News & Views Wednesday, June 19, 2013

If you’re sitting here on Ash Wednesday feeling that this Lenten season has crept up on you too quickly, make sure you’re ready for the next church season with our August Sacred Choral Reading Session!

Stanton’s is pleased to welcome back Mary McDonald as our clinician for the August Church Choral Music reading session! Mary McDonald’s musical talents have blessed choirs and congregations across the country. Composer of more than 600 choral anthems and cantatas and numerous keyboard collections, Mary also travels throughout the United States conducting workshops with her unique blend of heart, hands, and humor, combined with a wide range of writing and performing styles. Mary served as the first woman President of the Southern Baptist Church Music Conference in 2000, and is currently on the board of the John Ness Beck Foundation, a member of the American Guild of Organists (AGO) and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP), and serves as an editorial consultant for Lorenz.

Your registration includes a packet of over 40 new choral anthems that are hand-picked from the hundreds published each year. We look forward to seeing you on August 10th for a wonderful morning of singing with one of the nation’s most sought after church music experts.

Sacred Choral Reading Session
Saturday 8/10/2013, 9:00 am-12:30 pm
Battelle Fine Arts Center, Otterbein University
195 West Park St., Westerville OH 43081
Cost: $20.00 (There is no pre-registration; you may register the day of the clinic beginning at 8:30.)
email our choral department for more details

Sacred Piano Reading Session
- Also featuring Mary McDonald
Saturday 8/10/2013, 2:00 pm-4:30 pm
Stanton’s Sheet Music,
330 South 4th St., Columbus OH 43215
Cost: Free!
email our keyboard department for more details

Involve your youngest singers in worship this spring with one of these great anthems for children’s choirs!

I Can Do All Things
True to his fun and quirky style, Mark Burrows has fashioned a creatively interactive song with a fantastic scriptural message that children will love singing! Clapping, dancing, laughing and more express how we can do anything through Christ. Have fun with your choir as you learn and play through this song!

Somebody’s Knockin’
Ken Berg has set this spiritual with great fun and amusement, including stomping and clapping to represent the “knockin’ at the door.” The accompaniment sounds complicated, but is actually quite accessible for the average pianist. The composer has included optional notes in various spots to allow the director to choose the best range to fit the ability of the choir.

Rejoice, the King is Coming!
This stately anthem for Palm Sunday offers the flexibility of use with choirs of children, youth, and adults or a solo cantor with choirs. Opening with an optional processional, choirs have the chance to sing antiphonally as a fanfare-like piano accompaniment and optional finger cymbals support the singing. An easy descant near the end of the piece also gives young choirs the opportunity to sing two parts easily and successfully.

Brighter Than Snow
New to the Augsburg Fortress catalog, Ruth Elaine Schram is not a new name to the music world. Comfortable at writing in all genres, she creates an exquisite setting of Psalm 51 with a new text adaptation “Brighter Than Snow.” This piece will work equally well for children’s choir, women’s voices, or mixed voices.

Welcome Easter Morning
A spirited piece in 2/2 meter, this Easter anthem calls the “global congregation” to sing together the joyful alleluias of Christ’s resurrection. A sparkling piano accompaniment highlights the charming melody that’s easy to learn and fun to sing. A clever flute part at the end of the anthem weaves in short, familiar phrases of “Christ the Lord Is Risen Today.”

The Joy of Part Singing
“The Joy of Part Singing” is a resource that will help children’s choirs experience greater success in part-singing through short, accessible warm-ups, vocal exercises, rhythm chants, echo songs, mini-descants, and rounds. While some of these exercises are for rehearsal only, others may be shared in worship or in concert settings. Everything presented in the book was born out of the author’s own need as a conductor of children’s choirs. Even if your choir is currently working towards solidifying a beautiful, unison sound, these activities will help singers build the foundation for singing in multiple parts in the future.

Want more suggestions from Stanton’s?  Contact our choral department at 1-800-426-8742!

Featuring talented clinicians from major publishers, Stanton’s summer choral clinics are a fantastic way to jump-start your school year! We always look forward to visiting with our regular customers, matching up faces with names of new attendees, and meeting teachers new to Stanton’s from across the country.

Mark your calendar for these dates:

	Elementary General Music Clinic Wednesday July 31, 2013 Clinician: Cristi Cary Miller
	The John Jacobson Workshop Thursday August 1, 2013 Clinicians: John Jacobson & Cristi Cary Miller
	The Joy of Singing Friday August 2, 2013 Clinicians: Mark Brymer, Mac Huff, John Jacobson& Cristi Cary Miller
	Stanton’s Super Session Saturday August 3, 2013 Clinicians: Andy Beck, Greg Gilpin & Jen Sper

Also in August 2013:

	Sacred Choral Reading Session Saturday August 10, 2013 Clinician: Mary McDonald (no pre-registration for this session)
	Excellence in Choral Literature Saturday August 24, 2013 Clinician: James Gallagher

Registration will open in March. For more detailed information regarding any of these clinics, contact the choral department at 1-800-426-8742, extension 1.

