteris Vasks : Missa

Review:

Peteris Vasks : Plainscapes

Review: The beauty of the Latvian landscape inspired many of my works, for it has given me moments of exceptional happiness. The plains are a dominant feature of the Latvian countryside, a place where one can see the horizon and look at the stars in the sky. Plainscapes is made up of three Vocalises separated by little interludes. The dynamic of this diatonic, meditative composition is piano almost throughout. At the end of the third Vocalise the mood changes, however. A growing crescendo leads to the climax - to the vision of Nature awakening. (Peteris Vasks). For Mixed Choir (SSAATTBB), Violin and Violoncello. This item includes just the violin and cello score.

Peteris Vasks : The Fruit of Silence

Review: For mixed choir (SATB) and piano, based on a text by Mother Teresa. Text in English.

Phil Mattson : The Arrangements of Phil Mattson

Review: Here's a collection from vocal jazz guru Phil Mattson. "Love For Sale" was written for Chanticleer in a gospel a cappella feeling featuring a female solo. "Dancing In The Dark" was arranged for the Swedish vocal jazz ensemble, The Real Group. It is written in an a cappella bossa nova groove with some quasi-funk sections. The arrangement, which treats text as a metaphor for human life, features vocal percussion opportunities. The classic Manhattan Transfer arrangement of "Body and Soul" includes lyrics about Coleman Hawkins and jazz singer Eddie Jefferson. "Love Lost" - An original piece by the Four Freshmen that was the title song from their beautiful album with strings. Has opportunities to feature both vocal and instrumental solos. SATB with rhythm section. "You Must Believe In Spring" - A lovely text beautifully set to music by Michel LeGrand with lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman, featuring spots for three short solos. One of the most profound lyrics over the last fifteen years. With piano.

Songlist: Dancing In The Dark, Love For Sale, Body And Soul, Love Lost, You Must Believe In Spring

Philip Glass : Three Choruses for Mixed Voices

Review: Philip Glass has consistently written for choruses throughout his career including major operas (Satyagraha, The Voyage) and large orchestral works (symphonies Nos. 5 & 7, Passion of Ramakrishna). However, Three Songs is unique as the composer's only a cappella choral work.

Songlist: A Clear Midnight, Haze Gold, Spring Grass

Philip Glass : Three Songs

Review: Three Songs by Philip Glass is a work for unaccompanied SATB Choir featuring three different settings of words by three different poets and songwriters.

Songlist: There Are Some Men, Quand Les Hommes Vivront D'amour, Pierre De Soleil

Philip Lawson : Classic Queen

Review: The British rock band Queen formed in London in 1970 and developed a progressive style that became tremendously popular even to the present day. Mixed choirs will enjoy these full-voiced arrangements of five of their top hits.

Songlist: Somebody To Love, Another One Bites The Dust, Save Me, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Are The Champions

Philip Lawson : Far Beyond the Stars

Review: Five classics from three compositional masters in the English choral tradition make this a useful and valued collection for mixed choruses in schools, colleges and communities.

Songlist: My Soul, There Is A Country Far Beyond The Stars, There Is An Old Belief, Justorum Animae, The Blue Bird, They Are At Rest

Philip Lawson : Five French Madrigals

Review: Orlando di Lasso was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance known for his mature polyphonic style. Equally adept in many languages and both sacred and secular forms, his compositions remain a staple of the modern choral repertoire. This collection of French chansons includes five representative works and is an excellent value!

Songlist: Bonjour Mon Coeur, Dessus Le Marche, Paisible Domaine, Toutes Le Nuits, Vignon, Vignette

Philip Lawson : Five Italian Madrigals

Review: Orlando di Lasso was a Franco-Flemish composer of the late Renaissance known for his mature polyphonic style. Equally adept in many languages and both sacred and secular forms, his compositions remain a staple of the modern choral repertoire. This collection of Italian madrigals includes five representative works and is an excellent value!

Songlist: Ardo, Si, Ma Non T'Amo, Cantai; Hor Piango, Come La Notte, Matona Mia Cara, Musica Dei Donum

Philip Lawson : Prayers and Partsongs

Review: Thomas Tallis (1505-1585) was equally at ease composing simple settings of English texts, and more florid Latin motets, as the examples in this collection show.

