Sacred Music

Setting Revelation 21: 1-5, this short anthem is in McGlade's typically fluid style, with harmonic twists, changing metres, and tempo fluctuations. With some divisi in the upper parts, it will be part...

The classic setting by Grieg of the Marian hymn. An English singing translation is included.

A short, but eloquent setting of the eighth stanza of the hymn 'Pange lingua', and thus an effective Holy Week motet.

Setting a hymn by E. H. Plumptre, this rousing anthem is rich in textural and harmonic contrasts and innovative chord sequences. Harris employs effective repetition of the focal word 'rejoice!', which...

This is a lilting take on the Elizabethan lute-song full of smooth Stanford-like nineteenth-century harmonies, exquisitely tempered with modal effects.

Inspired by Rachmaninoff's All-Night Vigil, Vespers is a 12-movement English-language work in the Eastern Orthodox tradition. Suited to concert and liturgical settings, it draws from a variety of Orth...

This setting of verses from John 7 imaginatively depicts the 'rivers of living water' and the contrasting 'parched land' in episodic form, providing musical structure, variety, colour, and atmosphere....

This is an innovative, striking setting of the Magnificat text that is well suited to both liturgical and concert performance. The work celebrates the strength, character, and intelligence of teenage...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Hazzard's enchanting Sanctus, setting text from the Latin Mass, captures the feeling of a rushing current throughout. Though the energy often pulsates below the surface, it bursts through at the zestf...

Skempton's After Rain sets an evocative text by Edward Thomas with a contemplative choral part over a rich and slow-moving cello line. Skempton alternates between contrasting upper-voice duets and ful...

This setting of the traditional hymn to 'Mary, the star of the sea' contrasts two moods and styles: the flowing simplicity of the 'Ave maris stella' refrain and the slightly faster and more homophonic...

This motet is the fifth of a set of seven relating the life story of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Finnissy's aim was to hint at technical and expressive continuity with the music of the 11th and 12th cent...

This setting of this popular text was composed in 1997; choir directors should feel free to put a few sopranos on the alto line in the two polyphonic sections. Offprinted from the collection Cantica N...