When 18th century British composer Thomas Arne included his song Rule Britannia! in a masque based on the life of Alfred the Great that was presented at Cliveden the country home of Frederick Prince of Wales he could not have imagined that more than two hundred seventy years later his ditty would be known throughout the British Isles and beyond. Rule Britannia! is widely used in the Royal Navy and British Army and is featured each year at the Last Night of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall as a national sing-along.At the time of writing the Dutch actually ‘ruled the waves ’ so this song was more an exhortation than a status report. The lyrics were also a statement ofcivil liberty. Since Cromwell’s time Britain had had a standing army which could be turned against the native population. A standing navy however existed solely to protect the nation from invaders protecting a free populace.Rule Britannia! has been quoted extensively by other composers among them Beethoven Wagner Strauss and Arthur Sullivan. Thomas Arne also penned a version of God Save The King which came to be the British national anthem.

When 18th century British composer Thomas Arne included his song Rule Britannia! in a masque based on the life of Alfred the Great that was presented at Cliveden the country home of Frederick Prince of Wales he could nothave imagined that more than two hundred seventy years later his ditty would be known throughout the British Isles and beyond. Rule Britannia! is widely used in the Royal Navy and British Army and is featured each year at theLast Night of the Proms in the Royal Albert Hall as a national sing-along.At the time of writing the Dutch actually ‘ruled the waves ’ so this song was more an exhortation than a status report. The lyrics were also astatement of civil liberty. Since Cromwell’s time Britain had had a standing army which could be turned against the native population. A standing navy however existed solely to protect the nation from invaders protectinga free populace.Rule Britannia! has been quoted extensively by other composers among them Beethoven Wagner Strauss and Arthur Sullivan. Thomas Arne also penned a version of God Save The King which came to be the Britishnational anthem.This version is arranged by contemporary composer and friend Eaton Fanning who made changes to the famous semiquaver flourishes.

Arne Nordheim's Violin Concerto was composed in 1996 as a commission from the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra for Arve Tellefsen.The solo part has the leading role in the work and is very difficult to play. The composer and Arve Tellefsen therefore were very much in contact with each other during the composition of the work. Arne Nordheim says that for this concerto like in other works he has composed ideas have come to him so to speak out of nowhere. ’It is as if parts of me are extreme; that which is low down or high up that which is very weak or very strong’. The composer has himself told how he has worked withgradual condensation and dissolution in the concerto. It is possible to hear continuous changes of mood in the work but the fundamental mood is according to Nordheim sadness.

Music played an enormous role in the works of William Shakespeare, while his own sonnets, poems and soliloquies have provided continuing inspiration for many composers through the years. The Novello Shakespeare Choral Collection, inspired by the 400th anniversary of the Bard's death in 2016, is an exciting anthology of choral works that are settings of Shakespeare's words. For choirs of all types and abilities, this collection has been edited by David Wordsworth so that all the pieces are fantastic both to sing and hear.The collection features some beautiful settings that have well and truly stood the test of time, such as Thomas Arne's Blow, Blow, Thou Winter Wind and Henry Leslie's How Sweet The Moonlight Sleeps. More recent settings from 20th century and contemporary composers include Ernest Moeran's Sigh No More, Ladies, Gary Carpenter's Lo, Here, The Gentle Lark and John Tavener's Fear No More and Look In Thy Glass.Not only this, the Shakespeare Choral Collection boasts several works that were specially commissioned, including John Joubert's Be Not Afeard, Richard Sisson's Light Thickens and Pawel Lukaszewki's Weary With Toil, I Haste Me To My Bed. Some pieces have never appeared before in print, such as those by Kevin Olsen, Bernard Hughes and John Gardner. These songs truly are a joy to perform, with some relatively simple arrangements that are purely fun to sing, while some more complex settings that will be thoroughly rewarding for choirs and audiences alike.A total of 26 fantastic works comprise The Novello Shakespeare Choral Collection, which would work as a wonderful concert programme on its own, or could provide a wealth of options for choirs looking to expand their repertoire with a range of unique settings. Also included is a fascinating introduction by editor David Wordsworth, and notes describing each piece.Words written by indisputably the greatest writer in the English language can only be matched with music by composers of talent and renown such as these. The Novello Shakespeare Choral Collection is an essential anthology of stunning settings of beautiful words which will be performed and enjoyed for many years to come. / Choeur Mixte (SATB)

The Tape element for Arne Nordheim's work for Trombone and CD. The full score for this piece is available separately: KP00200

Three Unexpected Songs was composed by Arne Nordheim in 1993. This work is for Counter Tenor (or Mezzosoprano) with Crotales and ancient instruments.

Arne Nordheim's Til Per - A Walking Shadow for String Quartet. For Per Nørgård on his 60th Birthday in 1992.

The latest addition to the Novello Handel Edition. A stage work of 1745 based on John Milton's classical masque Comus created from a compilation of songs by Handel and Thomas Arne, both pre-existing and original, with the text adapted by John Dalton. This is the first ever complete publication of the work and is edited by Handel scholar Colin Timms.This work is for three or four Sopranos, Mezzo-Soprano, Tenor, one or two Bass Soli and Orchestra. / Choeur SATB, Soli Et Accompagnement

Mists Before The Sunrise Fly is a part-song written in 1936 for two Voices and Piano by Geoffrey Shaw setting a poem by his daughter Margaret Shaw. It takes the tune from an earlier work Siciliano by the English composer Thomas Arne (1710-1778) who is best known for writing the patriotic song Rule Britannia! while working at the Drury Lane Theatre in London. GeoffreyShaw (1879-1943) was a British composer organist and teacher. He was a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral before going on to study under Charles Stanford and Charles Wood. He later became a teacher and an inspector for theBoard of Education.