Songlist: If Ye Love Me, Hear The Voice And Prayer, O Lord, Give Thy Holy Spirit, Salvator Mundi, O Sacrum Convivium

Philip Stopford : Choral Works

Review: In 'For The Beauty of the Earth,' such beautiful words deserve to be set to equally beautiful music, and here the textures unfold and the piece blossoms from bar one to the end. Starting in two parts and organically growing to seven, the music is designed to lift the hearts of all that perform and hear it. A new work for a new day. Famously set to music by Thomas Tallis, and taking words from the gospel of John, 'If Ye Love Me' is a fresh attempt at this famous passage of scripture. Rich harmonies will resonate in your performance space, enveloping your listeners with a tapestry of sound. The famous text of 'Tomorrow Will Be My Dancing Day' receives a madrigal-like setting with vibrant mixed meters and colorful vocal textures. Excellent for chamber groups and a cappella programs, this fascinating and rewarding work will surely delight! A new and simple arrangement of the famous prayer"God Be in My Head" joins the existing repertoire with rich harmony and strong melodic line. "Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day" - soft, expressive and thought provoking phrasing shape this lovely setting for unaccompanied voices. With an interesting use of the 5/8 time signature, the melody flows endlessly and effortlessly.

Songlist: Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, If Ye Love Me, For the Beauty of the Earth, Jesus Christ, The Apple Tree, God Be In My Head

Ralph Allwood : Russian Choral Masterpieces

Review: An original and exciting collection of anthems and other choral pieces written for the Orthodox Church and inspired by the Church in Russia, selected by Ralph Allwood. Partly because of the re-emergence of the Church in the former Soviet Union, interest in Christian musical sources alternative to the great body of the Anglican and other Western Christian traditions has grown sharply in recent years. Though the works presented here may be unfamiliar, they are all masterly. Designed to appeal to choirs of various levels, the collection includes a Kontakion and Ikos for the funeral service, anthems by Great Russian Romantics: Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Grechaninov; and composers from our age: Stravinsky, Schnittke, or Arvo Part speaking for a tradition outside the Orthodox Church, as well as settings of the Lord's Prayer in both Russian and English by John Tavener.

Songlist: Let My Prayer Arise, The Cherubic Hymn, We sing to Thee, Mother of God and Virgen, Blessed is the Man, The Cherubic Hymn, Come, Let Us Worship, Concerto for Mixed Chorus, Movement IV, Pater Noster, The Lord's Prayer, a. and b., The Cherubic Hymn, How Blessed Are They That Are Chosen by Thee, The Lord's Prayer, O Praise Him, We Sing to Thee, When Jesus Christ Was Yet a Child, Kontakion and Ikos for the Funeral Service

Ralph Vaughan Williams : A Sea Symphony (Symphony No. 1)

Review:

Songlist: A Song for all seas, all ships, On the Beach at Night alone, The Waves, The Explorers

Ralph Vaughan Williams : An Oxford Elegy

Review: An Oxford Elegy combines adapted versions of The Scholar Gypsy and Thyrsis by Victorian poet Matthew Arnold. It conveys the story of an Oxford scholar who abandons his friends and studies to live in the countryside surrounding the city as a gypsy. The work is unusual in the fact that the text is largely spoken by a narrator, with the chorus providing mostly wordless accompaniment. The result is a highly atmospheric and evocative work that combines pastoral simplicity with darker, more melancholic passages. Scores and parts for the string and chamber orchestra accompaniments are available on hire.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Benedicite

Review: Published in 1929, Benedicite is a substantial setting of texts from the 'Song of the Three Holy Children' (part of the Apocrypha) and John Austin's hymn text 'Hark, my soul, how everything'. Forceful and dynamic passages with thick choral-orchestral textures are juxtaposed against more solemn passages, often with a gentle soprano solo floating over the choral texture.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Dona Nobis Pacem

Review: A cantata for soprano and baritone soloists, SATB, and large or small orchestra
Drawing upon the Bible, sections from the Mass, and poems by Walt Whitman, this is a powerful evocation of the destruction and death brought about through war and violence, with an overarching message of peace and reconciliation.
Materials for the full and small orchestral versions and an accompaniment for strings and piano are available on hire.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Dona Nobis Pacem

Review: Drawing upon the Bible, sections from the Mass, and poems by Walt Whitman, this is a powerful evocation of the destruction and death brought about through war and violence, with an overarching message of peace and reconciliation.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Hodie (This Day)

Review: A cantata for soprano, tenor, and baritone soloists, SATB choir, and orchestra
In this Christmas cantata Vaughan Williams uses and a wide range of musical styles to create a compelling, vivid, and highly original retelling of the Christmas story. Composed in 1953â4, Hodie (This Day) was Vaughan Williamsâs final large-scale choral-orchestral work, and was premiered under his own baton in Worcester Cathedral as part of the 1954 Three Choirs Festival. It comprises sixteen movements, including 'narrations' of words from the Bible, chorals, and a variety of other forms for both soloists and choir. The words are taken from diverse sources, with sacred texts from the Vespers of Christmas Day and the Bible interspersed with secular texts by poets including John Milton, Thomas Hardy, and the composer's own wife Ursula Vaughan Williams.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Hodie (This Day)

