CHORALINKS and the NEIL WEBSTER MUSIC TRUST ____________________________________________
Songs for Choirs - Choralinks Song Catalogue Key to category coding: Can = Canon or Round; Ch = Christmas; Cl = Classical; Hu = Humorous; Fo = Folk or traditional; Hy = Hymn; Ma = Madrigal or similar; Re = Recent (new composition); Sa = Sacred; Sp = Spiritual or similar; G1 = very simple, suitable for beginner or young choirs; no more than 20 bars for any part to learn G2 = easy to learn, easy to sing, no more than 40 (often fewer) bars for any part to learn G3 = a bit more perseverance required, but not too difficult, and no more than 70 bars for any part to learn G4 = no serious problems for a reasonably experienced choir to learn and perform. G5 = suitable for more experienced choirs Please note that all songs here listed are ‘a capella’ (to be sung unaccompanied) unless otherwise stated. For some items a keyboard reduction is available. Title and Abbreviation Categories Composer / Arranger Cost Autumn Harvest Song (AHS) Fo / SAB / G2 Alan Francis 84p Adapted from a German folk song (‘Bunt sind schon die Wälder’ - see below) with English words. 5 short verses, two optional alternative settings for verses 2 and 4. A lovely, simple tune. Ave verum corpus (AVC/P) Sa / SATB / G2 Robert Pearsall 84p A melodic anthem of 24 bars, including 8 bars of repeat. Both Latin and singable English words provided). Ave Vera Virginitas (AVV) Sa / SATB / G2 Josquin des Près 123p “Hail, True Virginity” - a hymn to the Virgin Mary by one of the best known of the early polyphonic composers. This one employs a sort of trick, namely the tenor part in canon with the soprano at an interval of a fifth, and one beat behind; which imparts an interesting sense of movement to the piece. Words in Latin. Not difficult (except perhaps for the tenor !). Three 16-bar verses and a 6-bar refrain or coda. Be present, ye faithful (BPF) Ch / SATB or SSAB / G3 Henry Leslie 84p A hearty mid-nineteenth century setting of an early version of ‘Adeste fideles’ (better known in the form of ‘O come, all ye faithful’). Fun to sing. Available in key E for SATB, F for SSAB. Blessed art thou, O Lord (BAT) Sa /SATB / G4 Samuel S. Wesley 149p A pleasant 84-bar anthem, being sections of a longer piece “Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way”. Not difficult, no complications, tuneful; by a celebrated 19th-century composer of church music; acceptable as a concert piece. Bunt sind schon die Wälder (BSS) Fo / SAB / G2 Alan Francis 84p A version of a German folk song (see also ‘Autumn Harvest Song’ above). 5 short verses, two optional alternative settings for verses 2 and 4. A lovely, simple tune. Clear is the Night (CIN) Ch / SSAB / G2 Liane Werner 44p A simple German carol, for which singable English as well as German words are provided. Originally arranged for a German youth choir. Cockles and Mussels (CAM) FoCo / S(+S)AB / G1 arr Meg D. Cox 84p An Irish location, but where the words come from is uncertain. A humorous song included in the 19th cy Scottish Students’ Song Book. Easy to sing; 2 verses SAB, 1 verse SSA. Title and Abbreviation Categories Composer/Arranger Cost Come, let us meet (CLM) Cl / SATB/SSAB / G2 Hans Leo Hassler 84p 30 to learn (repeated in performance). A song inviting musicians (of about 1600) to get together for a merry session of instrumental playing and singing. Words in English translation of original German. Creation’s Hymn (CRH) Cl / SATB / SSAB / G3 Ludwig v Beethoven 84p A rousing piece of 36 bars. SATB, but with the tenor line not going below G below middle C, nor the soprano above top F, it could be sung SSAB, either in key of C or in D if sopranos can manage one top A De Old Ark’s a-Moverin’ (DOA) Sp / SATB / G3-4 Ron Davies 163p A lively spiritual of 112 bars, including passages repeated. Deep River (DER) Sp / SATB / G3 Martin Wyatt 57p A simple but moving spiritual, two verses and refrains. 2 slow-moving 8-bar verses, with 8-bar refrains. Down by the riverside (DBY) Sp / SATB / G3 David Stephen 149p ‘Gonna lay down my sword and shield’ - 4 verses; comprising altogether 68 bars with repeats, with a short coda. Down in the Valley (DIV) Fo / SAB / G2 Alan Francis 57p A nineteenth century folk song from USA about a lover imprisoned in the cause of freedom. 4 bars intro, plus 6 short verses of 29 bars each. Drop, drop, slow tears (DDS) Sa / SATB / G1 Orlando Gibbons 29p 3 very short, simple verses of 7 bars each. A hymn of penitence from the time of Queen Elizabeth I. Title and Abbreviation Categories Composer / Arranger Cost Entre le boeuf et l’âne gris (ELB) Ch / SAB / G1 Andrew Pierssené 29p A very simple arrangement of a traditional French carol with six 4-bar verses, each with 4-bar refrain. To be sung in French, but English translation provided. Eriskay Love Lilt (ELL) Fo / SAB / G2 David Stephen 57p A wistful song from the Hebrides, with the melody sung in turn by the three parts. 