For Passion in 1680 Dieterich Buxtehude composed his largest work in the style of an oratorio the cantata cycle Membra Jesu nostri and he dedicated it to his friend the Swedish Court Music Director Gustav Düben. In each of the seven separate cantatas which in principle follow the scheme ?instrumental introduction ? choral movement with biblical texts ? vocal soli (aria) with a sacred text from the Middle Ages ? repetition of the choral movement ? the feet knees hands side chest heart and face of the crucified Christ are interpreted allegorically. The original scoring for strings in No. VI ('Ad Cor') consists of a consort of five gambas. If this group of instruments isnot available then violins I/II can be substituted for gamba I/II and the gamba V parts can be played by the violone (the music for these substitute parts is contained in each respective parts) so that in this case only two gambas (III IV) are needed. For such a performance only two copies of the Gamba performance score (Carus 36.013/16) are required.

Composer Orlando Gibbons was the leading English composer of his time the late 16th and early 17th century. This five-Voice SSATB madrigal is the best known of his many madrigals and remains compellingly beautiful.The sheet music also includes A Catch on Tobacco by theologian philosopher and composer Dr Henry Aldrich. It dates from 1685 when the composer was Dean of Christ Church Oxford and widely known among his contemporaries as a convivial soul who among his writings created a Latin epigramme listing five reasons for drinking. The performance notes stipulate that the round is to be sung by four men while smoking their pipes.

Music runs through the story of Arion which begins with a singing competition in Sicily. Arion wins the prize and this puts his life in danger: his newfound wealth excites the greed of the sailors who are supposed to be bringing him back to Corinth and they threaten to kill him. They allow Arion to sing one last song and the power of his singing attracts dolphins to the ship.  At the end of his song he jumps overboard and one of the dolphins carries him to safety.  So Arion’s musical gift gets him into trouble but it is also his salvation.   The idea of being rescued by a music-loving dolphin is very appealing. In Robert Graves’account of the myth the dolphin could not bear to be parted from Arion and accompanied him back to court where “it soon succumbed to a life of luxury.”  However Herodotus says that after his rescue and return to Corinth Arion failed to return the dolphin to the sea and it died there.  Apollo placed the dolphin among the stars and next to it Arion’s lyre in recognition of his musical skill.  This is one of the mythical explanations of the origins of the constellations Delphinus and Lyra. It seems natural to sing a story that has singing at its heart. When I was asked by the Nicholas Berwin Charitable Trust to write a choral work for Making Music something that would be within reach of many choirs and involve children this story struck me as ideal: the men of the chorus could be the bloodthirsty sailors and the women could create an atmosphere of mystery for the arrival of the dolphins represented by children’s voices. There would be one solo voice: Arion the marvellous singer. Andrew Fardell the conductor who was advisor to this commission had suggested that I might use the same instrumentation as a popular arrangement of Orff’s Carmina Burana a work that as well as using children’s chorus features a solo countertenor. I thought the magical otherworldly quality of this

This atmospheric anthem by Cecilia McDowall commemorates the First World War. It sets a stark English text by Dr Joseph Spence alongside Latin text from Psalm 130 with the words 'In memoriam' added. The lower parts sing Spence's English text conveying the relentless hardship of life in the trenches with declamatory and constantly developing vocal lines. The sopranos meanwhile repeat the Latin words from Psalm 130 providing a striking contrast in their constancy and otherworldliness.

Adaptation of the motet 'Tristis est anima mea' attributed to Johann Kuhnau. The motet 'Der Gerechte kommt um' comes down to us as part of the Passion cantata 'Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld' by Carl Heinrich Graun into which movements by various other composers including Bach and Telemann were also later inserted. According to the research of Diethard Hellmann editor of this edition the motet was originally an a cappella composition by Johann Kuhnau with the text 'Tristis est anima mea' which then was adapted ? most likely by Bach ? with a new text and the addition of instrumental parts. The motet 'Der Gerechte kommt um' comes down to us as part of the Passioncantata 'Ein Lämmlein geht und trägt die Schuld' by Carl Heinrich Graun into which movements by various other composers including Bach and Telemann were also later inserted. From the research of Diethard Hellmann editor of this edition the motet was originally an a cappella composition by Johann Kuhnau with the text 'Tristis est anima mea' which then was adapted?most likely by Bach?with a new text and the addition of insturmental parts.

Brett Dean a écrit cette courte atmosphérique Christmas Carol, sur la base d'un poème de Richard Watson Gilder pour le choeur de la célèbre roi and rsquo - s College de Cambridge où, justement, elle fut jouée pour la première fois le réveillon de Noël 2007. / Choeur Mixte (SSATB)

O Saviour of the World. Composed for unaccompanied SSATB with an English text from the Book of Common Prayer. This five-minute anthem was written for the UK?s Thomas Tallis Society, having in mind Tallis?s famous work for 5 voices with latin text, Salvator Mundi. The music matches the sense of anguish in the text.

For choir (SSATB) and Organ.Published 2004.Commissioned by St Catharine's College Cambridge for the 300th anniversary of the consecration of the chapel.First performance: Dr Edward Wickham Max Pappenheinz(organ scholar) and the St Catharine's Chapel Choir 25th November 2004.Conducting and organ score.

This unaccompanied SSATB choral arrangement of The Beatles classic With A Little Help From My Friends by Carsten Gerlitz includes 10 vocal scores to allow mixed choirs to sing this paean to friendship.One of The Beatles' most popular compositions, it was composed for Ringo Starr to sing, and therefore needed to have just five notes in the melody to accommodate his limited vocal range. The song inspired a number of famous cover versions, most notably Joe Cocker's at Woodstock. / Choeur Mixte (SSATB)

The harmonic turns and piano configurations in La vie ant?rieure ??? the ???former life??? ??? seem almost exuberantly lyrical. At the beginning the archaic sounds and words of the male choir conjure up a dream world that is soon flooded with the power of the waves and the rich polyphonic harmony of the choir and the piano. With the outcry ???C???est l? que j???ai v?cu!??? [I have lived there] which expresses the fervent yearning to return to a past life the collective desperately reinforces the longing for the past. Once more the women???s choir conjures up this lost paradise in an undulating soft sound before the desolate sadness is pierced by the power of the music of the piano postlude creating a moment that is completely in the present.

This gospel-flavored work is a setting of lyrics by famed Harlem Renaissance composer/poet James Rosamund Johnson depicting the power of music to change darkness to light and sadness to joy. A wonderful selection for combined choirs and festival performances!

Photo 51. for SSATB unaccompanied Composed for International Women's Day, this mesmerizing piece celebrates the centennary of Rosalind Franklin and sets her own words with additional text by the poet Sean Street.

In this setting which includes salient fragments for St Luke's gospel (in Greek) alongside the customary text from the Book of Common Prayer Finnissy renders this excitement joy awe and trepidation in music.

This 5 minute anthem for choir SSATB setting a text by George Herbert was commissioned by the Dean and Chapter of The Cathedral and Abbey Church of St Alban to mark the 900th anniversary of the consecration of the Norman Abbey performed at Solemn Evensong 18 October 2015.

Instrumentation: SSATB a cappella Format: Sheet Music Details: 12 madrigals for 5 voices (Italian/German) Contents: Contents: Ch'ami la vita mia; A che tormi il ben mio; Non si levav' ancor; E dicea luna; S'andasse amor a caccia; O com' e gran martire; Ch'io non t'ami; Anima mia perdona; Che se tu se il cor mio; O Mirtillo; Era l'anima mia gia presso; M'e pi' dolce il penar