Texts from Veni veni Emmanuel and Martin Luther-Texts from Veni veni Emmanuel and Martin Luther translated by William Reynolds. Borrowing from two familiar Advent texts Michael Larkin has penned a lovely anthem of hope and anticipation. Advent Meditation isintrospective and prayerful in tone yet rejoices in awe at the coming of Christ and the magnitude of his humble birth. Flowing melodic lines and an accessible keyboard accompaniment make this piece suitable for choirs of anysize.

With words by Carol Barratt this piece is a simple but highly effective meditation from the composer of Adiemus and The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. For SATB choir

Reduction For Satb/Organ-John McCabe's Psalm-Cantata arranged for Soprano Baritone SATB choir and Organ by Iain Farrington.This work was commissioned by the English Baroque Choir and their music director Jeremy Jackman who gave the first performance on 16th March 2013 at St. John’s SmithSquare London.'I’ve wanted to write a choral/instrumental piece based on texts from the Psalms for a very long time so this commission from the English Baroque Choir and their music director Jeremy Jackman (to whom the work is dedicated) was a wonderful opportunity to put this idea into practice. I decided to write a kind of latter-day equivalent to the Bachcantatas with two soloists (soprano and baritone). The texts are derived from a variety of Psalm sources: some in Latin some in English a meditation by Savonarola and a Henry Vaughan poem.' - John McCabe

Orchestral Version-John McCabe's Psalm-Cantata (Orchestral Version). Vocal score for Soprano Baritone and SATB choir.This work was commissioned by the English Baroque Choir and their music director Jeremy Jackman who gave the first performance on 16th March 2013 at St. John’s SmithSquare London.'I’ve wanted to write a choral/instrumental piece based on texts from the Psalms for a very long time so this commission from the English Baroque Choir and their music director Jeremy Jackman (to whom the work is dedicated) was a wonderful opportunity to put this idea into practice. I decided to write a kind of latter-day equivalent to the Bachcantatas with two soloists (soprano and baritone). The texts are derived from a variety of Psalm sources: some in Latin some in English a meditation by Savonarola and a Henry Vaughan poem.' - John McCabe

Tarik O'Regan's Mass Observation was commissioned for the University of Michigan Chamber Choir Jerry Blackstone conductor thanks to support from the William K. and Delores S. Brehm Choral Commissioning Fund and the Barbara Abramoff Levy Fund.   Composer's note:   Mass Observation is a meditation on the histories of our varied ambivalent relationships with surveillance in its myriad guises. The use of technologies that sate our desires to be watchedand heard (safety tracking empowerment and pride) has in some sense always been able to be weighed against our anxieties around invasions of privacy (physical and psychological harm hacking subjugation and embarrassment). The work takes its title from the British social research organisation Mass-Observation which aimed to record everyday life in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1937 Mass-Observation controversially paid investigators to anonymously record people's conversation and behaviour at work on the street and at various public occasions including public meetings sporting and religious events. Scored for chorus and percussion sextet  Mass Observation ebbs and flows between various polarities (human voices and percussion instruments pitched and unpitched sounds clear and opaque tonalities) over the course of its thirteen movements. There is a ritualistic nature to the overall pacing of the work reminiscent of a liturgical mass setting. The two groups of musicians are rarely aligned: for much of the piece they watch and listen to one another in silence.    Duration approximately: 40 Minutes  

This extremely popular anthem is one of the choruses from John Stainer's 'The Crucifixion ' a large choral work usually described as a cantata or oratorio but which the composer called 'a meditation on the sacred passion of the holy redeemer.' In ternary form with coda this Easter anthem's homophonic simplicity and its sincerity of expression have made it one of the standard works of the choral repertoire. _x000D_It can be performed by a choir of almost any size.