It may still be cold and snowy outside, but it’s certainly not too early to be planning your choral anthems for this spring – especially with Easter arriving so soon this year!  Stanton’s Sacred Choral Music staff has carefully chosen these pieces to be appropriate for a variety of worship styles and services throughout the coming months.

For the Lenten season and Holy Week, Lenten Chorale is a sturdy setting of a Charles Wesley text.  Along with original musical material by Claude T. Bass, it incorporates “Passion Chorale” by 16th century composer Hans Leo Hassler.  The strong part-writing is most sensitive to the text and is well supported by a flowing keyboard accompaniment and an optional oboe part, included in the score.  What Love Is This is a moving anthem that traces the final steps of Christ’s earthly life leading to His crucifixion.  The text and tune explore the deep love of a Savior who would sacrifice His own life for the redemption of humanity.

Hosanna Loud Hosanna is a cheerful rendition of the time-tested ELLACOMBE tune set in a rolling 6/8 meter. The effect is compelling and one can almost see the swaying of palms and the celebrating crowds that followed Jesus into Jerusalem that first Palm Sunday. Effective with piano or the orchestration, this anthem makes a great processional or special music to observe the triumphal entry.

What a great idea to write resurrection words for the traditional Christmas tune, “I Saw Three Ships” to create a festive anthem for Easter morning! And, what an even better idea to also include the traditional Christmas text so that this anthem may be used for both high points in the church year! Philip Kern begins Easter Day in the Morning with a drum-like introduction that calls the voices to “frolic” through the opening verses. This leads to an a cappella verse, and finally, grand, accompanied verses bring this thrilling anthem to its glorious ending.  And, both large and small choirs will enjoy the full sound of the beautiful anthem My Redeemer’s Love.  It opens and closes with a glorious choral fanfare, and the stanzas are based on the beloved hymn tune HYFRYDOL, which is perfect for incorporating congregational singing.

For other Sundays this spring, try Arise My Soul, Arise arranged by Dan Forrest.  This Charles Wesley text, set to CHODAN, is a tender, yet emphatic statement of faith and commitment. Scored for SATB chorus with piano and optional violin, this anthem is suitable for Lent, communion or general worship during a time of confession and assurance of pardon.  Other wonderful choices include How Majestic Is Your Name (Michael W. Smith’s celebrated hymn with a classical feel), Canticle of Promise (an adaptation of Psalm 103 featuring Faure’s “Cantique de Jean Racine) and Built on a Rock (a gospel toe-tapper from Joel Raney).

Did you miss out on our Sacred Choral Music Reading Session?  Never fear!  If you’re interested in receiving a packet from this year’s clinic (featuring these and many more selections for spring worship), please contact us!  You can also click here to view our entire Sacred Choral promotion for Spring 2013, or visit our brand new Virtual Workshop!

Until his untimely death in 2003, Moses Hogan was one of the most celebrated contemporary directors and arrangers of spirituals. In his short life, he created dozens of new original arrangements of classic spirituals, and formed several choirs that performed them with new vitality.

Now available are three new arrangements of Hogan’s spirituals, adapted for men’s choirs by Dr. Peter A. Eklund of University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  These arrangements maintain Hogan’s original spirit, while creating new opportunities in TTBB choral repertoire.  The timeless hymn Abide With Me appears in a rich and sonorous setting that will be a concert highlight!  The exuberant work Ride On, King Jesus! represents some of Hogan’s best compositional statements and is a powerful concert feature for better choirs.  And from the powerful opening chords of My Soul’s Been Anchored in the Lord to the exhilarating call and response sections, this is a work that will bring down the house!

For more exciting repertoire for your men’s choir, please contact us!

Attend  Stanton’s Sacred Choral Reading Session this Saturday, January 12th, 2013, and you’ll be fully prepared for the remainder of your church choir season. We will be featuring the best new choral publications for Lent, Easter and beyond, as chosen by Stanton’s sacred choral staff. The clinic will be held in its usual place at the Battelle Fine Arts Center at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH.

Attending this clinic is a fantastic way for you to choose new church anthems for your choir by hearing the music read live. This January’s clinicians will be Stanton’s own Judy Henry and president emeritus Jim Strouse. Please feel free to contact Stanton’s at 1-800-42-MUSIC and speak with a choral staff member for the details of the event. We look forward to seeing you at 8:30 on January 12th for registration, coffee and doughnuts followed by a wonderful morning of singing!