Review: In this Christmas cantata Vaughan Williams uses and a wide range of musical styles to create a compelling, vivid, and highly original retelling of the Christmas story. Composed in 1953â4, Hodie (This Day) was Vaughan Williamsâs final large-scale choral-orchestral work, and was premiered under his own baton in Worcester Cathedral as part of the 1954 Three Choirs Festival. It comprises sixteen movements, including 'narrations' of words from the Bible, chorals, and a variety of other forms for both soloists and choir. The words are taken from diverse sources, with sacred texts from the Vespers of Christmas Day and the Bible interspersed with secular texts by poets including John Milton, Thomas Hardy, and the composer's own wife Ursula Vaughan Williams.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : In Windsor Forest

Review: This cantata was adapted by the composer from music from his opera Sir John in Love. Comprising five choral songs, it features texts by Shakespeare (from 'Much Ado About Nothing') and his near contemporaries Thomas Ravenscroft, John Lyly, and Thomas Campion. The first song is a gleeful denunciation of men and their devious ways, scored for women's voices, while the second is a rollicking drinking song for men's voices. The third maintains this energy, with sparkling orchestration to evoke the 'fairies' of its title, before the 'Wedding Chorus' changes the mood to one of blissful tranquillity. The Epilogue is celebratory and grand, bringing the cantata to a powerful close. All of the songs except the third are available individually.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Mass in g minor

Review: Latin. Curwen edition.

Songlist: MASS IN G MINOR (VAUGHAN WILLIAMS)

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Sancta Civitas (The Holy City)

Review: English. Curwen edition.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Serenade to Music

Review: Serenade to Music is sublime - one of the most stunningly beautiful musical creations of the 20th century. This choral meditation on the nature of music and its power to enrapture is a setting of text from Shakespeare's The Merchant of Venice. This tender and much-loved work was composed in 1938 in honour of Sir Henry Wood. It was written for 16 soloists and orchestra but may also be sung by four soloists and chorus, or by mixed-voice chorus. This beautifully presented edition includes an introduction by Michael Kennedy.
Also available for full orchestra without choir.

Ralph Vaughan Williams : The Old Hundredth Psalm Tune

Review: For SATB and orchestra or brass

Ralph Vaughan Williams : The Sons of Light

Review: For mixed chorus and orchestra, to a poem by Ursula Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Three Choral Hymns

Review: Written for Vaughan William's choir in surrey, these are beautifully judged for amateur voices. The music is direct and sharply characterized. Originally with orchestra, they are equally suitable for performance within choral concerts or as church anthems, with either organ or piano accompaniment.

Songlist: Easter Hymn, Christmas Hymn, Whitsunday Hymn

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Three Shakespeare Songs

Review: Here's a collection from the great English composer of his original arrangements of three Shakespeare songs, two from "The Tempest" and one from "Midsummer Night's Dream". These are classics!

Songlist: Full Fathom Five, The Cloud Capp'd Towers, Overhill, over Dale

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Two Partsongs

Review: Ralph Vaughan Williams's setting of Shakespeare's Sonnet 71 and Ben Jonson's Echo's Lament for Narcissus are here published for the first time, and present a fascinating insight into the early development of one of Britain's greatest twentieth-century composers. Vaugh Williams's Two Partsongs were published to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the composer's death (1872-1958).

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Vaughan Williams for Choirs Volume 1

Review: A leading British composer of the twentieth-century, Ralph Vaughan Williams was a lifelong exponent of choral music and singing. This two-part collection of new arrangements and editions features well-loved and lesser-known Vaughan Williams songs, anthems, and carols - for today's mixed-voice choir. It presents unison or treble pieces scored for SATB, creating new repertoire, and provides new accompaniment options and durations that widen the appeal of the pieces for church or concert use. The adaptations may introduce or give new light to the repertoire, yet are complementary to the original settings published as single pieces. John Leavitt, being an experienced conductor, composer, editor, and champion of Vaughan Williams, brings great sensitivity to this process, and knows how best to maximize rehearsal time with choirs of various types and sizes.

