Chorus

Secular repertoire

Secular repertoire Cecilia McDowall Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo This powerful work, now available in a version for SSAA, tells the extraordinary story of Nujeen Mustafa, a Kurdish teenager with cerebral palsy forced by war to flee her home and embark on an arduous journey to Europe with her sister. A wealth of musical effects are employed to capture the narrative, including chorales, rhythmic spoken sections, body percussion, and a solo violin part infused with Middle Eastern flavours. There is also an SATB version. SSAA, solo violin, and piano 18 mins, Moderately Difficult In February 2020, Cecilia met Nujeen Mustafa (the girl whose story Cecilia set to music in Everyday Wonders: The Girl from Aleppo) during the Emirates LitFest, where the work received it’s Dubai premiere, and they took part in an interval talk about Nujeen’s experiences and the musical project. Recently cited by Bachtrack as the world’s most-performed female composer, Cecilia celebrates her 70th birthday in 2021. 978-0-19-353386-8 | Publishing August 2020 Ian Assersohn Slow Down Slow Down has a relaxed swing feel, with imaginative lyrics by the composer that encourage us to take time out of our busy lives. The vocal lines explore a swung quaver style, along with scat syllables and jazzy harmonies, all underpinned by a supportive yet characterful piano part. Also available for cambiata voices and piano in the Emerging Voices series. Photo credit: Karina-Lyburn ‘‘ The music bursts with compassion. The Birmingham Post ‘ David Bednall Idyll In this bittersweet pastoral setting, Bednall’s flowing melody lines are paired with the tender words of the poet, Siegfried Sasson. The 5/4 metre lends a wistful whimsical feel to the music, allowing the piece to flow freely, whilst retaining the playful syncopation so familiar in folk music. TTBB and piano 3 mins, Easy TTBB vocal score: 978-0-19-353213-7 | Published October 2019 SATB unaccompanied 4 mins, Moderately Difficult 978-0-19-353277-9 | Published November 2019 CCBar vocal score: 978-0-19-353009-6 | Published June 2019 14 Find Oxford Choral on Facebook for inspiration, news, and resources for the choral world

Secular repertoire Andy Brooke Sweet and low Setting a tender poem by Alfred, Lord Tennyson, this lullaby is full of sweet and recurring melodies that rock gently in 6/8 time. The vocal lines are well supported by a twinkling piano part and combine together to create a feeling of warmth and tranquillity. Also available in versions for SA and piano, and SABar and piano. SATB and piano 3 mins, Very Easy–Easy SATB vocal score: 978-0-19-353997-6 Publishing August 2020 SA vocal score: 978-0-19-353998-3 Publishing August 2020 SABar vocal score: Details are on p.12 Michael Higgins Scarborough Fair Higgins’s setting of this popular folk song is simple and wistful, particularly well-suited to children’s and youth choirs. With delicate quaver flourishes, the piano accompaniment flows gently alongside the vocal lines, creating suspensions that reflect the mysterious demands of the narrator. Originally published in The Oxford Book of Flexible Choral Songs. SSA and piano 2 1 /2 mins, Very Easy–Easy 978-0-19-354023-1 | Published March 2020 Michael Higgins Three American Songs Higgins’s arrangements of three North- American traditional songs are sophisticated and beautiful. The first, ‘Bright morning stars’, is illuminated by a shimmering piano part with opportunities for a soloist or small group. Energy and bounce is abundant throughout the second, ‘Little wheel a-turnin’’, where the melody is passed around the voices and coloured with interesting harmonies. The last piece, ‘He’s gone away’, is a parting song between two lovers with flowing melodies and accompaniment, and ends on a note of anticipation. SATB (with divisions) and piano 8 mins, Moderately Difficult 978-0-19-354051-4 | Publishing June 2020 Henry Purcell Arranged by Stanley M. Hoffman When I am laid in earth In this innovative arrangement, Stanley M. Hoffman takes Henry Purcell’s most popular solo aria, the ‘Lament’ from his opera Dido and Aeneas, and reimagines it as a choral work, thus making a staple of the solo song repertoire available for choral performance. Soprano solo and SATB unaccompanied 4 mins, Easy–Moderately Difficult 978-0-19-353523-7 | Published February 2020 Sarah Quartel See the light See the light sets a text by the composer inspired by the Hawaiian story ‘The Bowl of Light’. With its uplifting melodies and energetic rhythms, this accessible piece explores the light in each person and creates a sense of community, while the sparkling piano accompaniment supports the voices with its repeating figures. SA and piano 4 mins, Very Easy–Easy 978-0-19-353112-3 | Published January 2020 Howard Skempton Poems of Love and War This is an imaginative setting of a sequence of nine poems from ‘Viking Poetry of Love and War’ by Judith Jesch. The war poems are formal and celebratory, making vivid use of figures of speech known as ‘kennings’, while the love poems are more direct, and sometimes playful. SATB unaccompanied 8 mins, Easy–Moderately Difficult 978-0-19-353354-7 | Published February 2020 Will Todd All will be well With a text by the composer, this is a beautiful piece about optimism, companionship, and the belief that ‘all will be well’. Todd’s gentle melodies are supported by a delicate, pulsing piano accompaniment, and an optional percussion part that adds extra spark to the music. Also available in a version for SABar (see page 12). SA and piano (with optional percussion) 4 mins, Easy 978-0-19-353996-9 | Publishing August 2020 To listen to recordings, visit www.oup.com/sheetmusic or search on Spotify 15