Click here to watch video

Lead your congregation in Lenten or Easter worship with one of these dynamic cantatas!

Canticle of the Cross by Joseph Martin
Inspired by Celtic music traditions, this new work for Lent or Holy Week presents Christ’s journey to the cross. Utilizing folk songs, hymns and newly composed sacred songs, the music adorns the heart-felt message of God’s love and grace displayed in Christ’s redemptive work on Calvary. A thoughtful narration weaves the movements of the work together with Scripture, prayer and poetry, while delivering a reflective message of hope and assurance. Gentle orchestrations capture the Celtic spirit of the music in a smaller, more restrained approach in keeping with Holy Week considerations. A full line of support products is available.

Wondrous Love by Lloyd Larson
The disciple John penned these words: “This is love: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (I John 4:9-10). With this incomparable love as its central theme, “Wondrous Love” recounts the earthly life and ministry of Jesus, which ultimately led Him down a path of sacrifice and death on the cross. This blending of original and familiar melodies along with poignant and scripture-based narration provides compelling rendition of the events leading to the cross. Flexibly conceived for Lent and/or Holy Week, each individual anthem may be presented during the weeks leading up to Easter, or “Wondrous Love” may be performed as a whole with or without the resurrection finale. Small and large choirs will equally appreciate Lloyd Larson’s beautiful choral writing, and accompaniments ranging from piano only or full orchestra to professionally recorded CDs offer numerous options for your unique programming needs.

For more recommendations for your choir during the upcoming Lenten and Easter season, please call us at 1.800.426.8742 or visit us online.

The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpieces: Choral Music initiative is designed to celebrate our national musical heritage by highlighting significant American choral composers and their works of the past 250 years.  Stanton’s Sheet Music is proud to present this series highlighting the composers and their works featured in this groundbreaking project.

(from NEA.gov)
Composer and conductor Alice Parker (born 1925), now living in Massachusetts, says she sang before she spoke – an appropriate beginning for a career spanning nearly six decades and dedicated to the music of the human voice. Parker began composing at age five and wrote her first orchestral score while still in high school. Later she attended Smith College and The Juilliard School, studying composition and conducting. She was associated for many years with Robert Shaw in arranging spirituals, folk songs, and hymns that have become part of the standard choral repertoire around the world.

Parker has received literally hundreds of commissions from choruses all over North America and composed major vocal works from cantata to opera, including sacred anthems and songs to texts by distinguished poets. Her own group, the 16-voice Musicians of Melodious Accord, has presented an annual concert series in New York City since 1985, and recorded several albums. Parker conducts workshops and lectures in the U.S. and abroad. She has written several books and received four honorary doctorates.

During his long and distinguished career, Atlanta-born Robert Shaw (1916-1999) became one of the world’s most respected and beloved choral directors. His Robert Shaw Chorale, founded in 1948, set high standards for choral singing, toured the world, and made dozens of best-selling recordings, four of which were awarded Grammys. His many arrangements of spirituals and other choral music are among the best-known in the repertoire. Dear People, an authorized biography, captures Shaw’s legacy as an innovative interpreter of masterpieces of the classical canon who inspired an entire generation of choral singers and conductors.

Selected Works:
Amazing Grace
Carol of the Birds
Haul Away, Joe
He’s Gone Away
Lowlands
Saints Bound for Heaven
Seeing Nellie Home
Sometimes I Feel Like a Moanin’ Dove
What Shall We Do with the Drunken Sailor?

For more distinguished choral repertoire suggestions, please contact us.

The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpieces: Choral Music initiative is designed to celebrate our national musical heritage by highlighting significant American choral composers and their works of the past 250 years.  Stanton’s Sheet Music is proud to present this series highlighting the composers and their works featured in this groundbreaking project.

(from NEA.gov)
Conrad Susa’s (born 1935) entire creative life has been centered on vocal and dramatic music. As a student he earned a B.F.A. from Carnegie Institute of Technology and an M.S. from The Juilliard School, where he studied with William Bergsma and Vincent Persichetti. He joined the composition department at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music in 1988, becoming its Chair in 2000. His musical language is strongly tonal with influence from Baroque counterpoint and polyphony plus many contemporary techniques and idioms drawn from popular music.

Susa has composed more than 100 works for theater, documentary films, and television. His first opera, Transformations, has become one of the most-performed American operas. Since then, he has written operas commissioned by San Francisco Opera, Minnesota Opera, and the American Guild of Organists, among others.

With a background rich in theater, serving as Composer-in-Residence for the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego and dramaturge at the Eugene O’Neill Center in Connecticut, it is no surprise that he is known for composing choral cycles that follow a story line or are linked thematically. Examples include whimsical cycles such as Landscapes and Silly Songs and Hymns for the Amusement of Children, the latter an intriguing setting of texts by the 18th-century poet Christopher Smart. Many of his larger choral works use instrumental ensembles of all sorts.

