Thank You For World So Sweet : Canon

Two-Part Canon with descant and Piano (optional flute, violin and violoncello)

Vanitas Vanitatum : Canon in 2, 3, or 4 parts

Canon for two, three or four parts (SSSS) by Jan Sweelinck.

Abbé Stadler : Canon

While this canon may sound quite serious, it was written in friendly jest for Beethoven's friend, Abbé Stadler, a priest. The first two phrases are written in Italian to signify the relationship of the text to the church in Rome. The last phrase, in the vernacular, is a good-natured chastisement and threat!

Canon In D

Friendship Song : Czech Canon

The Friendship Song, arranged here by Doreen Rao, was first taught to the Glen Ellyn Children's Chorus by their Czechoslovakian hosts, the Jitro Children's Choir. Over 200 children from Czechoslovakia and the United Statessang together, exchanging songs on a warm summer morning in the quiet countryside. The Friendship Song has been arranged for 4-part Treble Voices, unaccompanied.

When cats run home : Two part song in canon

Canon In Five Parts : from Kaddish Symphony No. 3

Text in Hebrew. For Five-Part Boy Choir and Piano

Jubilate Deo : Psalm 65

This delightful little piece is a canon that can be sung in two, three or four parts. An excellent teaching piece for solfa that can also effectively be used as a warm-up for the most advanced choirs.

Musica Dei Donum Optimi : Canon in 2, 3 or 4 parts

SSSS. De, Lassus, R

May the Road Rise to Meet You

Based upon an old Irish blesseing, the melodic material presented by the 2-Part treble voices, then a cappella by the SATB choir. The two groups then combine in a three-part canon which culminates in a harmonically-rich ending.

Hashivenu : Israelic Folksong

Hashivenu is a melodic and hauntingly beautiful Hebrew song. The sound and meaning of the text is fundamental to the expressiveness of the song. Contains two arrangements: one for unison voices and piano, and one for SSA a cappella in canon form.

Brightest and Best

“Brightest and Best“ is a lively arrangement for TTBB chorus and piano of the sturdy American Hymn tune “Star in the East“. A banjo-inspired piano accompaniment provides sparks while the tune is presented in unison, in canon, and adorned with mirrored counter-melodies.

Da Pacem Domine : Grant us peace, O Lord, in this our day

This canon at the fourth has the simplest melodic material, which when combined in two and four voices achieves an interesting and contrapuntal effect. It can provide students an easy entrance into the flavor of the simplefour-part music which sounds much more complex than it is.

Tongue Twisters

Tongue twisters are fun for all ages. This setting of three includes: “Mules” an enticing tango; “Betty Botter's Butter” with stylistic hints of Gilbert and Sullivan, includes a canon with a mid-stream change of tonality, and finally, a quasi-recitative; “Tree Toad,” a good old down-home country tune.

O Music

Lowell Mason was American's first public school music teacher, known for his ability in hymn singing and conducting choirs. In 1838, Mr. Mason convinced the Boston schools to include singing as an essential part of the schoolcurriculum. Includes two arrangements: one for unison voices with piano, and one for SSA a cappella in canon form.

Songs Of A Prospector : No. 2 Memories

Memories is a tender love song which recalls a couple's old home, mountain paths, wild floweers, the surrounding natural beauty, and their mutual love. The original simple folk-like tune is sung first by the sopranos and altos,then tenors and basses, and finally as a three-part canon involving the entire choir. (2:00)

Sing, Laugh, Love

Written in memory of a loved one, this piece celebrates a love of life and a love of music. Sections of text are taken from the traditional hymn How Can I Keep from Singing and the use of Pachelbel's Canon in D as an overlay reflect the universal nature of music and its connection to the human spirit.

Two French Carols

Two traditional French carols, Berceuse de Noël ('Entre le boeuf et l'âne gris') and Nouvelle agréable ('Nouvelle agréable un Sauveur Enfant nous est né') arranged forunaccompanied mixed voice choir, with no divisi. These very approachable carols based on attractive melodies offer textural variety, including the use of canon, and would make an effective addition to carol services andconcerts.

Lassie, Wad Ye Loe Me?

A touching setting of an anonymous love poem in broad Scots, this part-song was composed for the wedding of some friends of the composer. A welcome addition to the canon of MacMillan's secular choral works the piece displays scoring similar to that in his Burns arrangement 'So Deep': the attractive folk-like melody is clearly stated, sometimes with full harmony and in other places picked out by supporting drones. Multiple divisi are scored in all voices, and also an optional soprano solo. Suitable for intermediate standard choirs.

Pat-a-pan : Carol of Burgundy

Here is a lively and intricate setting of the classic French carol that builds to a powerful close. In imitation of the flute and drum mentioned in the carol, the singers play back and forth with their “tu-re-lu-re-lu's” and “pat-a-pat-a-pan's” on interludes throughout the piece. After a straightforward first verse, the second presents the melody mysteriously, in pianissimo octaves, while a “tu-re-lu-re-lu” ostinato trades off in the inner parts. The third verse presents the melody in a three-part canon, and finally, anchored by a powerful 3-part women's texture reminiscent of Britten's This Little Babe, the fourth verse rises to a powerful and rafter-raising conclusion.

