Francis Pott’s My song is love unknown sets all of Samuel Crossman’s famous verses but one (commonly omitted when the poem is sung metrically as a hymn). The music begins with offbeat repeated chords prompted—not inappropriately—by the opening to Richard Strauss’s tone poem  Death and transfiguration. In its early stages only trebles and altos are heard. The sequential flow of Crossman’s poem is soon disrupted with particular dramatic ends in mind. After a seemingly anxious harmonic distortion of the opening chords the word ‘crucify’ arises initially as a mere mutter from the lowervoices so timed as to afford assonance with other words in the upper parts and thus remain barely discernible as if only imagined. In due course however cries of ‘Hosanna’ find themselves on a collision course with a rising tide of ‘Crucify’ during which the ‘Hosanna’ faction gradually loses heart and sheep-like defects until a single treble voice—plaintively daring to repeat the ‘offending’ word—is swept aside by a murderous outcry. In due course ‘Crucify’ recurs as a further angry climax before the opening music returns this time expanding into an extended polyphonic final section for double choir and SATB soloists. The principal climax of the work subsides into a form of epilogue crowned sorrowfully by a treble soloist to whom the music in toto has by now presented many challenges. The anthem ends in the key and mood of its opening. The character of its demanding organ part reflects the possibility that it may one day be orchestrated.   My song is love unknown was composed in memory of Michael Renton a craftsman and largely self-taught ‘Renaissance’ man who was not only a member of the Winchester cathedral congregation but also the cathedral’s stonemason. He was beloved of many in the Cathedral community; a true and

Selected by the ACDA Publications Committee, this stunning anthology reveals the overlooked American composers of choral music from the Romantic Era. 33 superb compositions are carefully edited along with historical commentary byDr. David P. DeVenney. Recordings of many of the pieces are also included. This is a resource that will be required at every American choral institution. Includes works by William Batchelder Bradbury, George F. Bristow, DudleyBuck, George Whitefield Chadwick, William Wallace Gilchrist, Henry Hadley, John Knowles Paine, Horatio Parker, and James Cutler Dunn Parker. Audio is accessed online using the unique code inside the book and can be streamed ordownloaded.

KV 626-Hardback facsimile; Half-leather binding; 235 pages - 24 4 x 33 0 cm.Mozart???s Requiem: Truth and Legend.Facsimile of the autograph score held in the Austrian National Library with a foreword/introduction by Christoph Wolf.Mozart???s ???Requiem??? is fraught with questions and emotions: the expressive depth of its music sorrow at the great composer???s early death truth and legend fragments and attempts to complete the work.The surviving manuscript reflects its dramatic history: Mozart???s handwriting often appears on the same page as inscriptions by S?ssmayr and others. One corner of a pagewith Mozart???s final musical thoughts was later stolen but an old photograph bears witness to it.This high-quality new facsimile presents each page individually trimmed to convey a vivid impression of the original.Besides a detailed description of the manuscript by G?nter Brosche the volume contains a Foreword by Christoph Wolff depicting the work???s genesis.Barenreiter Facsimilie:The seal is used exclusively for facsimile editions published by B?renreiter which meet the highest demands in both scholarly and technical terms.The distinguishing features include:A facsimile in high-quality colour printingScholarly commentaryAttractive cover design

The Black Knight (Op.25) is a secular cantata for chorus and orchestra composed in 1893. It takes its text from a poem from H. W. Longfellow which is itself a translation of a poem in German by Ludwig Uhland. The choral parts act as a backing to the orchestra showing how Elgar was developing his orchestration techniques and talents although this development went unnoticed until the sudden success of the Enigma Variations in 1899. Edward Elgar (1857-1934) is one of England’s best-known and most-loved composers. He was self-taught as composer coming from outside the musical and social establishment which allowed his music to be fresh and unencumbered.

Commissioned by Gavin Bryars' long-standing collaborators, ensemble Aventa, and with a libretto by author and poet Marilyn Bowering, Bryars' Marilyn Forever examines the inner life of Marilyn Monroe, and her intellectual and emotional relationships with death and love.Often seen as a victim, fantasy and sex object, the character of Monroe is fleshed out in this chamber opera: 'We are given through Monroe's own voice her combination of sensitivity and exhibitionism, allied to the narrative of the 'chorus', a view from the 'inside' of the conflicting emotion and ambitions of this compelling and timeless personality.' (Aventa) / Choeur