Songlist: The blessed son of God, No sad thought his soul affright, A Song of Thanksgiving, This is the truth, O taste and see, God rest you merry, gentlemen, O how amiable, He that is down need fear no fall, At the name of Jesus, Let us now praise famous men

Ralph Vaughan Williams : Vaughan Williams for Choirs Volume 2

Review: A leading British composer of the twentieth-century, Ralph Vaughan Williams was a lifelong exponent of choral music and singing. This two-part collection of new arrangements and editions features well-loved and lesser-known Vaughan Williams songs, anthems, and carols - for today's mixed-voice choir. It presents unison or treble pieces scored for SATB, creating new repertoire, and provides new accompaniment options and durations that widen the appeal of the pieces for church or concert use. The adaptations may introduce or give new light to the repertoire, yet are complementary to the original settings published as single pieces. John Leavitt, being an experienced conductor, composer, editor, and champion of Vaughan Williams, brings great sensitivity to this process, and knows how best to maximize rehearsal time with choirs of various types and sizes.

Songlist: Spring from Three Children's Songs, The Singers, An Invitation, Whether men do laugh or weep, John Dory, Nothing is here for tears, She's like the swallow, Greensleeves, Silence and Music, Land of our birth

Randall Thompson : A Cappella Compositions for Mixed Voices

Review: Since that day in 1940, 'Alleluia' this classic of classics has become one of the nation's most-often performed choral works. Rare is the church, school, community, or professional choir that has not sung it. The masterful construction and simplicity of text (Alleluia, Amen) make the Alleluia suitable for almost any choir for almost any occasion. 'The Gate of Heaven' Composed for the dedication of the Jessie Ball duPont Chapel, Hollins College, Virginia, 1959. It is particularly suitable for the dedication of religious buildings. The Eternal Dove was composed in 1968 to honor Harvard University Professor G. Wallace Woodworth. It is closely related to the composer's Mass of the Holy Spirit of which Dr. Woodworth gave the first complete performance. 'Fare Well' was written for performance by the combined high scholl choirs of Calhoun, Kennedy, and Mepham, New York, in 1973. The three-stanza poem by Walter De La Mare (1873-1956) closes with, "Look thy last on all things lovely, / Every hour. Let no night / Seal thy sense in deathly slumber / Till to delight / Thou have paid thy utmost blessing; Since that all things wouldst praise / Beauty took from those who loved them / In other days." 'Bitter Sweet' was first performed by the choir of the Church of the Incarnation, New York City, on Oct. 25, 1970, under the direction of Thomas Dunn, who first called Thompson's attention to George Herbert's poignant and profoundly religious poem.

Songlist: The Eternal Dove, Fare Well, The Gate Of Heaven, Bitter - Sweet, Alleluia

Randall Thompson : Mass of the Holy Spirit

Review: This communion service, though appropriate for any season of the Church year, was designed especially for use at Whitsuntide. It can also serve very effectively as concert repertoire, either in its entirety or excerpted. The movements are in English (except for the Kyrie).

Songlist: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, Hosanna, Agnus Dei

Randall Thompson : Six Odes of Horace

Review: The text is by Quintus Horatius Flaccus (December 8, 65 BC - November 27, 8 BC), known in the English-speaking world as Horace. He was a leading lyrical Roman poet of his day. The words are about passion, nature and the Gods. The music features a dramatic mix of homophony and polyphony to paint the words

Songlist: Vitas hinnuelo me simillis, Cnloe, Montium custos nemorumque, Virgo, O fons Bandusiae, splendidior vitro, Felices Ter, O Venus, regina, Quis multa graciliis

Real Group : Arrangements of The Real Group Vol 4

Review: "There Will Never Be Another You " is a sensitive treatment of the jazz standard that opens as a ballad before moving to a buoyant swing feel. Great tune, great arrangement. SATB a cappella with soprano solo. "Come Sunday" - Careful voice leading makes the contemporary harmonic changes and chord voicings in this chart quite accessible in this SSATBB a cappella arrangement. It features a strong 5 and 6 part into featuring the first chorus with a pyramid background behind a soprano melody moving into spread harmonies. The second chorus is open for a improvised solo with a tag over a 3-part harmonized background with walking bass. The chart ends with a 6-way harmonized "quasi-shout" chorus moving back into the origianl melody. Stevie Wonder's "Sir Duke" never had it so good in this marvelous Edenroth arrangement.

Songlist: There Will Never Be Another You, Come Sunday, Sir Duke, Very Early

Rebecca Clarke : A Choral Collection

Review: Rebecca Clarke is considered by many commentators to be one of the most important British composers in the interwar period and has been described as the most distinguished British female composer of her generation. Best known for her chamber music featuring the viola she also composed many choral pieces, a great deal of which were never published. Thanks to the recent efforts of The Rebecca Clarke Society, based out of the Women's Studies Research Center at Brandeis University, there is a renewed interest in her work. This is a collection of newly published arrangements for unaccompanied mixed chorus that clearly demonstrate why her work was recognized for its compositional skill.