25 bars to learn, refrain repeated. Freuet euch der schönen Erde (FSE) Sa / SATB / G1 Liane Werner 57p A happy, hymn-like song of gratitude for the earth and the heavens. Five 10-bar verses. Text in German - but see also English version 'Let us praise the earth's rich beauty' (LUP) below.) From all that dwell below (ADB) Sa / SATB/SSAB / G3 Thomas Walmisley 109p A happy anthem from the first half of the nineteenth century (36 bars). Geh aus, mein Herz (Go forth, my heart !) Sa.Fo / SSA / G1 Liane Werner 57p A sprightly little song, offered here with three verses - though the original German hymn had fifteen ! The English version of the words is by the Victorian hymn translator Catherine Winkworth. The German original is also given. Glory to God (GTG) Ch / Ca / G1 David Stephen 29p An easy pair of simple, compatible 4-part canons, with suggestion for performance. Go tell it on the mountain (GTM) Sp / SATB or SSAB / G1 Andrew Pierssené 57p A simple but lively spiritual with three 8-bar verses and 8-bar refrain. (Note also other version with Christmas words, below.) Go tell it (Xmas) . . . . . (GTMX) Ch.Sp / SATB or SSAB / G1 Andrew Pierssené 57p Simple lively spiritual with verses on Christmas theme; four 8-bar verses, 8-bar refrain. Gonna sing when . . . (GOS) Sp / SAB / G3 Andrew Pierssené 109p A familiar song in 50 bars with melody passed from part to part in successive verses. Title and Abbreviation Categories Composer/Arranger Cost The Gospel Train (TGT) Sp / SATB / G1-2 Andrew Pierssené 57p A simple version of a sprightly American spiritual (“Get on board, children !”) Great Day (GTD) Sp / SATB / G2 Michael Daley 84p One of a variety of versions of a fairly simple, cheerful spiritual from USA. Short verses with variations of the vocal parts 39 bars to learn. Gypsy Rover, The (GRO) Fo / SATB / G3 Neil Webster 84p A happy traditional British folk song with 5 verses (4 with same harmonies) and a refrain. Hand me down my silver trumpet Sp / SATB / G2 Martin Wyatt 84p [See under My Silver Trumpet, below] Holy, holy,holy (HHH) Sa / SATB / G1 Franz Schubert 44p Very simple, very effective ‘hymn’ from a ‘German Mass’, with words translated into English. 32 bars to learn, 48 bars to sing. Hush, be still (HBS) Ch / SATB / G2 David Stephen 57p Simple traditional tune (origin unknown, but perhaps Austrian ?) with English words. Option to sing middle of three verses with four solo voices. Hush, my dear, lie still (HMD) Ch / SATB / G2 Anon 44p Five 8-bar verses with 5-bar coda. Song (words by Isaac Watts) addressed to a human infant, comparing his comfort with primitive stable of the infant Christ. A lovely, gentle tune of unknown origin, which we have never otherwise come across. Available in A mi for SATB or G mi for SSAB. Il est né (IEN) Ch / SAB / G2 Andrew Pierssené 57p A simple dance-like traditional French carol supplied with singable French and English words. Three 16-bar verses with 16-bar repeated refrain. Title and Abbreviation Categories Composer / Arranger Cost Katie on the ice (KOI) Fo / SATB / G2/3 Alan Francis 149p "On with your skates !" A happy song from Holland about a girl being taught to skate by her boy friend. Four verses, 6 pages of music, but wiyth passages repeated. Kyrie Eleison (KYE) Sa / SATB Can / G1 Giovanni Palestrina 57p Two short canons in canon, one might say, for four voices, all singing essentially the same melody. A gentle pace, with a very ‘early-church-music’ sound, ‘Kyrie eleison’ means ‘Lord, have mercy’. The whole piece takes only about 1½ minutes to sing. The Lark (TLA) Cl / 4-part Ca / G2 Felix Mendelssohn 29p A simple but attractive canon by two compatible 10-bar ‘duets’ that can be sung by almost any combination of voices. Laudate nomen Domini (LND) Sa / SATB/SSAB / G2 Christopher Tye 57p A 16th century anthem (‘Praise the name of the Lord’) of 36 bars, repeated. Majestic, but not difficult. Let us praise the earth’s rich beauty (LUP) Sa / SATB / G2 Liane Werner 57p A happy hymn-like song of gratitude for the earth and the heavens. Five 10-bar verses. See also above German version ‘Freuet euch der schönen Erde' (FSE) Lisa Lan (LIL) Fo / SATB / G4-5 Clive Grant 149p A moving Welsh love song with lyrics available in the original Welsh or in an English translation. 