In a Sacred Mood

There is no rose of such virtue is an anonymous mediaeval text, already well known through beautiful settings by Britten (in his Ceremony of Carols), John Joubert and others. The poem is 'macaronic' (it presents a verse in English, followed by a varying Latin refrain). This new version follows the illustrious examples above by remaining strophic and presenting broadly the same music in a succession of slightly different guises. The first verse is a straightforward four-part setting, the second gives the melody to the tenors and surrounds them with hushed, wordless writing for the other parts, and the third explores a freely canonic relationship between the tenor and soprano lines before carrying the previous verse-endings to a higher, more exalted pitch and mood. The fourth verse then expands its texture in a free climactic passage evoking the songs of praise sung by the angels. This subsides towards the final verse, where the texture of the music attenuates again to four parts, and canonic writing (based on the first four notes of the original melody) permeates all of them. This slightly extended statement leads to a hushed final cadence. Francis Pott (b. 1957) began musical life as a chorister at New College, Oxford. He held open music scholarships at Winchester College and at Magdalene College, Cambridge, where he studied composition with Robin Holloway and Hugh Wood while pursuing piano studies privately in London with the distinguished British artist, Hamish Milne. Throughout the 1990s Francis was John Bennett Lecturer in Music at St Hilda's College, Oxford, and a lay clerk in the Choir of Winchester Cathedral. In 2001 he became Head of London College of Music, University of West London, later leading research across the University's Faculty of Arts and acceding in 2007 to its first Chair in Composition. Francis Pott has become recognised particularly for his sacred choral and organ music. This has been performed in concert and on radio in over three dozen countries worldwide, published by four major UK houses and released extensively on CD. Winner of four national composition awards, in 1997 he received first prize in the piano solo section of the S. S. Prokofiev Composing Competition, Moscow. In 2006 and 2011 he was a nominated finalist in the BASCA/BBC Annual Composer Awards. In summer 2012 he was winner of the international composing competition of the Cheltenham Festival, which sought new piano variations on the arioso song Bist du bei mir, well known in the arrangement by J. S. Bach. Francis lives with his wife and two children on the outskirts of Winchester. An inspiring selection of new works from a range of contemporary composers, the Novello New Choral Series offers 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. / Choeur Mixte (SATB)

Text By Chief Yellow Lark Lakota Soux-Simple repeated note patterns form the melodic and accompanimental textures of this piece evoking a sense of humility.Each verse builds toward a cascade of running 8th notes that subside in quietness. A mood of reverence permeates the piece as Chief Yellow Lark's words uttered with eternity in mind reveal all of life to be sacred.

An expressive setting of the Collect for Compline this short anthem for treble voices creates a reflective and spiritual mood for worship or sacred concert performances.

Music for the perfect wedding day... religious service civil ceremony & reception-Whether it be a traditional white wedding in church or a contemporary civil ceremony in non-religious surroundings everyone wants their wedding day to be perfect. The pieces in the Confetti and Cake volume will help wedding couples and choirs alike choose the most appropriate and effective music for any occasion.There is music that caters for all tastes and abilities offering plenty of balance and variety. Pieces range from very simple to the somewhat more complex. Standard sacred repertoire (Bach Gounod Mozart Walford Davies etc.) is followed by some contemporary church anthems one (by Will Todd) written specially for this book; favourites such as theperennial Flower Duet appear alongside other enticing non-religious music; finally we have some secular romantic love songs (Jerome Kern Swingle numbers and even some G&S!) which cannot fail to capture the mood of the day. Sing these either at the ceremony itself or perhaps later at the reception.There are notes at the end of the book which provide very brief background information: eg texts (with translation where appropriate) dates and approximate timings so the ceremony can be planned meticulously.Whatever the circumstances and size of your choir there will be a something within this volume that will suit you. But more than that the versatility of the Concerts for Choirs series is such that it can be used as an invaluable resource for choral material whatever your requirements.

John Leavitt graces us with a new more accessible edition of an early music classic. Jacob Arcadelt's early sacred music has a serenity and a purity of sound and mood that is enhanced in this arrangement for treble voices. Thisedited arrangement is sung a cappella and is also available for SATB choirs. This is a marvelous choice for winter or Christmas concert contest or festival; or for exposure to some of the great music of the sixteenth century.

John Leavitt graces us with a new more accessible edition of an early music classic. Jacob Arcadelt's early sacred music has a serenity and a purity of sound and mood that is enhanced in this arrangement for treble voices. Thisedited arrangement is sung a cappella and is also available for SATB choirs. This is a marvelous choice for winter or Christmas concert contest or festival; or for exposure to some of the great music of the sixteenth century.

Companion dual CD for 'Guitar Images' (MB#22193). The solos in this collection present a myriad of moods on the guitar. They were written to be very expressive contemplative pieces which could be performed in a variety ofsecular and sacred settings. Most of the pieces are from three solo collections previously released entitled 'Guitar Meditations' (MB22029) 'Guitar Airs and Ballads' (MB22039) and 'Timeless Solos for Guitar' (MB22041). Some ofthe pieces were scored for 7-string guitar; others 6-string guitar. Many of the solos use a 'cross-picking' technique alternating higher position closed strings and open strings resulting in a 'harp-like' effect. A number of thepieces are in Dropped D tuning highlighting the rich resonance that tuning gives the instrument. Explore the diverse moods presented in this collection! Performed by William Bay.

All the motets in this volume are quite early works taken from the collection 'Sacrae Cantiones Quinque Vocum' published in 1562 at Nuremburg. The typical features of these works are their virtuoso character and exuberance. These are achieved through the use of predominantly bright tonalities frequent variation of textures and dramatic harmonic and melodic touches.Edited by Ivan Moody this is part of a series of short volumes each devoted to a single composer or appropriate group of composers thoroughly exploring the unlimited resources of Renaissance sacred polyphony. Contains keyboard part for rehearsal purposes.

A selection of nine works by Tomkins including his seven Penitential Psalms which comprise a fine and coherent set. Edited by Ivan Moody this is part of a series of short volumes each devoted to a single composer or appropriate group of composers thoroughly exploring the unlimited resources of Renaissance sacred polyphony.

All the motets in this volume are quite early works, taken from the collection 'Sacrae Cantiones Quinque Vocum', published in 1562 at Nuremburg. The typical features of these works are their virtuoso character and exuberance. These are achieved through the use of predominantly bright tonalities, frequent variation of textures and dramatic harmonic and melodic touches. Edited by Ivan Moody, this is part of a series of short volumes, each devoted to a single composer or appropriate group of composers, thoroughly exploring the unlimited resources of Renaissance sacred polyphony. Contains keyboard part for rehearsal purposes. / Chant Et Piano