SKU: ST.W217
ISBN 9790220221941.
An expert choral director as well as a highly regarded composer, Ronald Corp has written unaccompanied SATB settings of three famous medieval carol texts, Myn Lyking, The Virgin's Cradle Hymn (Dormi Jesu) and Quem Pastores Laudavere. The idiom is modern yet accessible, with an ear for stylish harmony that includes both modal progressions and colourful added chords, embroidered in some rich yet untaxing divisi writing. The carols may be performed as separate items or as a group, the first two being cradle songs for the Nativity, the third also suited to the celebration of Epiphany on 6 Janaury. Ronald Corp is Founder and Artistic Director of the New London Orchestra and New London Children's Choir, and Musical Director of the London Chorus and Highgate Choral Society.
SKU: HL.48022495
ISBN 9781476871486. UPC: 884088669676. 6.75x10.5 inches.
Texts: Latin and EnglishPublisher: Boosey & HawkesDifficulty level: 3The Ceremony of Carols is one of Britten's best-known and most-performed works. It is a brilliantly conceived and dramatic concert work which sees the voices process to their places singing unaccompanied plainsong and, at the end, processing out again to the same chant. These movements can also be accompanied but strictly only if the voices do not process. The final Alleluia can be repeated as many times as necessary to get the singers to and from their destination.The carols are for three-part children's voices (though, of course they can be sung by female adults as well) and they form a two-part work around a central Interlude for harp which is based on the plainsong from the Procession. Variety is the key word here as all the carols have such individual identities. The forthright Wolcum Yole!, the deliciously lyrical There is no Rose, the swinging Balulalow, the fiery and dramatic This little Babe all contribute to a work which is a feast of discovery throughout. Lovely solos and duos add further colour and the harp part, an inspired choice of accompaniment, enriches, colours and surrounds the voices with its pictorial musical imagery. If anything shows Britten's genius for writing for voices it must be this work.The challenges here are in creating a real equality between voice parts, fielding a confident pair of soloists, and making the most of the wonderfully colourful poems Britten has chosen to set. Pronunciation is not really an issue, but when I recorded this work with the Finzi Singers I decided to follow the example of Sacred and Profane and use authentic medieval pronunciation for which an expert coach was necessary. It brings an added element of colour to a familiar aural experience.Duration: 22 minutesPaul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011.
SKU: CF.CFD13
ISBN 9780825856549. UPC: 798408056544.
Ring in the Christmas season with great choral arrangements of some of your favorite carols and songs for the holidays. Songs featured on this recording include: Carol of the Bells, Sweet Little Jesus Boy, The First Noel, There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays, Soulful, Silent Night, Coventry Carol, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Come to Bethlehem, Baby, What You Goin' to Be?, Caribbeann l Carol, I Saw Three Ships, Lo, How A Rose, E'er Blooming, Infant Lowly, Thou Didst Leave Thy Throne, The Wexford Carol, Silent Night, Holy Night, Medieval Noel Jazz Jingle, We Three Kings.
SKU: HL.44011013
UPC: 884088637743. 9x12 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.
In A Medieval Christmas, Philip Sparke uses three ancient melodies in creating a distinctive and appealing setting for band. That fact that these carols are still popular today after hundreds of years is a testament to their enduring power and beauty. This suite includes Gaudete, a song of praise from the Middle Ages, Coventry Carol, a song of lament from the 14th century, and the familiar In Dulci Jubilo.
SKU: HL.44011012
UPC: 884088637736. 9.0x12.0x0.458 inches. English-German-French-Dutch.
SKU: MH.1-59913-050-5
ISBN 9781599130507.
Charles Dickens certainly would have known the three carols in A CHARLES DICKENS CHRISTMAS. They were among the best-known and best-loved carols of the Victorian Era, and were a staple of the repertoire of roving waits, or carollers, that appear in his novels. Today this music is as familiar as Santa Claus and Tiny Tim. THE FIRST NOWELL was first collected in Christmas Carols, Ancient and Modern by William Sandys in 1833. It is most probably 200 years older than that. The Oxford Book of Carols contains nine verses, which makes it an ideal processional for Christmas or Epiphany (the feast commemorating the coming of the Magi). COVENTRY CAROL, or Lully, Lullay, comes from the medieval tradition of mystery and miracle plays. In 1534 the Pageant of the Shearman and Tailors Guild included a scene in which the mothers of Jewish children sang this haunting lullaby after hearing the horrifying order: Herod the king, In his raging, All young children to slay. The music is anonymous; the text believed to be by Robert Croo. ANGELS WE HAVE HEARD ON HIGH is probably of French origin, but the English long ago adopted it as their own. Besides the French text, Les Anges dans nos compagnes, it is known in several versions and by several titles, including Angels from the Realms of Glory, When the Crimson Sun Had Set, and Westminster Carol. It belongs to a category known as macaronic carols, which mix vernacular verses with Latin refrains - in this instance, Gloria in Excelsis Deo (Glory be to God on High). Ensemble instrumentation: 1 Piccolo, 8 Flute, 2 Oboe, 1 Bassoon 1, 1 Bassoon 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 1, 4 Bb Clarinet 2, 4 Bb Clarinet 3, 1 Eb Alto Clarinet, 3 Bb Bass Clarinet & Bb Contrabass Clarinet, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 1, 2 Eb Alto Saxophone 2, 1 Bb Tenor Saxophone, 1 Eb Baritone Saxophone, 3 Bb Trumpet 1, 3 Bb Trumpet 2, 3 Bb Trumpet 3, 2 F Horn 1, 2 F Horn 2, 2 Trombone 1, 2 Trombone 2, 2 Trombone 3, 3 Euphonium (Bass Clef), 2 Euphonium (Treble Clef), 5 Tubas, 1 Timpani, 2 Bells & Chimes, 3 Percussion 1: small triangle, suspended cymbal, crash cymbal, snare drum, bass drum, 2 Percussion 2: large triangle, finger cymbals.
SKU: GI.G-CD-432
This brilliant first solo effort by gifted singer Theresa Donohoo is a splendid mix of traditional Christmas songs and newer material, all beautifully arranged and guaranteed to please a variety of musical tastes. Listeners will be captivated by haunting folk music generously laced with popular Celtic sounds, including the bodhran, whistle, and uillean pipes for a decidedly Irish flavor. New interpretations of several well-known carols-including a Gaelic version of The First No¥l with its soft, lilting strains-are sure to charm the musical ear. A medieval flavor permeates the collection, and the beguiling Carol of the Strangers is destined to become a Christmas classic for church groups. Fresh arrangements of I Saw Three Ships, Tomorrow Shall Be My Dancing Day, and Rise Up, Shepherd, and Follow bring dramatic new dimensions to these enchanting strains. Ms. Donohoo lends a captivating new melody and treatment to Brian Wren's Advent Herald.B.
