Both a dedicated carol singer and an authority on the history of English music Nicholas Temperley here offers a unique book of 37 carols dating from the fifteenth century to the present.For over fifty years he has sung edited and composed carols each Christmas and in Christmas is Coming the fruit of his enthusiasm is combined with his wealth of knowledge to produce an outstanding and original new collection. As John Rutter observes in his Foreword the book does not pointlessly duplicate what can be found in many other carol books but has a personality and purpose of its own.Twenty-two fresh and practical arrangements include carols from Austria France Germany Mexico Poland and the USA alongside music both rare and familiar from the rich heritage of the English carol tradition. As well as eight of his personal favourites from J. S. Bach to Charles Ives the author includes seven new compositions of his own settings of medieval and traditional texts that reveal his skill as a choral composer whose command of style ranges from the humorous to the profound.In addition to sample programmes and translations there are invaluable notes on the performance and history of individual items plus an historical summary of the genre as a whole: everything in fact to make Christmas is Coming an indispensable companion for singers who wish to enrich the seasonal repertoire for concerts churches and traditional Yuletide carolling.

Arrangeur: Alfred Mann. Par HAENDEL GEORG FRIEDRICH. The best-known and most beloved large-scale musical work in the English-speaking world, Messiah was first performed in Dublin over 200 years ago to benefit local charities. Since that time, it has given millions of performers their primary experience in singing classical music. Today it is the supreme example of the English oratorio. A meditation on the life of Christ, the work is a brilliant amalgam of traditional Italian opera, English anthem, and German Passion. Reprinted from the authoritative edition prepared by noted musical scholar Alfred Mann, this inexpensive, full-score edition will be welcomed by students, musicians, singers, and music lovers who will want to study and savor every detail of this glorious masterpiece. Reprint of the Rutgers University Documents of Music, 1959, 1961, and 1965 editions. Handel's masterpiece Messiah, the most frequently performed of his choral works, composed in 1741. An inspiring sacred oratorio with spontaneous melodies, and bright orchestration from the first aria Every Valley Shall Be Exalted, to the thunderous final Amen chorus. Complete full score, edited by Alfred Mann./ Répertoire / Choeur

This Fantasia is founded on the following traditional English carols: The Truth Sent From Above (Herefordshire) words and tune; Come All You Worthy Gentlemen (Somerset) words and tune; On Christmas Night (Sussex) words and tune; There Is A Fountain (Herefordshire) tune only; together with fragments of other well-known carol tunes. The work is scored for ordinary full Orchestra with Organ and set of bells (ad lib.) or String Orchestra with Organ or Piano. Alternatively it may be accompanied by Organ or Piano alone played from the Vocal score with an optional solo Cello part (H212). A chorus part for performance bysolo Baritone and TTBB is also available (W41). The chorus is required to sing in four different ways:1. Singing the words.2. Singing with closed lips.3. Singing \'Ah\'.4. Singing with half-closed lips i.e. with a short \'u\' sound as in the word \'but\'. Watch Pasadena Master Chorale performing Ralph Vaughan Williams\' Fantasia On Christmas Carols:

Holst's collection of Twelve Welsh Folk Songs was published in 1931 with the lyrics translated into English by Steuart Wilson. Two of these are presented here scored for SAB three-partchorus with a Piano reduction provided for rehearsal purposes. Gustav Holst (1874-1934) was an English composer and teacher. Having studied under Stanford and Parry he became a close friend of Vaughan Williams they would often critique each other’s work and influenced composers such as Tippet and Britten. He is best remembered for his Planets suite.

Composer and Organist John Merbecke lived in interesting times. He was born soon after the beginning of the 16th century and spent his whole life in service of music at St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle. In 1543 he was arrested for heresy and sentenced to death but received a royal pardon unlike the three others with whom he was arrested. He returned to his position at Windsor and began work on a concordance of the English Bible to replace the one that had been destroyed when he was arrested. The Book of Common Praier Noted was published in 1550 at a time when the continued use of plainchant was controversial. Here Merbecke sets the chants but in English ratherthan Latin.As a piece of history for students of monody and as a part of the church’s heritage Merbecke’s setting is invaluable.

Hail! Smiling Morn (Roud Index No 1346) was written by Reginald Spofforth in 1810. It has been described as the ?most popular glee in the entire repertoire? and remains a much loved concert item amongamateur choral groups all over the English-speaking world. It is presented here for SATB choir with a Piano reduction for accompaniment purposes. Reginald Spofforth (1769-1827) was a British composer organist andteacher. He wrote several dozen songs glees and hymns but no instrumental music. His music was performed at Covent Garden and successfully published during his lifetime but most of it has now been lost. Hail! SmilingMorn is undoubtedly his best known work.

Volume 1-Works for Male Choir / Works for Equal Voices Volume 1Niels W. Gade. Werks Volume IV/10Niels Wilhelm Gade (1817?1890) WorksEdited by the Foundation for the Publication of the Works of Niels W. Gade CopenhagenNiels W. Gade is one of the leading Danish composers of the nineteenth century. However only about half of his prolific ?uvre has appeared in print. Given this fact and the growing current interest in Gade there is an urgent need for a scholarly-critical Urtext edition of his music to meet the demands of both scholars and performers.This edition will contain all of Gade's completed compositions and separate movements as wellas the arrangements he made of his own works and those of other composers. In general the main text presents the ?definitive? version based on Gade's personal copy of the printed work. However all the remaining sources have also been consulted for purposes of comparison. Every editorial decision is mentioned and justified in the critical report (English).

Noted scholar Peter Aston has edited this simple yet profound work of George Jeffreys (d. 1685) - a setting of Song of Solomon Ch. 2 v. 10: Truly my best beloved...rise up and come away. Ideal for concert or church programming. Latin and English texts.

Paperback-for SSAA and piano John Rutter provides an English translation alongside the German text of this Schubert classic offprinted from the anthology European Sacred Music.