A meditation based on the traditional Seven Last Words of Christ-Wondrous Cross is a reflective work suitable for church or concert choirs at Passiontide. Bullard skilfully weaves the traditional Seven Last Words of Christ with linking biblical passages 3 well-known hymns and settings of 4 well-known sacred texts including 'Drop drop slow tears' and 'Ave verum corpus' (both of which may be sung as independent motets) to create a moving and at times dramatic work. The short solos are perfectly suited to members of the choir and strings (quartet quintet orensemble) may optionally join the organ or piano in the accompaniment. If performed liturgically the work may be interspersed with prayers and readings. The result is a flexible and striking work that re-presents this timeless story for a modern audience. String parts and full scores are available to hire or purchase from the Music Hire Library.

Of Noblest Cities is intended for a choir of between 12 and about 40 voices although it may also be given by just six singers one to a part (SSATBB). The piece can be performed unaccompanied if no suitable organ is available simply by leaving approximately two crotchet beats of silence between the end of the last note of one verse and the beginning of the next.Underlying the melody is a simple rhythm which is sometimes expanded or contracted. In the first verse the position of the main beats in this rhythm is made clear by the barlines. In the remaining verses however the barlines are only there to help the singers to keep together and forconvenience in rehearsal: singers should observe their own strong beats which fall in different places for each part and not regard the barlines as indicating downbeats. A few of the strong beats which underlie individual parts and appear to be contradicted by the barlines are marked by the symbol / .The words are a beautiful Victorian translation of a Latin hymn by Prudentius which meditates on the story of the three wise men. Each verse is set to the same melody in an increasingly rich counterpoint inspired by the wonderful sound of Tudor choral polyphony.An inspiring selection of new works from a range of contemporary composers the Novello New Choral Series offers pieces for all types of choirs including sacred and secular works from simple four-part settings to more expansive yet accessible repertoire in an exciting variety of styles. Jeremy Thurlow is a composer writer and pianist. His music has been described as ‘seductive innovative full of freshness’ by Henri Dutilleux. It has been performed by the BBC Philharmonic the Fitzwilliam String Quartet Rolf Hind the BBC Singers Endymion Carmen Elektra Peter Sheppard Skaerved Matthew Schellhorn and Sequitur (New York) among others. In 2007 he won the George Butterworth Award for new composition. As a musicologist he writes on French music in

Richard Allain's Advent Antiphon: O Dayspring for SSATBarB choir and Soprano Saxophone. Duration: approximately 3 minutes. Organists' Review: The Advent Antiphon: O Dayspring by Richard Allain is a demanding piece in which two choral groups (SABar and STB) 'may stand apart from one another' their very slow-moving chords punctuated by quasi­plainsong interjections from a soprano saxophone. It is aimed at and needs a choir of professional standard with excellent breath­control to sustain the long phrases. With the right singers and the right acoustic (not to mention a saxophonist) itis a highly atmospheric meditative work.

Premiered at the NCCO conference in 2012 this beautiful meditative piece was commissioned by John Byun and is part of his new choral series. Rich in tone color with thick harmonic writing the text calls for understanding andempathy at a time of pain from fellow humans. It is an excellent selection for high school and college concerts and festivals.

SATB a cappella-From meditative simplicity to the brilliant 'Alleluja' the atmospherically dense motet 'Justorum animae' interprets a famous text from the 'Book of Wisdom' about the hope of men beyond their transitoriness.

This short benediction set to familiar words from Corinthians Thessalonians and the first book of Peter is an enduring favourite. Informally known as the Navy blessing or the Scottish blessing the words are sensitivelyenhanced by Shaw’s tune and harmonies and can create an inspiring meditative finale. Composer conductor and producer Martin Shaw was of the Holst and Vaughan Williams generation of composers that was key in revivingpublic interest in the work of Purcell and was also a co-founder of the Royal School of Church Music. He once toured Europe as conductor to dancer Isadora Duncan and was briefly engaged to the daughter of theatrical star EllenTerry. His works number more than three hundred published pieces. Arranged for SATB and organ  duration 2½ minutes.

From Enya's album And Winter Came this hypnotic song creates a reflective atmosphere of peace of comfort and perhaps a bit of nostalgia as the angels fly to greet the newborn King. A wonderful opening song orprocessional or a meditative change of pace within your concert. Available separately: SATB SAB SSA ShowTrax CD. Rhythm section parts available as a digital download (syn gtr b dm). Duration: ca. 4:25.