Purcell Society Volume 25.This volume contains all Purcell's secular solo songs which have no known association with the theatre. It also includes those songs which though mainly for solo voice end with a short duet section. The first edition of this volume was prepared for the Purcell Society by Arthur Somervell published in 1928. This new edition is not just a revision but the outcome of a fresh examination of the sources. A new editorial continuo part more suited to the harpsichord has also been provided.

Four poems sharing a common motif of 'Night' provide the texts for my choral cycle Nocturnes the American Choral Directors Association's commissioned work for its 2005 national convention. For Rilke's atmospheric ?Sanuit d'ete ? several melodic themes are supported by dense colorful harmonies in both the choral and piano parts leading to a climactic section where all are combined and stated simultaneously. Neruda's ?Soneto de laNoche ? from his Cien Sonetos de Amor speaks of an eternal love that transcends death while reaffirming life. My a cappella setting of this gorgeous poem is predominantly quiet serene and folk-like utilizing directharmonies accompanying long lyrical vocal lines. Agee's wondrous ?Sure on this Shining Night? is set much like a song from the American musical theater a genre for which I have held a life-long esteem. Rilke'spoignant ?Voici le soir? recalls the opening bell sounds and jazz-tinged chords of the first movement and serves as an epilogue quietly concluding this cycle of night songs as darkness descends.--MortenLauridsen

Evocation to a Friend was commissioned for the Choristers of Canterbury Cathedral on behalf of Befrienders International (now Befrienders Worldwide). The text is by David Race and explores themes of friendship and hope. The music grows in intensity over a cyclic harmonic pattern with repeating melodic fragments arranged across the four voices creating a hypnotic effect. After a bleak and reflective interlude in the middle the music unwinds to a peaceful conclusion.The Novello New Choral Series is an inspiring selection of new works from a range of contemporary composers offering pieces for all types of choirs including sacred and secularworks from simple four-part settings to more expansive yet accessible repertoire in an exciting variety of styles. This collection is perfect for choirs looking to broaden their repertoire and explore some of the best new music around.Timothy Noon (b.1974) is Director of Music at Holy Trinity Cathedral Auckland New Zealand. He received his musical education as a chorister at Hereford Cathedral and subsequently as Organ Scholar at Christ Church Oxford. Following appointments at St Patrick’s Cathedral Dublin and Canterbury Cathedral he became Organist and Master of the Choristers at St David’s Cathedral Pembrokeshire and then Director of Music at Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral before moving to his present position in 2011. Timothy Noon - Evocation To A Friend by musicroom

These four volumes contain all of Purcell's secular solo songs not associated with stage productions. Taken from the authoritative Purcell Society Editions the songs appear in their original keys and are most suitable for high voice.

Invocation was written for the Choir of The Queen’s College Oxford and represents the culmination of the composer’s time as a research fellow at the college when he worked closely with the choir. Phillip had long been a devotee of Edward Thomas’s evocative poem Adlestrop with its dreamy pastoral feel invoking the very essence of a sultry English country afternoon. It seemed a natural choice to set not least because it mentions the two counties in which he has spent the last seven years Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire. Phillip wanted the workfurther to emphasise the link with everything we might class as a stereotypical English countryafternoon cricket on the green church bells birdsong and warm beer the mythical ‘middle-England’. His work in no way tries to depict this rather to distil the feeling it is a rhapsody on a theme of English country life that men went to war to preserve something very different from the more rugged landscape he grew up with in the Lake District. The work is called Invocation because it is precisely that a spell or charm something that bewitches the listener and that the composer hopes stays long in the mind rather like Adlestrop or indeed Adlestrop itself.The Novello New Choral Series is an inspiring selection of new works from a range of contemporary composers offering 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. This collection is perfect for choirs looking to broaden their repertoire and explore some of the best new music around.Phillip Cooke was born in Cumbria in 1980 spending his formative years there. He has had works played across the country by many of the country’s top choirs and ensembles. New works in 2011 were featured in the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music John Armitage Memorial Concert Series Choir