John Tavener: Prayer Of The Heart: String Ensemble: Vocal Work

In Prayer Of The Heart the text of the Eastern Orthodox monastic prayer -- Lord Jesus Christ Son of God Have mercy upon me is sung in a mantra-like way in English Greek and Coptic while a slow recording of a human heartbeatplays. The singer is instructed to ?sit on a low stool bowing towards the heart? and may play the bell and bowl. The piece slowly explores the entire circle of fifths beginning in the key of C and playing each related minorand moving to the related dominant key then repeating until the return to C. It is a profoundly meditative work.The work was originally composed for Icelandic singer Björk and the Brodsky Quartet to benefit the charity TheChain of Hope. It was recorded by the original performers.John Tavener was that rare creature a composer of serious music and serious religious music who had also achieved commercial success. He burst into the popularconsciousness with the performance of his Song for Athene at the funeral of Princess Diana but had been a highly respected and frequently-performed composer since the premiere of his dramatic cantata The Whale in 1968.

The New Novello Book Of Short & Easy Anthems For Upper Voices is a wonderful collection and an invaluable resource for Upper Voice choirs who have the desire to sing a variety of beautiful anthems but who have an unfortunately limited amount of rehearsal time. Selected and edited by David Hill this collection includes anthems that are easy to learn enjoyable to sing but also sound simply fantastic. Some works included in this collection are universally-loved pieces like Ave Maria?by Marcel Dupré The Lord's Prayer by John Tavener and James Whitbourn's wonderful APrayer Of Desmond Tutu. Despite the title of Short And Easy these pieces are anything but mundane or tired they are all exciting versatile and enjoyable making this collection perfect for any choir. The collection is an antidote to the fact that many choirs have to rehearse on a limited time with limited resources. Learning from this collection is quick and efficient but the songs don't compromise in beauty. A review from the September 2015 issue of Sunday by Sunday from the Royal School of Church Music says that 'He [David Hill] has surely succeeded here offering a collection of church music that is worthy interesting effective and can be learned quickly. It is wholeheartedly recommended!' With a range of styles and settings for Eucharist and Evensong this collection offers a carefully-chosen diversity for Upper Voice Choirs large and small. With James Davy's Sun Of My Soul Philip Moore's Listen To The Song Of The Children and Elizabeth Poston's The Dormouse's Carol the selection here is brilliant including pieces for all occasions and events throughout the year. This makes Short And Easy Anthems?indispensable for Upper Voice Choirs and directors who will instantly be able to draw from a