Top 10 Songs...
Original Music
- Only Music
This is very much an anthem of choirs. The idea of music being essential to many peoples lives has been around for years and used in songs like "Music" and "How can I live without my music"."Only Music" takes the same theme, but makes it specific to choirs, especially with the line "And this is the music only choirs can sing...." This is moderately difficult (especially for the pianist) but well worth the effort. - Together We Can Work Miracles
No man is an island! - All You Were and All You Are
A gentl, moing song with beautiful melody and harmony. For choir and piano. - All You Were and All You Are
- More Than the Rain
for an inspirational conductor - Nelson Mandela (Across the Skies)
Nelson Mandela is one of the world’s greatest ever leaders and this song pays tribute to him. Born into a country where the black indigenous people had virtually no rights, no respect and no hope, he never tired of challenging this discrimination, and spent 27 years of his life in prison because of his efforts. But his ultimate triumph is now well known and he remains a beacon for humanity. This song was written for Margaret Rogers and The Blythe Choir, who gave Alan a free hand to write a song on any subject, and were completely in sympathy with the finished product. - Ode On St Cecilia's Day
to the patron saint of music - On Staffa
A Scottish seascape - The Humber Bridge
Inspired by the awsome sight of this magnificent bridge at sunrise - Evening Star
A nostalgic song about the last steam engine to be built in Britain - Sing for Your Life
Looking for a real challenge for your male voice choir? This could be your answer. Take a break from this hectic, computer and mobile phone driven life! - Bring Back the Beguine
Inspired by the great age of swing, this is a new swing song, but you'll recognise the references! - Roads
A folk-style song; which road should we choose? - The Road to Home
Another folk-style ballad, in The Seekers tradition - They Don't Write Em Like That Any More
for Eileen, who inspired this new swing number that making a misnoma of it's title! - Whenever I'm Here With You
A love song in the style of the "Great American Songbook" but who is the subject of this love? There's a slightly unusual twist at the end of this song! - Five Shillings
More a study in nostalgia than inflation, but both apply! - Sleepy Head
All about the inspiration and aspirations that come with a new baby - New Broom
One of the wittiest songs you'll see for quite some time! - Dream Catching
Elisa Barker's fascinating piece of vocalise. A cappella. - Energy
Performed at The Proms in 1998, this piece also has scope for audience participation - Psalm 23
Barry Russell's beautiful setting - Psalm 57 - Vocal Score
Written for double choir and piano, this is a powerful setting by Alan Woods - Psalm 57 - Vocal lines only (piano part not shown)
- Let the Nations Rejoice and be Glad (Psalm 67)
Alan Woods' joyous setting for SATB and piano - Psalm 100
Another Alan Woods setting, this time a cappella - Psalm 126
George Stead's music, written for his Colne Valley MVC - Ye Dragons and All Deeps (Psalm 148)
Alan Simmons's a cappella SATB setting, written for the Norwich SfP festival - Beauchamp Gloria - Full Score
Written for St Mary's Church, Warwick, this Gloria sets adult and children's choirs on an equal footing. The traditional Latin text is sung by the adults, but the children continually question them with their English text. The work was based on the relationship between Sir Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and his prisoner, Joan of Arc. Accompanied by brass, percussion and organ - Beauchamp Gloria - Vocal Score
Written for St Mary's Church, Warwick, this Gloria sets adult and children's choirs on an equal footing. The traditional Latin text is sung by the adults, but the children continually question them with their English text. The work was based on the relationship between Sir Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and his prisoner, Joan of Arc. Accompanied by brass, percussion and organ - Beauchamp Gloria - Vocal lines only (accomp not shown)
Like The Great Fire of London, the Beauchamp Gloria is designed for large mixed choirs with semi-chorus (or, preferably, an adult mixed and a youth mixed choir) and children’s choir. The accompaniment is for 3 horns, 4 trumpets, 4 trombones, organ, percussion and timpani. The work was written for St Mary’s Church Warwick, the home of the Earls of Warwick. Richard, 13th Earl of Warwick, was governor of Rouen at the time of Joan of Arc, and was ultimately responsible for her death. He had the final word. Richard’s tomb is to be found in the Beauchamp Chapel in St Mary’s Church. The work looks at the relationship between Richard and Joan of Arc. It makes no attempt to pass judgement on either of them but simply makes the listener aware that those times were very different from ours. At first he adult chorus sings, in Latin, the traditional words of the Gloria. But the children sing in English, as if to question the legitimacy of the Latin text in the same way that Joan questioned the legitimacy of the rule of Richard. Towards the end they are, to a certain extent, reconciled and both choirs use both languages. - Beauchamp Gloria - children's choir part (photocopiable)
Written for St Mary's Church, Warwick, this Gloria sets adult and children's choirs on an equal footing. The traditional Latin text is sung by the adults, but the children continually question them with their English text. The work was based on the relationship between Sir Richard Beauchamp, 13th Earl of Warwick, and his prisoner, Joan of Arc. Accompanied by brass, percussion and organ - Lord's Prayer
Alan Woods' haunting setting for SATTBB, written for the BBC TV Kingdom Come series - Sing Agreeably of Love
Another Alan Woods setting, this time of words by W H Auden - I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes
A setting of Psalm 121 by Alan Simmons - Blow, Blow Thou Winter Wind
A sharp, biting setting of Shakespeare's words, for male voices and piano - It's Your Song That We Sing
A challenging arrangement for male voices to really get their teeth into this provides a mixture of powerful, driving rhythm and rich harmony. A wonderful Alan Simmons original that you will be glad that you put the effort into. - I Was Glad
Herbert Sumsion's setting of Psalm 150 - Love Song
words by George Darley, set for the Skelmanthorpe MVC - Serenade
Alexander Borodin's only a cappella piece for male voices is a real gem - Wind of Change
Commissioned by the Cornwall International Male Voice Choral Festival, this is a challenging piece that will really stretch your choir - but all the hard work will definitely be worth it. - The Night Mail
W H Auden's famous poem set to music by Alan Woods - Radar
A quirky look at strange concept of things like the Doppler effect and radar in general - Schubert - 11 Part Songs for male voices
This new edition by Judith Blezzard presents 11 of Schubert's great songs for male voice choirs - Widerspruch/A Paradox
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Nachthelle/Night's Radiance
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Sehnsucht/Longing
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Gesang der Geister/Spirit's Song
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Wein und Liebe/Wine and Love
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Grab und Mond/The Moonlit Grave
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Geist der Liebe/Spirit of Love
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Das Dorfchen/The Hamlet
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Lied im Freien/Song in the Open Air
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Salieri-Beitrag/Tribute to Salieri
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Trinklied/Drinking Song
from the new Schubert book of 11 part songs - Irving
A tribute to Irving Berlin, an asylum seeker who did so much for his adopted country - Cricket (Short Leg, Long Leg and Silly Mid-Off!)
