The Lark In The Clear Air is a traditional Irish air. Since the 1800s it has been associated with a poem by the Irish writer Sir Samuel Ferguson (1810-1886) one of the founding fathers of the Irish literary revival. It has been arranged here by Edgar M. Deale for TBarB Three-part Male Voice Chorus with Piano accompaniment. It makes a perfect recital item for any Male Voice Choir. Edgar M. Deale (1902-1999) was a twentieth century Irish composer. A former chorister at Christ Church Cathedral Dublin he was largely self-taught as a composer. His output was limited to a few dozen original works and arrangements but hiscontribution to Irish music is gradually achieving the recognition it deserves.

Includes: Angels We Have Heard on High • The Birthday of a King • Coventry Carol • Deck the Hall • The Friendly Beasts • Good King Wenceslas • Hark! the Herald Angels Sing • It Came upon theMidnight Clear • Jingle Bells • Lo How a Rose E'er Blooming • O Come O Come Immanuel • O Little Town of Bethlehem • Shepherds Shake off Your Drowsy Sleep • Wassail Song • We Wish You a MerryChristmas • and more.

This set of three motets for unaccompanied male choir sets the Latin words for the De Profundis Ave Maria and Laudate and manifests Lewkovitch's fascination both with chant and with modality.Contemporary Danish composer conductor and Organist Bernhard Lewkovitch has followed a rare path among modern composers. From 1947 he was Organist at St Ansgars Kirches and later remained connected with the Catholic Church by working as an Organist. Clearly he is inspired by the Catholic liturgy and sees his great output of ecclesiastical music as a vocation and a great responsibility. For many years his work by inspired by Gregorian chant and was composed in church modes then inthe mid 1950’s he began to expand into modern bitonality and polytonality culminating in Il cantico delle creature in 1962/3 in which there was no conventional notation and no fixed pitch. After that Lewkovitch had somewhat of a hiatus later returning again to the inspirations of the mid1950’s.