Par TEMPERLEY N.. 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./ Recueil / Chorale

Par BRAHMS JOHANNES. This edition of Brahms' greatest, most ambitious vocal work is reprinted from the definitive edition of the composer's works, prepared by Breitkopf & Härtel of Leipzig. Inexpensive but sturdily constructed to provide years of pleasurable use, this full score combines all the musical parts in a clear, readable format, with wide margins, large noteheads, and many other helpful features. Brahms conducted the first major performance of the German Requiem in Bremen Cathedral in April 1868. The occasion — attended by many distinguished musicians, among them Clara Schumann — provided the 34-year-old composer with his first great public success. Scored for mixed chorus, solo voices, and full orchestra, the Requiem reflects Brahms' virtuosic grasp of nineteenth-century vocal technique as well as the polyphonic vocal traditions of the previous three centuries. Above all, it radiates Brahms' stalwart individuality, technical mastery, and stirring emotional appeal, which were soon to secure his unique position in the musical world. More than a century after its debut, this masterpiece of choral music is one of the most performed and recorded works in the repertoire of religious music. Reprinted in full score, including solo voices, chorus and orchestra, from definitive Breitkopf & Härtel edition. A reproduction of the Breitkopf and Hartel edition. / Musique religieuse / Répertoire / Choeur