Songlist: Come, Oh Come, My Life's Delight, A Lover's Dirge, Music, When Soft Voices Die, My Spirit Like A Charmed Bark Doth Float, Philomela, Weep You No More, Sad Fountains, When Cats Run Home and Light is Come

Reger, Rheinberger, Schuburt, Wagner and Wolf : German Romantic Motets

Review: A superb collection of sixteen works by the greatest nineteenth-century German and Austrian composers for choir, compiled and edited by Ralph Allwood. This volume includes works by Reger, Wagner, Rheinberger, Wolf and Schubert.

Songlist: Abendlied, op.39, no. 2, O Tod, wie bitter bist du, Op.110, no. 3, Abendlied, Op. 69, no.3, Anima nostra (Unsere Seele 0, Op. 113, no. 1, Eripe me (Rette mich, Herr), Op. 140, no. 3, Laudate Dominum (Lobpriest Gott den Herrn), Op. 133, no. 3, Meditabor (Denken will ich), Op.133, no. 2, Morgenlied, Op. 69, no. 1, Tribulationes (Lieden und Berdrangnis), Op. 140, no. 1, An die Musik, D. 547, Litanei auf das Fest Allerseelen, D. 343, Zum Sanctus, D. 872, An Webers Grabe, WWV 72, Aufblick, Ergebung, Letzte Bitte

Rene Clausen : A Cappella Compositions Vol. 3

Review: This compilation contains six, delightful compositions by Rene Clausen for the express enjoyment of your mixed-voice group. "The Early Bird" is a tone poem that lets out all the stops, presenting a wonderful adventure for the advanced choir. "Song at Dusk" is much like a vocal tone poem, in how the soaring melodies dramatically illuminate the poem (by Leigh Haynes). "Plenty Good Room" is guaranteed to bring down the house, swinging with classy, jazz element including a scat solo. "Alleluia" is a dramatic piece containging marvelous harmonic build-up and a sensitive ending. "In the Bleak Midwinter" is a composition based on a poem by Christina Rossetti that was originally a Christmas poem expressing her piety and love for the beauty of nature. "Canticle of Praise" was originally written for the King's Singers (a 6-man ensemble) and the Morman Tabernacle Choir, however, this publication is the version re-scored by the Clausen for performance by his Concordia Choir. 

Songlist: The Early Bird, Song at Dusk, Plenty Good Room, Alleluia, In the Bleak Midwinter, Canticle of Praise

Richard Allain : Spirituals - A Collection

Review: Eleven superb arrangements of classic and lesser-known spirituals covering a wide range of styles and moods, from simple four-part settings to extended eight-part compositions. These stunning settings can be performed as a set or individually, and are ideal choices for concerts, festivals, or even as surprising encores! A cappella with rehearsal keyboard.

Songlist: Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, Go Down in De Lonesome Valley, Walk Together, Children, Go Down Moses, Were You There?, Gonna Set Downan' Rest, Don't You Weep When I am Gone, Scandalize' My Name, Steal Away, 'Tis Me, O Lord, Give Me Jesus

Richard Rodney Bennett : Spells

Review: This is the Vocal Score for Richard Rodney Bennett's Spells, a work for Soprano Soloist, SATB Chorus and Orchestra. Commissioned by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, the work sets poems by Kathleen Raine, and lasts around 36 minutes.

Ricky Manalo : Chanting On Our Behalf

Review: Though one rarely hears an entire chanted liturgy today, any prayer the priest sings seem somehow richer, more heartfelt and efficacious. Unfortunately many of those in training for the ministry do not receive the training needed to properly sing the parts of the mass. This book can be used with advantage by individuals or in seminaries as the basis for a course in ministerial singing. Pastors who are already ministering will find the book useful if they are concerned about their role as singing ministers.

Songlist: Covering the Basics, Retrieving Our Voices, Treble Clefs, Bar Lines and Notes, Embracing Our Voices, Gregory's Modes, Framing The Masterpiece, Magnetic Personalities, Applying For A Tone, Mea Formula, The Heart of the Sacramentary, Putting It Together, Cadential Thoughts

Rihards Dubra : Choral Anthology 1 for Mixed Choir

Review: A collection of choral works by Latvian composer Rihards Dubra, in association with Musica Baltica