Par MATTHEW MARTIN. O Rex Gentium sets the Magnificat antiphon for December 22 - one of the great 'O' antiphons traditionally sung at Vespers in the week before Christmas. These texts are all invocations of the coming of Christ, each one offering praise to him using titles taken from the prophet Isaiah. This piece was commissioned in 2011 to form part of a complete set of the seven O Antiphons for…

A setting of a poem from nativity 'Her Maker's Maker' by Michael Symmons Roberts, 'New-made for a king' was commissioned by Andreas Klatt for Farnham Youth Choir. Mainly Scored in four parts, the choral texture is homophonic, the harmony rich yet approachable by young performers, with a decorative piano accompaniment. In the mold of a lullaby, the room's over-riding is calm troubled Towards the cl…

The singable tune of this winsome Stevenson setting is frequently traded between voice parts, affording each member of the choir an opportunity to sing both melody and harmony. A great choice for younger voices and a cross-curricular tie-in to A Child's Garden of Verses. / 2 Parties Mixtes

Will Todd, born in 1970, is forging a strong reputation for himself as a composer who is equally at ease in opera, oratorio, church music and jazz. His style is instantly accessible and lastingly memorable. He spent his formative years steeped in both jazz and the English choral tradition so in his choral music he is able to juxtapose strong rhythmic drive and rich harmonies with exquisitely lyric…

Unlike the well-known settings of the Seven Last Words by Schütz or Haydn, in his opulently scored composition Franck provides commentary to the words of Jesus with excerpts from the Old and New Testaments as well as from portions of the Stabat Mater . In his transposition of the Latin text into music Franck reveals a rich palette of compositional parameters: ?different-sized ensembles, excitin…

Par HOFMANN LEOPOLD. 'Man that is born of woman hath but a short time to live' is one of the central biblical texts dealing with the transitoriness of human existence. Leopold Hofmann, Kapellmeister at St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna from 1772 to 1793, where W. A. Mozart was his church music assistant, also set this strongly expressive text. Hofmann's setting, in C minor, offers an austere harmo…

Par MACONCHY ELIZABETH. Two Carols by Elizabeth Maconchy comprises two songs for unaccompanied upper voices: I sing of a maiden and This day, both originally conceived in 1966, with words from fifteenth-century texts. While contrasting in character, both embody a richly expressive harmony, with opportunity in each for the upper soprano part to be sung solo (or by a small group of voices, if prefer…

'Close Harmony' offers unaccompanied arrangements of a variety of well-loved songs, from the 1920's to the 1970's. Performances should work equally well with choirs or just four voices. Arranged by Nicholas Hare for SSAA. Helpful performance notes are included for each of the songs, and the arrangements are notated on two staves for easy piano rehearsal. / Chant Et Piano

Arrangeur: Ben Parry. Par TRADITIONNEL. 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 ofthe Swingle Singers. / Niveau : Assez Facile / Ben Parry / Feuillet / A Cappella

Arrangeur: Ben Parry. Par TRADITIONNEL. 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 ofthe Swingle Singers. / Niveau : Assez Facile / Ben Parry / Feuillet / A Cappella