Choir, Vocals

Commissioned by King's College, Cambridge, for the 2021 Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Cecilia McDowall's setting of this well-known fifteenth-century macaronic text is expressive and ethereal....

A reflection on the plainchant 'Assumpta est Maria' (originally for the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary), this setting tenders a festal feel through its dance-like metre and expansi...

By The Way, I Love You is a fun a cappella number that sets words by Garth Bardsley in a big band style. Swing and rhythmic groove is vital to the performance, with the catchy melody held first by the...

The three movements of A Winter Breviary are entitled: 'We look for you', 'The year's midnight', and 'The unexpected early hour'. The movements are each based on an Indian classical Raag: Raag Hamsadh...

Bob Chilcott has composed O Lord, make thy servant Elizabeth our Queen, a reflection on the 16th-century piece of the same title by William Byrd, for the occasion of Her Majesty The Queen's Platinum J...

This imaginative setting of the well-loved text O little town of Bethleham, by Phillips Brooks, displays McGlade's characteristic rich and expressive harmonies, with their jazz inflections. Opening wi...

The shades of Finzi and Vaughan Williams are strongly present in these three delightful unaccompanied choral settings, and yet the style and execution are wholly Rutter's own. O mistress mine is a jau...

Characteristically sung on Christmas Day, this Catholic chant depicts mystery and wonder at the birth of Jesus, as witnessed by the animals. The second half of the text relates to words spoken by Eliz...

The O nata lux text is taken from a 10th-century anonymous hymn that uses the concept of light to symbolise hope, a particularly pertinent theme for Advent. Throughout this setting the sopranos intert...

Setting original words by the artist Marc Bratcher, this tender and evocative carol for unaccompanied SATB choir is suitable for performance at Christmas or Epiphany. The work opens with a gently flow...

A reflection on the plainchant antiphon 'Pulchra es et decora', this hauntingly beautiful piece was commissioned by ORA100 for Suzi Digby and ORA Singers. The original antiphon has been transcribed an...

On the Air (Dear Vaccine) discusses the optimism for a post-COVID world and, particularly, the desire to sing together again. For the text, poet Seán Street drew inspiration from 'Dear Vaccine', which...

This short Missa brevis setting is perfect for choirs looking to bring a fresh soundworld to their worship. Each movement is distinct in character, but with an overall cohesiveness of harmonic languag...

Let all the world in ev'ry corner sing is an upbeat setting of a hymn text by seventeenth-century English poet George Herbert. Chilcott uses irregular metres, syncopation, and dancing melodic shapes t...

A Gaelic Blessing was commissioned by the University of Edinburgh, McDowall's alma mater, for performance by the Edinburgh University Singers conducted by Calum Robertson. This meditative, folk-style...

Edward Margetson was born in St. Kitts, British West Indies, immigrating to the United States in 1919. One of only a few published choral works by the composer, A few more years shall roll sets a hymn...

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 the...

A powerfully emotive setting that contrasts moments of reflection with declamatory exultation, Psalm 57 uses passages from the eponymous psalm in the King James translation. Written in 1972, it is ded...

A beautifully simple setting of familiar words by Langston Hughes, Bring me all your dreams showcases Harris's effective homophonic writing and rich harmonic palette. The piece is incredibly atmospher...

Dona nobis pacem is an expressive setting that combines two lines on the subject of peace from the Ordinary of the Latin Mass. A slow tempo lends grace and poise to the gentle, sustained vocal lines a...

Dona nobis pacem combines two lines about peace from the Ordinary of the Latin Mass. A slow tempo lends grace and poise to the gentle, sustained vocal lines, and the composer juxtaposes homophonic and...

The Gift to Sing is an unaccompanied part-song with a text by American writer and civil rights activist James Weldon Johnson that speaks to the way the power of song can help to overcome dark times. G...

Two stanzas of emotive verse by Christina Rossetti are set to music of touching directness in this a cappella offering, whose graceful melodies are often adorned by caressing rhythmic patterns. Offpri...

A Birthday sets a poem of the same title by Christina Rossetti. Chydenius reflects the vivid imagery in the text of the verses through beautiful vocal lines with swirling countermelodies. The choruses...

A Birthday sets a poem of the same title by Christina Rossetti. Chydenius reflects the vivid imagery in the text of the verses through beautiful vocal lines with swirling countermelodies. The choruses...