The Novello Book Of Hymns is a collection of 50 favourite hymns, inspiringly and engagingly written for SATB Choirs. Edited by David Hill, all the arrangements in this book are designed to be singable by congregations without music, and can be used in any church or school service.As well as providing uplifting versions of hymns, these arrangements also work well as easy anthems, enabling church and school choirs to learn an often striking and dramatic piece of music quickly and easily.The hymns have been arranged by a range of well-loved composers including Richard Lloyd, John Bertalot, David Hill, Stephen Jackson, Philip Moore, Christopher Robinson and many others.Editor of the collection David Hill is a Choral Advisor to Novello. He is Chief Conductor of the BBC Singers, Musical Director of the Bach Choir, Chief Conductor of the Southern Sinfonia, Associate Guest Conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of Leeds Philharmonic Society, and Professor of Choral Conducting at Yale University. / Choeur Mixte (SATB)

There is no rose of such virtue is an anonymous mediaeval text, already well known through beautiful settings by Britten (in his Ceremony of Carols), John Joubert and others. The poem is 'macaronic' (it presents a verse in English, followed by a varying Latin refrain). This new version follows the illustrious examples above by remaining strophic and presenting broadly the same music in a succession of slightly different guises. The first verse is a straightforward four-part setting, the second gives the melody to the tenors and surrounds them with hushed, wordless writing for the other parts, and the third explores a freely canonic relationship between the tenor and soprano lines before carrying the previous verse-endings to a higher, more exalted pitch and mood. The fourth verse then expands its texture in a free climactic passage evoking the songs of praise sung by the angels. This subsides towards the final verse, where the texture of the music attenuates again to four parts, and canonic writing (based on the first four notes of the original melody) permeates all of them. This slightly extended statement leads to a hushed final cadence. Francis Pott (b. 1957) began musical life as a chorister at New College, Oxford. He held open music scholarships at Winchester College and at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he studied composition with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood while pursuing piano studies privately in London with the distinguished British artist, Hamish Milne. Throughout the 1990s Francis was John Bennett Lecturer in Music at St Hilda's College, Oxford, and a lay clerk in the Choir of Winchester Cathedral. In 2001 he became Head of London College of Music, University of West London, later leading research across the University's Faculty of Arts and acceding in 2007 to its first Chair in Composition. Francis Pott has become recognised particularly for his sacred choral and organ music. This has been performed in concert and on radio in over three dozen countries worldwide, published by four major UK houses and released extensively on CD. Winner of four national composition awards, in 1997 he received first prize in the piano solo section of the S. S. Prokofiev Composing Competition, Moscow. In 2006 and 2011 he was a nominated finalist in the BASCA/BBC Annual Composer Awards. In summer 2012 he was winner of the international composing competition of the Cheltenham Festival, which sought new piano variations on the arioso song Bist du bei mir, well known in the arrangement by J. S. Bach. Francis lives with his wife and two children on the outskirts of Winchester. 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. / Choeur Mixte (SATB)

Morten Lauridsen is most noted for his vocal cycles and sacred motets which are performed extensively throughout the world. He is Professor of Composition at the USC Thornton School of Music in the United States. The Madrigali: Six ‘Fire Songs’ on Italian Renaissance poems were premiered in Los Angeles in 1988. Each of the six poems in the cycle contains romantic references to fire and the music is unified by manipulations of a sonority called the ‘Fire-Chord’ which opens the piece and is found extensively throughout. Whilst the pieces are contained in a cycle each piece could be performedindividually. Translations of the poems are provided. The Choral Programme Series is now a well-esatablished programming tool for many choirs as it offers a wealth of fresh material from many eras and in many styles. Also offering great value for money as each volume in the series provides up to forty minutes of music

Cyrus Nusbaum one of the most outstanding evangelists of his time wrote these words at a time when economic need forced him to surrender to the will of God. First published in 1899 this hymn has inspired the gospel crowd ever since. This arrangement by Mark Hayes features moments of improvisation for the keyboard as one would expect from this composer who has taught this art for so many years.

From the simple and pure opening statement of Christ's resurrection to the strong and moving chorus Easter Angel Song is compelling. Available: SATB Instrumental Pak ChoirTrax CD.

(Novello New Choral Series)-There is no rose of such virtue is an anonymous mediaeval text already well known through beautiful settings by Britten (in his Ceremony of Carols) John Joubert and others. The poem is ‘macaronic’ (it presents a verse in English followed by a varying Latin refrain). This new version follows the illustrious examples above by remaining strophic and presenting broadly the same music in a succession of slightly different guises. The first verse is a straightforward four-part setting the second gives the melody to the tenors and surrounds them with hushed wordless writing for the other parts and the third explores a freely canonic relationshipbetween the tenor and soprano lines before carrying the previous verse-endings to a higher more exalted pitch and mood. The fourth verse then expands its texture in a free climactic passage evoking the songs of praise sung by the angels. This subsides towards the final verse where the texture of the music attenuates again to four parts and canonic writing (based on the first four notes of the original melody) permeates all of them. This slightly extended statement leads to a hushed final cadence.Francis Pott (b. 1957) began musical life as a chorister at New College Oxford. He held open music scholarships at Winchester College and at Magdalene College Cambridge where he studied composition with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood while pursuing piano studies privately in London with the distinguished British artist Hamish Milne. Throughout the 1990s Francis was John Bennett Lecturer in Music at St Hilda’s College Oxford and a lay clerk in the Choir of Winchester Cathedral. In 2001 he became Head of London College of Music University of West London later leading research across the University’s Faculty of Arts and acceding in 2007 to its first Chair in Composition. Francis Pott has become recognised particularly for his sacred choral and organ music. This has been performed in concert and on radio in

