SKU: ST.W187

ISBN 9790220203305.

Anthony Caesar finds a moving text by the teenage Etonian, Oxford Movement influenced, Digby Mackworth Dolben (1848-1867), who died tragically young while swimming. Canon Caesar's anthem is a classic example of the Franciscan principle (observed by lamentably few composers) of true beauty springing from simplicity.

The text inspires a sort of post-Howells harmonic idiom, though with the choir's part kept remarkably simple. The most inspired moment comes when the opening progression, which sets the poignant tension of the first three verses, is subtly transformed into radiant certainty in the last verse: I asked for Thee- / And Thou didst come / To take me home / Within Thy Heart to be. Although the parts divide at times, this miniature classic is not too difficult for any well rehearsed four-part choir.

SKU: C4.9790902260473

ISBN 9790902260473. 8.27 x 11.7 inches.

Forming part of the A Distant Music anthology, Praise: Psalms and Prayers 1 showcases 20 sacred choral works by Australian composers, most published here for the first time.

Containing a variety of accompanied and unaccompanied works, Praise: Psalms and Prayers 1 offers choirs access to quality Australian sacred music. Settings include texts from the Book of Psalms, well-known prayers as well as a spiritual poem by Australian Erica Jolly.

The 90-page volume covers a range of abilities and variety of compositional styles.

SKU: HP.C6368

UPC: 763628163686.

Favorite hymn With alluring harmonies, exquisite voice leading, and an elegant piano part, this refreshing setting of Sebastian Temples' Prayer of St. Francis calls us all to be peacemakers.

SKU: PR.312419020

ISBN 9781491131862. UPC: 680160680474. 6.875 x 10.5 inches. English.

Commissioned by the San Francisco Choral Society and the Piedmont East Bay Children’s Choir, Terra Nostra is a 70-minute oratorio on the relationship between our planet and humankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. Part I: Creation of the World explores various creation myths from different cultures, culminating in a joyous celebration of the beauty of our planet. Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines human achievements, particularly since the dawn of our Industrial Age, and how these achievements have impacted the planet. Part III: Searching for Balance questions how to create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. In addition to the complete oratorio, stand-alone movements for mixed chorus, and for solo voice with piano, are also available separately.
Terra Nostra focuses on the relationship between our planet and mankind, how this relationship has shifted over time, and how we can re-establish a harmonious balance. The oratorio is divided into three parts:Part I: Creation of the World celebrates the birth and beauty of our planet. The oratorio begins with creation myths from India, North America, and Egypt that are integrated into the opening lines of Genesis from the Old Testament. The music surges forth from these creation stories into “God’s World” by Edna St. Vincent Millay, which describes the world in exuberant and vivid detail. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “On thine own child” praises Mother Earth for her role bringing forth all life, while Walt Whitman sings a love song to the planet in “Smile O voluptuous cool-breathed earth!” Part I ends with “A Blade of Grass” in which Whitman muses how our planet has been spinning in the heavens for a very long time.Part II: The Rise of Humanity examines the achievements of mankind, particularly since the dawn of the Industrial Age. Lord Alfred Tennyson’s “Locksley Hall” sets an auspicious tone that mankind is on the verge of great discoveries. This is followed in short order by Charles Mackay’s “Railways 1846,” William Ernest Henley’s “A Song of Speed,” and John Gillespie Magee, Jr.’s “High Flight,” each of which celebrates a new milestone in technological achievement. In “Binsey Poplars,” Gerard Manley Hopkins takes note of the effect that these advances are having on the planet, with trees being brought down and landscapes forever changed. Percy Bysshe Shelley’s “A Dirge” concludes Part II with a warning that the planet is beginning to sound a grave alarm.Part III: Searching for Balance questions how we can create more awareness for our planet’s plight, re-establish a deeper connection to it, and find a balance for living within our planet’s resources. Three texts continue the earth’s plea that ended the previous section: Lord Byron’s “Darkness” speaks of a natural disaster (a volcano) that has blotted out the sun from humanity and the panic that ensues; contemporary poet Esther Iverem’s “Earth Screaming” gives voice to the modern issues of our changing climate; and William Wordsworth’s “The World Is Too Much With Us” warns us that we are almost out of time to change our course. Contemporary/agrarian poet Wendell Berry’s “The Want of Peace” speaks to us at the climax of the oratorio, reminding us that we can find harmony with the planet if we choose to live more simply, and to recall that we ourselves came from the earth. Two Walt Whitman texts (“A Child said, What is the grass?” and “There was a child went forth every day”) echo Berry’s thoughts, reminding us that we are of the earth, as is everything that we see on our planet. The oratorio concludes with a reprise of Whitman’s “A Blade of Grass” from Part I, this time interspersed with an additional Whitman text that sublimely states, “I bequeath myself to the dirt to grow from the grass I love…”My hope in writing this oratorio is to invite audience members to consider how we interact with our planet, and what we can each personally do to keep the planet going for future generations. We are the only stewards Earth has; what can we each do to leave her in better shape than we found her?

SKU: XC.HRMG1939

UPC: 785147103455. English. Text source: Traditional.

Elegant in its simplicity, this anthem provides opportunities for artistic performance with limited rehearsal time. The piece utilizes an accessible piano accompaniment and optional handbells, with a few places designated as optional a cappella. The final verse of the work recaps the original theme while the optional descant on the text “Peace be with you” soars. .