Sacred Music

This exciting concert piece sets Latin words from the mass orders of the Catholic Church and the Book of Isaiah to form a versatile text that is suitable for both Christmas and for general use through...

In this arrangement of the Appalachian folk carol, Mack Wilberg provides a gentle harmonization suitable for a lullaby to the Christ child. A slight sense of foreboding is introduced in the central mi...

Setting a collect from the Book of Common Prayer, this introit plays on McDowall's characteristic use of dissonance and modal inflections to create a hypnotic and slightly unsettled soundworld that re...

Lucy Walker's thoughtful setting of There is no rose flows between swells of emotion and warm chromatic inflections in the Latin refrains. This piece captures the natural emphases of the text, seamles...

This short evening prayer by James Whitbourn sets an excerpt from the Book of Common Prayer. Written for the Choir of Harris Manchester College, Oxford, it is a meditative request for God's protection...

In Quiet Peace sets tender words by the composer, Tristino Ali, reflecting on the calm found when spending time alone with God. With accessibly written and primarily stepwise parts, Ali achieves a rem...

My soul is awakened sets words by Anne Brontë about the uplifting effect of nature on the human spirit. Ali's setting is also suitably uplifting, with a memorable and syncopated melody that ebbs and f...

Keep me as the apple of the eye is a tranquil and meditative sacred work, suitable for performance throughout the liturgical year. Drawn from Psalm 17, the text is a plea for shelter and protection in...

Based on the well-known poem by William Blake, this Christmas piece transports listeners with sounds of heavenly angels beckoning the little Lamb in layered melodic fragments that cascade through the...

Written to celebrate the 950th anniversary of St Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, this compelling double-choir setting of the Missa brevis is suitable for both liturgical and concert settings. The work o...

Written to celebrate the 950th anniversary of St Mary Magdalen Church, Oxford, this compelling double-choir Missa brevis setting is suitable for liturgical and concert settings. The music is beautiful...

Written in response to Gibbons' famous setting of the same text from Psalm 47, this piece uses syncopated rhythms, imitative polyphonic textures, and declarative homophonic moments to create a piece f...

SSATB unaccompanied Harrap's inventive and dramatic setting of the well-known Eucharist hymn text provides a contemporary alternative to more familiar versions by Byrd, Mozart, and Elgar. In five unac...

With 'Locus iste', renowned composer Tarik O'Regan offers a poignant and contemporary setting of the traditional church dedication text. Scored for unaccompanied mixed choir (SATB), this simple yet ex...

This innovative setting of the Magnificat celebrates the strength of teenage girls and is suitable for both liturgical and concert performance. The upper-voices sing in the style of Bulgarian choral f...

One of the simplest and best-loved of 16th-century anthems.

Helvey sets a combination of sacred texts to beautiful music. Similar to his Cor mundum crea in me Deus, Helvey writes mainly in homophonic textures, with thick, lush chords.

Out of the depths is a reflective, homophonic, and beautifully written work. The choral parts are very accessible, yet the resulting sound is rather sophisticated and thoughtful. This setting of Psalm...

John Sheppard's Verbum caro factum est is perhaps the most magnificent of his Responds, as befits its Christmas context. The music alternates between polyphony and plainchant, and the text is one that...

SATTBB unaccompanied Gombert's In illo tempore: loquente Jesu is a six-part unaccompanied study in intricate part-writing, with sinuous stepwise motion and persistent imitative entries. The optimism o...

This complete cycle is entirely based on the Matins of Holy Thursday according to the Roman rite. It is meant to be performed in concert, but is also suitable for liturgical use (or para-liturgical)....

For a catholic Breton like Jean Cras, it was only but natural to write a mass. To choose this "very special genre", an a cappella mass, was the result from his particular technical and aesthetic pursu...

Bring festive radiance to the holiday season with "Noel à 3 Voix", published by the prestigious Alphonse Leduc. This atmospheric choral work is masterfully scored for three-part mixed choir (SAB or ST...