Top 10 Songs...
Folk, Spirituals, Hymns, Anthems
- Amen
Many choirs have said how much they and their audiences have enjoyed “Every Time I Feel the Spirit” and “Give Me That Old Time Religion”. Two rousing, up-beat spirituals that never fail to excite. Well, by popular demand, here’s another! Amen (the “A” pronounced the American “way”) incorporates “This Little Light of Mine”. Like “Old Time Religion” it starts gently, but don’t be fooled! From a gentle start it develops into a real rocker. You’ll find the audience will spontaneously join in towards the end and you can have a slight smile when the choir suddenly stops in mid phrase before the final “Amens” come in. The audience by then will be in full swing and will find themselves singing solo! A moment to enjoy for choir and audience! - Aberystwyth
Aberystwyth (Jesu, lover of my soul) is the perfect hymn for a male voice choir. Dramatic and powerful, with a very strong melody that is universally loved. It’s minor key along with the pounding movement of the piano, and the solid unison first verse from the choir followed by a rich 4-part harmony second verse, make it anthem-like. A solo tenor sings the third verse with a delicate, wistful piano accompaniment, then after a modulation, the 4-part harmony and driving accompaniment return in verse 4 to complete the hymn. - Amble Feast
Northumbrian song - Tynesiders - Vocal Score
a fantasia on Geordie folk songs, featuring The Keel Row, The Water of Tyne, - Tynesiders - Vocal lines only (piano part not shown)
Whether you’re a Tynesider or not, this fantasy will provide a hugely enjoyable 10 minutes in your programme. Originally commissioned by the Lemington Male Voice Choir of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (no surprises there!) There is a very rich tradition of folk song in the north-east and this collection picks out some of the best. The Keel Row is one that most of us have known since childhood. It featured regularly in the BBC radio children’s programmes such as “Time and Tune” or “Rhythm and Melody” (the older members of your choir may remember these!) Then comes “The Water of Tyne”, one of the most beautiful songs ever to come from the Geordie tradition. “Dance to Thy Daddy” spins us back to a very up-beat tempo before another lovely Geordie song, “Bonny at Morn”. Finally we’re reminded of the coal mining tradition with a powerful, driving version of “Byker Hill”. - A Welsh Fantasy
A Yorkshireman's tribute to Wales, featuring Men of Harlech, Watching the Wheat, The Ash Grove and Land of My Fathers - The White Rose
A Cornish folk song - Every time I feel the spirit
A rousing spiritual, easy to sing and very effective! - Give Me That Old Time Religion
Starts slowly and grows to a huge climax - Four Spirituals
Very effective unaccompanied settings - She's Like the Swallow
She’s Like the Swallow is a beautiful Canadian folk song. The arrangement was commissioned by the Waterloo Regional Police Male Voice Choir of Kitchener, Toronto. The haunting melody is heard first of all in unison, then in two part counterpoint and, in verse 3, four-part harmony. The melody is then passed around the choir, with the basses (or altos in the SSAA edition) singing down the octave in verse 5, accompanied by a tenor counter-melody. The four part harmony returns with a key change that moves into the last verse, finishing with a gentle unison and a diminuendo to the close. The piano throughout provides a gentle, rippling counter-melody. This is a really lovely song. - Scarborough Fair
Scarborough Fair is one of our oldest publications. It was commissioned by the Saddleworth Male Voice Choir and is very much in the Vaughan Williams style of folk song arrangement. It can be done with just piano accompaniment, but for a little more colour you can add a solo flute, or flute, oboe, clarinet and double bass. The opening flute tune was inspired by the flute opening to Vaughan Williams’ setting of Greensleeves, and the song lends itself so well to that sort of accompaniment. The SSA version of this arrangement, with the full instrumental accompaniment, was the first piece of Alan Simmons’ music to be performed at the Royal Albert Hall (but not the last!). - A Yorkshire Mixture
Yorkshire folk songs without Ilkla Moor? (Or is it?!) - The Lost Chord
There are other versions of The Lost chord available for male voice choir, so why add another? Alan Simmons was commissioned to write this arrangement for the Festival of 1000 Yorkshire Male Voices in the Royal Albert Hall in 1991. The organisers wanted a version that was fairly easy to learn and that could be accompanied by piano or organ. This is the result. In the event, it was sung by the thousand voices accompanied by piano and organ, and the Brighouse and Rastrick Band! Still the choir held its own! - Over Jordan (A collection of 9 spirituals)