This Child of God : A jolly Christmas carol

This lively carol was commissioned in 2005 by Lichfield Cathedral Special Choir (now called the Cathedral Chorus) to celebrate the birth of Hannah Scriven and Holly Mason, the daughters of the two cathedral organists at thattime. The words were specially written by Tony Barnard, the then Canon Chancellor at Lichfield, and a member of the choir. This carol, whilst not entirely foreign to my normal style, touches more ‘country andwestern’/popular buttons than I am in the habit of touching. But I wanted to write a tuneful piece which swayed and danced and reflected the colourful imagery of Tony Barnard’s text. Recommended recording:Comeout, Lazar – The shorter choral works of Paul Spicer (Regent REGCD280) by The Chapel Choir of Selwyn College, Cambridge and Claire Innes-Hopkins (organ), directed by Sarah MacDonald. Text: This child ofGod, who’s born on Christmas day, whom shepherds view, to whom kings homage pay, is called to be a shepherd and a king. Sing alleluias, praise this wondrous thing. This child of God isshepherd, born to lead, through pastures green, by banks of golden reed; nor left, nor right, but ever on the way, which leads to Calvary and endless day. This child of God, this Son ofDavid’s line, is root of tree, a shoot, a fruitful vine, it shelter gives to all who see the way which leads them to the cross and Easter day. This child of God, this many spangled star, is light’ning flash which dazzles near and far; bright light to guide our feet along the way, that leads to Calvary and endless day. This child of God is called to save mankind, to openeye and ear, the heart and mind; to heal, and make the lame man leap and play along the road that leads to Easter Day. This child of God, let angel voices praise. Give God the glory, live hisloving ways. Let peace on earth o’er come our worldly strife through all who walk his road throughout their life. Tony Barnard

A New Year Carol : Nr. 5 A New Year Carol

Text: anon. Publisher: Boosey & HawkesDifficulty level: 1-2 This set of mainly unison songs for young voices is a gift for a concert of music for upper voices. It is a substantial work taken as a whole but its individual movements are both short and straightforward in their various challenges. Britten wrote the work for the boys of his brother's preparatory school (age 7-13), Clive House, Prestatyn, in Wales to sing. However he encountered a problem with copyright over the use of the Lone Dog. He therefore wrote Begone, dull care to replace it. When these issues were resolved years later the song was included as an appendix item in the 1994 edition. The real beauty of these songs is that Britten never writes down for the children. These are art songs in the best sense of the word and mix both dark and light humour with seriousness and romance to create a little world of changing scenes and emotions. The texts are, as always, carefully chosen to give Britten maximum variety of mood and to challenge and encourage the children's interest and involvement. The piano parts carry a lot of the responsibility for the creation of mood and atmosphere and ideally need a pianist of reasonable accomplishment to do them justice. In There was a monkey Britten writes an increasingly challenging part which is very effective in making the charged mood rise to its climax. However, he writes an easier alternative part which can be played if the pianist finds the other too difficult. The mixture of texts gives Britten wonderful opportunities for word painting. The lively Begone, dull care which opens the work, the nonsense poem of A tragic story where a man wants his pigtail to hang in front so he can see it, the gentle story of the Cuckoo and his progress through the months of the year, the rather sobering story (especially in our post-fox hunting ban days) of the shooting of a fox by a farmer whose geese it has killed, the sublime A New Year's Carol - and so on, leading to the powerful four part canon of Old Abram Brown. These little pieces demonstrate so clearly Britten's genius - his ability to write really good music which is so recognisably his - without any feeling that he is making compromises for the young singers. Duration: 23 minutes Paul Spicer, Lichfield, 2011

A Tragic Story : Nr. 2 A Tragic Story

Text: William Makepeace Thackeray Publisher: Boosey & Hawkes Difficulty level: 1-2 This set of mainly unison songs for young voices is a gift for a concert of music for upper voices. It is a substantial work taken as a whole butits individual movements are both short and straightforward in their various challenges. Britten wrote the work for the boys of his brother's preparatory school (age 7-13), Clive House, Prestatyn, in Wales to sing. However heencountered a problem with copyright over the use of the Lone Dog. He therefore wrote Begone, dull care to replace it. When these issues were resolved years later the song was included as an appendix item in the 1994 edition. Thereal beauty of these songs is that Britten never writes down for the children. These are art songs in the best sense of the word and mix both dark and light humour with seriousness and romance to create a little world of changingscenes and emotions. The texts are, as always, carefully chosen to give Britten maximum variety of mood and to challenge and encourage the children's interest and involvement. The piano parts carry a lot of the responsibility forthe creation of mood and atmosphere and ideally need a pianist of reasonable accomplishment to do them justice. In There was a monkey Britten writes an increasingly challenging part which is very effective in making the chargedmood rise to its climax. However, he writes an easier alternative part which can be played if the pianist finds the other too difficult. The mixture of texts gives Britten wonderful opportunities for word painting. The livelyBegone, dull care which opens the work, the nonsense poem of A tragic story where a man wants his pigtail to hang in front so he can see it, the gentle story of the Cuckoo and his progress through the months of the year, therather sobering story (especially in our post-fox hunting ban days) of the shooting of a fox by a farmer whose geese it has killed, the sublime A New Year's Carol - and so on, leading to the powerful four part canon of Old AbramBrown. These little pieces demonstrate so clearly Britten's genius - his ability to write really good music which is so recognisably his - without any feeling that he is making compromises for the young singers. Duration: 23