57 bars. A very attractive, hitherto unpublished piece for a choir confident enough to cope with dissonances and rhythmic variation between the parts. Never weather-beaten sail (NWB) Sa / SATB or SSAB / G2 Thomas Campion 57p A sacred song from the era of madrigals - the weary pilgrim looks forward to the rest to be found in heaven. A pleasant, simple two-verse song (sixteen bars a verse. including 4 repeated). Title and Abbreviation Categories Composer/Arranger Cost Mary had a baby (MHB) Ch / SATB / G4 David Stephen 156p Lively Christmas spiritual of 57 bars, including repeated sections. Miserere mei , Domine (MMD) Sa / 4-voice Ca / G1-2 Jan P Sweelinck 57p A solemn but impressive canon for two pairs of voices. With suggestions for performance and pronunciation and translation of the brief Latin text. My Silver Trumpet (MST) Sp / SATB / G2 Martin Wyatt 84p A cheerful, if mildly irreverent, spiritual of uncertain origin. No More a-Roving (NMAR) Fo / SATB / G3 Ken Lee 131p ‘I’ll go no more a-roving with you, fair maid’: bright and bouncy. 52 bars. A Nun’s Prayer (NUP) Sa / SATB + solo S / G2-3 Martin Wyatt 57p A quiet, contemplative prayer. 40 unhurried bars, with optional accompaniment for harp or keyboard. O for a Thousand Tongues (OTT) Hy / SATB / G2 Thomas Jarman 57p A stirring hymn of triumphant praise, with words by Charles Wesley. Perhaps the liveliest and most extrovert song in Hymns Ancient and Modern. Suitable as a concert piece. O let me look on thee (OLM) Ma / SATB / G2 Orlando di Lasso 57p A simple love song about a lover’s frustration at forced separation. 24 bars to learn, 36 to perform. Not a bad piece (though not very jolly !) as a first venture into the world of madrigals. Old King Cole, When (OKC) Ma / SATB / G4 Robert Pearsall 131p One of Pearsall’s (19th century) characteristic ‘madrigal-style’ songs, jolly and hearty (48 bars) by a prolific, multi-talented amateur Victorian composer. Paradise Isle (PAI) De / SSATB / G3 or G4 Andrew Jackman 163p Lyrics cleverly evoking a lazy life on a glorious south sea beach, set to a gentle, calypso-like rhythm: lovely to sing, lovely to listen to. 59 bars, with some recurring musical phrases. Sight-readers would not find this piece at all difficult. Praise of Spring (POS) De / SATB / G3 Felix Mendelssohn 84p A tribute to the outdoor qualities of spring-time in the countryside. English lyrics with Victorian flavour: ‘opening buds, blackbird’s call, lark’s sweet carol’ . . . etc. 42 bars. Remember, O thou man (ROM) Ch / SATB / G2 Thomas Ravenscoft 44p 16th/17th century words and music. Minor key, with final major chord to each of the five 16-bar verses Rise up, shepherds, and follow ! (RUS) Ch / SSAB / G3 Trad. arr M.B. Daley 109p Basically, fairly simple, but the vocal lines hop around a bit ! Sans Day Carol, The (SDC) Ch / SAB / G2 David Stephen 84p A happy traditional 4-verse folk carol (‘The holly bears a berry . . .’), with the tune sung by Sopranos and Basses in alternate verses. See the Conquering Hero (SCH) C1 / SATB, SSA / G2 G F Handel 109p A rousing chorus that Handel used in two of his operas. Short, but passages repeated. Shoo, fly ! (SHF) HuFo / SAB / G1 Andrew Pierssené 29p A simple ‘fun’ children’s folk song (but adults like it !) from the USA; 16 bars repeated. Title and Abbreviation Categories Composer/Arranger Cost Skye Boat Song, The (SBS) Fo / SSAB / G2 Andrew Pierssené 57p A simple arrangement of a familiar Scottish song based on a (reputed) old folk tune. Three 8-bar (SAB) verses each with same 8-bar (SSAB) refrain. Words here by Robert Louis Stevenson. Sleep, holy babe (SHB) Ch / SATB / G4 J B Dykes 70p A gentle Victorian cradle song addressed to the Christ child, with four 14-bar verses and a 4-bar intro and coda. Spring and fall (SAF) Re / SAB / G1-2 Andrew Pierssené 57p A simple setting (less than two minutes long) of a poem by Gerard Manley Hopkins. The poet addresses a little girl (‘Margaret’) who is sad to see the leaves fall from the trees in Autumn. Stabat mater (STM) Sa / SATB or SSAB / G1 Ludovico Viadana 29p A very short, very simple, melodic 17th century setting consisting of only 16 bars. Latin, but with English (not for singing) translation. Steal away to Jesus (SAJ) Sp / SATB + T or B solo / G3 David Stephen 57p A well-known nineteenth-century spiritual by W.Willis, here arranged for SATB or SSAB with (optionally) a baritone soloist. Three 8-bar verses, with two (repeated) 8-bar refrains. Strange Device, The (SON) Hu / SATB + B solo / G2 J McD Buckland 57p Words mainly selected from a serious poem by Henry W Longfellow, with melody and nonsense refrain anonymous. Example of frivolous 19th century ‘student song’ parodying Longfellow’s rather pretentious poem ‘Excelsior’ Swing Low, Sweet Chariot (SLS) Sp / SAB / G2 Alan Francis 71p A fairly simple arrangement of a well-known spiritual - three verses and repeated refrain. Only 19 bars to learn. |