9 spirituals for choirs, featuring Every Time I Feel the Spirit, All God's Chillun Got Shoes, Listen to de Lambs, Peter Go Ring Dem Bells, Give Me That Old Time Religion, Deep River, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot, Down by the Riverside and Go Down Moses - Simple Folk
Enjoyable a cappella arrangements of ten famous British folk songs - All Through the Night,Blaydon Races, Blow the Wind Southerly, The Bluebell of Scotland, Greensleeves, The Licolnshire Poacher, Strawberry Fair, Sweet Las of Richmond Hill, Widdecombe Fair, Ye Banks and Braes - Swing Low, Sweet Chariot
A driving arrangement of this great spiritual - On Ilkla Moor Baht 'At
Yorkshire's best known song, wittily arranged - Let There Be Peace On Earth
A thoughtful ending for your concert. - Saints Alive! (When the Saints Go Marching In)
So what’s different about this version of “When the Saints Go Marching In”? Well, it has a brand new introduction that really sets the scene and builds up the excitement; it has a traditional jazz section with parts for kazoos; it has a touch of George Frederick Handel during the verse “And on that hallelujah day”; it has echoes of a New Orleans marching band….. In fact, it has everything! If you know Alan Simmons’ arrangements of “Amen” and “Give Me That Old Time Religion” you’ll get the idea! Great fun to sing! - Danny Boy (Londonderry Air)
Alan Simmons’s new arrangement of one of the world’s best-loved melodies. Traditional Irish song with solo. Piano accompanied. - Nimrod (Agnus Dei)
Written for the Alcester Male Voice Choir on their 35th Anniversary. Elgar’s “Nimrod” is the most famous of the “Enigma” Variations. Originally written for orchestra, but like Samuel Barber’s Adagio for Strings, it lends itself very readily to voices. In this arrangement the words used are those of the Agnus Dei. The accompaniment can be piano or organ, or both. - All God's Chillun Got Shoes
Popular Spiritual. A cappella. - All Through The Night
Popular Welsh folk song. A cappella. - Blaydon Races
The famous Geordie folk song written in the 19th century by Geordie Ridley. Arr by Alan Simmons. A cappella. - Blow The Wind Southerly
This English folk song from Northumbria tells of a lover hoping for a southerly wind to blow her bonnie back home to her. A cappella. - Deep River
Short, popular spiritual. Piano accompanied. - Down By The Riverside
A traditional gospel song. First published in Carl Sandburg’s The American Songbag (1927). Guitar accompanied. - Go Down Moses
Popular spiritual. Piano accompanied. - Greensleeves
A traditional English folk song. Arr by Alan Simmons. Piano accompanied. - Listen To De Lambs
Popular spiritual. A cappella. - Peter Go Ring Dem Bells
Popular spiritual for choirs. A cappella. - Strawberry Fair
The popular traditional English folk song. A cappella. - Sweet Lass of Richmond Hill
A traditional folk song. A cappella. - Sweet Little Jesus Boy
- The Bluebell of Scotland
A traditional Scottish folk song. A cappella. - The Lincolnshire Poacher
A traditional English folk song. It is considered to be the unofficial county anthem of Lincolnshire. Piano accompanied. - Widdicombe Fair
The traditional Devon folk song with ‘Uncle Tom Cobley’. Arr Alan Simmons. A cappella. - Ye Banks and Braes
The traditional folk song. A capella.
Tynesiders - Vocal lines only (piano part not shown)
Tynesiders - Vocal lines only (piano part not shown)
Whether you’re a Tynesider or not, this fantasy will provide a hugely enjoyable 10 minutes in your programme. Originally commissioned by the Lemington Male Voice Choir of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (no surprises there!) There is a very rich tradition of folk song in the north-east and this collection picks out some of the best. The Keel Row is one that most of us have known since childhood. It featured regularly in the BBC radio children’s programmes such as “Time and Tune” or “Rhythm and Melody” (the older members of your choir may remember these!) Then comes “The Water of Tyne”, one of the most beautiful songs ever to come from the Geordie tradition. “Dance to Thy Daddy” spins us back to a very up-beat tempo before another lovely Geordie song, “Bonny at Morn”. Finally we’re reminded of the coal mining tradition with a powerful, driving version of “Byker Hill”.
Composer: trad
Arranged by: Alan Simmons
| Price: | £1.60 | ||||
| Score: | SATB | SAB | SSA | TTBB | TTBB Solfa |
| Code: | MAL048 | ||||
| Quantity: |