This collection gathers together nearly sixty of the finest examples of the secular choral repertoire into one volume. Due space is given to the magnificent sixteenth century madrigals of England and Italy, with favorite works by Gibbons and Morley placed alongside less familiar selections by Lassus, Marenzio, and Weelkes. German and French pieces are also represented, for example, with Passereau's ever-popular Il est bel est bon. Works by Haydn and Schubert lead to the nineteenth century repertoire, which includes Brahms's lovely Nachtwache, from Five Songs, Op. 104, and Pearsall's exquisite Lay a Garland. The survey is completed by Debussy's Trois Chansons de Charles D'Orleans and examples of the glorious outpouring of English Romantic partsongs, with works by Elgar, Parry, Stanford, Britten, Finzi, and Vaughan Williams. Ranging from the late fifteenth to the twentieth century, and spanning all major European countries, this is a masterly survey suitable for all choirs. Clifford Bartlett has prepared completely new editions of all pre-twentieth century pieces, going back to the earliest and most reliable manuscript or printed sources. English translations are provided to aid understanding, with playable keyboard reductions in every case.

Songlist: Dindirin, dindirin, Il bianco e dolce cigno, Of all the birds that I do know, All creatures now, Nachtwache No. 1, The Evening Primrose, Never weather-beaten sail, So weich und warm, Trois chansons de Charles d'Orleans, To be sung of a summer night on the water, Come, heavy sleep, Can she excuse my wrongs, Weep You No More, Sad Fountains, As torrents in summer, My love dwelt in a Northern land, There is sweet music, Fair Phyllis I saw sitting all alone, My spirit sang all day, Since first I saw your face, Lieto godea, Amor vittorioso, Ah, dear heart, The silver swan, What is our life?, Tanzen und springen, Ach, Weh des Leiden, Die Harmonie in der Ehe, Innsbruck, ich muss dich lassen, Farewell, dear love, Mille regrets, and more

This collection features five of the most popular choral works from the English Madrigal School, a brief period from the 1580s to the 1620s that followed the arrival of Italian secular polyphony on English shores. The name SAM-Klang takes the three voice parts from the arrangements -- Soprano, Alto and Men -- and combines it with the Scandinavian and German words for sound to create the portmanteau word sound together or harmony. The series offers basic and advanced choral repertoire. In addition to new repertoire and new arrangements, you will also find essential parts of the classical German, Scandinavian, French and English SATB repertoire, carefully and considerately reworked for SAM. The arrangements retain the characteristic features of the original movements and have almost the same richness of timbre, resulting in works which sound nearly unchanged to an audience. Piano reductions of all choral movements facilitate rehearsal preparation. The arrangements offer development opportunities for all voice sections, bringing new life and new quality to SAM choir work. SAM-Klang enables youth choirs to gain access to classical choral literature and ensures that mixed choirs who face challenges in finding singers for all male voice parts continue to have access to well-loved repertoire.

Songlist: Since First I Saw Your Face, Weep, O Mine Eyes, April Is In My Mistress' Face, My Bonny Lass She Smileth, Come Again, Sweet Love