A humorous explanation of the finer points of cricket. This arrangement is moderate in difficulty. It has a lively, rhythmic tune, but really lives for the words. You will discover that, when you look closely, how to beat the Aussies is quite clear. The England team simply needs to take note………! - Ave Maria
Barry Russell's Psalm 23 has been very popuar with upper voice choirs for years, now here's another in the same style. - The Seven Ages of Song
What was the first tune you ever sang? It’s likely you don’t remember, but there’s an even chance it was something like “Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star”, so that’s where we start! But we don’t stay in one phase for long, so during childhood our songs become a little more sophisticated. Then we reach our teenage years and become mildly rebellious with a bit of Rock’n’Roll. Moving on to our twenties and perhaps the rock becomes a little heavier! But soon it’s all cut short by romance, marriage and maybe children, heralding your maturity. So your music will naturally become more sophisticated, maybe with shades of George Gershwin et al. When the children grow up, perhaps that’s the time to join a male voice choir! Time passes by so quickly, but don’t despair! Our final stages of song can be reached only through experience. All our influences come to bear, and we produce an ecclectic and enjoyable mixture of all the styles we have passed through! Can all of this appear in one song? It certainly can! - Travel in Style
words and music by Elizabeth Sidebotham. This is the winning entry in the Composition Competition of the 2009 Cornwall International Male Voice Choir Festival. It takes a humorous and nostalgic look at various ways to travel! - The Great Fire of London - Vocal Score
Commissioned by Neil Ferris and The Epworth Choir of Guildford. Lasting 14 minutes, it is scored for soprano solo (Pepys’s maid), baritone solo (Pepys himself), mixed voice choir, children’s choir, 2 pianos and percussion. The instrumentation is the same as for the 2 pianos/percussion version of Carmina Burana, and was first performed in the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, along with that work. With words taken from Samuel Pepys’s diary, his words bring to life the spectacle, the chaos, the horror and the drama of that first day, from the early hours of the morning when he was awoken by his maid and warned that there was a fire burning in London Town. “Don’t trouble yourself” he said, “It’s far enough away” and went back to bed! But his sleep was short, and he was soon out on the streets seeing the drama unfold for himself. The music reflects the excitement and colour of the words, even the humour as Pepys describes a barge floating down the Thames with a cargo of just two virginals! (Hints of a 17th century dance bizarrely mixed with the lapping flames.) The work closes in very dramatic, almost violent style with a setting of these words from Pepys: “But it rose in one arch that was vicious and strong, From the bridge to the hill in a great bow and beyond, And churches and houses were burning as one With the noise from the flames And the cracking of houses at their ruin!” - The Great Fire of London - Full Score
Commissioned by Neil Ferris and The Epworth Choir of Guildford. Lasting 14 minutes, it is scored for soprano solo (Pepys’s maid), baritone solo (Pepys himself), mixed voice choir, children’s choir, 2 pianos and percussion. The instrumentation is the same as for the 2 pianos/percussion version of Carmina Burana, and was first performed in the Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford, along with that work. With words taken from Samuel Pepys’s diary, his words bring to life the spectacle, the chaos, the horror and the drama of that first day, from the early hours of the morning when he was awoken by his maid and warned that there was a fire burning in London Town. “Don’t trouble yourself” he said, “It’s far enough away” and went back to bed! But his sleep was short, and he was soon out on the streets seeing the drama unfold for himself. The music reflects the excitement and colour of the words, even the humour as Pepys describes a barge floating down the Thames with a cargo of just two virginals! (Hints of a 17th century dance bizarrely mixed with the lapping flames.) The work closes in very dramatic, almost violent style with a setting of these words from Pepys: “But it rose in one arch that was vicious and strong, From the bridge to the hill in a great bow and beyond, And churches and houses were burning as one With the noise from the flames And the cracking of houses at their ruin!”
I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes
I Will Lift Up Mine Eyes
A setting of Psalm 121 by Alan Simmons
Composer: Alan Simmons
| Price: | £1.75 | ||||
| Score: | SATB | SAB | SSA | TTBB | TTBB Solfa |
| Code: | MIX043 | FEM032 | MAL025 | ||
| Quantity: |
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Recording Available on iTunes