For King And Country is part of a larger work entitled 'The Angel Of Mons' by composer Patrick Hawes dedicated to the memory of the British soldiers who Hawes believes witnessed an 'angel' during a battle in World War One. This is the Vocal Score arranged for SATB Chorus and Piano Accompaniment. This piece with a libretto by his brother Andrew Hawes was premiered in the latter's own church on the centenary of the date the 'angel' sighting was said to have occurred.  The inspiration comes from a mythical story around the Battle of Mons during World War One where a group ofsoldiers supposedly received divine help from 'angels'. The story arose from a fictional short story by a writer that came to be known as fact despite the author's desperate please otherwise. The music itself is beautiful perfectly capturing the crisis of conscience and cognitive dissonance that the soldiers must have experienced being told that they were fighting for King and country yet at the same time being terrified of their own lives. 

French Carol-McCullough is conductor of the Washington D.C. Master Chorale and often composes for his own chorus. This traditional holiday work with harp accompaniment is a true winner!

Light warm and heavyas pure gold and the angelssing softly to thenewborn babe.A poem by Edward Esch (translated into Latin by Charles Anthony Silvestri) with tight shimmering harmonies. For SATB Choir (divisi) A Cappella.As performed by Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir

Nico Muhly's Looking Up for SATB and Orchestra. Programme note:Looking Up is a piece for large chorus and orchestra and is in three sections played without pause. In the 16th century a variety of psalters in meter were printed in England with the idea of making psalm-singing something that could happen easily at home with the rhyming meter being an aid to memorization. These translations are wonderful exercises in brevity and sometimes clumsy rhymemaking and were usually prefaced by a lengthy explanation as to their merits; the title of one of the first such volumes in English is: The Psalter of Dauid newely translated into Englysh metre in such sortthat it maye the more decently and wyth more delyte of the mynde be reade and songe of al men. I thought it would be appropriate to set one of these introductions and the first section of Looking Up sets the preface to Thomas Ravenscroft’s psalter (1621) in which he writes: “The singing of Psalmes (as say the Doctors) comforteth the sorrowfull pacifieth the angry strengtheneth the weake humbleth the proud gladdeth the humble stirres up the slow reconcileth enemies lifteth up the heart to heavenly things and uniteth the Creature to his Creator.” It begins meditatively but eventually grows agitated and fervent with a vision of the “quire of Angels and Saints” “redoubling and descanting” — an ecstatic and terrifying vision of the skies opening up. Ravenscroft then encourages the use of instrumental music for worship at which point a long acrobatic orchestral interlude with jagged edges antagonizes the choir who sing a kind of private anxious meditation on two pitches. One of the most delicious biblical texts is an Apocryphal prayer known as the Benedicite or the Prayer of the Three Children (the same who were rescued by an angel after King Nebuchadnezzar tried to have them burnt in an oven for not bowing to his image). The text is repetitive obsessive and a gift to composers

Let Them Give Thanks Whom The Lord Has Redeemed is the final movements of a larger work entitled 'The Angel Of Mons' by composer Patrick Hawes dedicated to the memory of the British soldiers who Hawes believes witnessed an 'angel' during a battle in World War One. This is the Vocal Score and is arranged for SATB Chorus and Piano Accompaniment. This piece was premiered in the latter's own church on the centenary of the date the 'angel' sighting was said to have occurred. The inspiration comes from a mythical story around the Battle of Mons during World War One where a group of soldiers supposedly receiveddivine help from 'angels'. The story arose from a fictional short story by a writer that came to be known as fact despite the author's desperate pleas otherwise. The music itself is beautiful perfectly capturing the crisis of conscience and cognitive dissonance that the soldiers must have experienced being told that they were fighting for King and country yet at the same time being terrified of their own lives. 

Sarah Quartel's Snow Angel for SATB solo Cello Djembe and Piano. Already a firm favourite with choirs across the world Snow Angel is an evocative five-movement choral work that explores themes of love rebirth and beauty through the eyes of children and the heavenly army of angels that watch over them yearning to make a difference to their lives. The work may be performed with narration in which three angels present their perspectives on their earthly charges. Sarah Quartel weaves a haunting and poignant Cello line throughout the work and a vibrant part for Djembe in movement four 'Sweet child' carriesthe listener from the ethereal and mystical realm the work predominantly inhabits into an emphatic anthem with a distinctly African feel. The musical language is emotive and pictorial allowing performers to play an active role in the storytelling.Snow Angel is also available in a version for SSAA.

Spiral Bound. for SATB accompanied (piano or organ) and unaccompanied. The Oxford Book of Choral Music by Black Composers is a landmark collection of non-idiomatic compositions from the sixteenth century to the present day, providing a comprehensive introduction to an area of choral music that has been historically under-represented.