Some of Susa’s most beloved compositions are for the Christmas season, such as A Christmas Garland, his popular Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest, The Midnight Clear, and Three Mystical Carols.

Selected Works:
A Christmas Garland
Carols and Lullabies: Christmas in the Southwest
Fum, Fum, Fum
Hymns for the Amusement of Children
Magnificat & Nunc Dimittis

For more distinguished choral repertoire suggestions, please contact us.

With Christmas around the corner it seems strange to think that it’s almost time to purchase music for Lent and Easter! Plan to attend Stanton’s Sacred Choral Clinic on Saturday, January 12th, 2013, and you’ll be fully prepared for the next “holiday season.”

We will be featuring the best new choral publications for Lent, Easter and beyond, as chosen by Stanton’s sacred choral staff. The clinic will be held in its usual place at the Battelle Fine Arts Center at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH.

Attending this clinic is a fantastic way for you to choose new church anthems for your choir by hearing the music read live. This January’s clinicians will be Stanton’s own Judy Henry and president emeritus Jim Strouse. Please feel free to contact Stanton’s at 1-800-42-MUSIC and speak with a choral staff member for the details of the event. We look forward to seeing you at 8:30 on January 12th for registration, coffee and doughnuts followed by a wonderful morning of singing!

Click here to watch video

Since most church choirs are in the thick of preparations for Advent and Christmas, it seems strange to think that it’s almost time to purchase music for Lent and Easter! When the holidays are over, plan to attend Stanton’s Sacred Choral Clinic on Saturday, January 12th, 2013, and you’ll be fully prepared for the next “holiday season.”

Sacred Choral Reading Session
Saturday, January 12, 2013
9:00 am – 12:30 am
Registration: $20.00

We will be featuring the best new choral publications for Lent, Easter and beyond, as chosen by Stanton’s sacred choral staff. The clinic will be held in its usual place at the Battelle Fine Arts Center at Otterbein University in Westerville, OH.

Attending this clinic is a fantastic way for you to choose new church anthems for your choir by hearing the music read live. This January’s clinicians will be Stanton’s own Judy Henry and president emeritus Jim Strouse. Please feel free to contact Stanton’s at 1-800-42-MUSIC and speak with a choral staff member for the details of the event. We look forward to seeing you at 8:30 on January 12th for registration, coffee and doughnuts followed by a wonderful morning of singing!

Click here to watch video

Paul Mealor‘s setting of the Latin hymn Ubi Caritas was composed for the royal wedding of Prince William and Miss Catherine Middleton and first performed by the Choirs of Westminster Abbey and Her Majesty’s Chapel Royal, St. James’s Palace, conducted by James O’Donnell, at the wedding service at Westminster Abbey on Friday, April 29, 2011.  This much-lauded composition is now available in the U.S.!

In Mealor’s own words: “My new piece, Ubi Caritas for the Royal Wedding, takes its text from the sixth century Christian hymn that was normally sung at the service for the washing of the feet on Maundy Thursday. The words, originally in Latin, mean: ‘Where charity and love are, God is there. Let us come together in God’s love and let us love each other with a sincere heart.’

The meaning of the words, in my mind, is two-fold: firstly, a prayer about love and, secondly, about service. After all, Jesus came to serve, and the young couple are about to enter a long period of service to the nation. I wanted to capture these two themes in my piece.

The composition is for choir and is gentle, delicate and meditative. The ancient, sixth century plainchant of Ubi Caritas is blended with 21st century harmony to create a work that, I hope, is both new and reflective of the past.

This commission came as a complete surprise to me – a letter, completely out of the blue in December saying that the royal couple had heard and enjoyed my music and wanted to include it in the ceremony – I almost fell over when I heard the news.

This is the biggest gig of any composer’s life and I am really touched that the couple have chosen me. I only hope that my work can fulfill their wish for a piece that offers meditation and quiet contemplation amongst all the pomp and celebrations.” (source: guardian.co.uk)

For more distinguished choral repertoire suggestions, please contact us.

The National Endowment for the Arts’ American Masterpieces: Choral Music initiative is designed to celebrate our national musical heritage by highlighting significant American choral composers and their works of the past 250 years.  Stanton’s Sheet Music is proud to present this series highlighting the composers and their works featured in this groundbreaking project.

(from NEA.gov)
Aaron Copland (1900-1990) was not the only great American classical composer in the 20th century. There were dozens of others, as Copland himself emphatically proclaimed. But quite early in his career Copland became known as “the dean of American composers,” and there was no one who subsequently fit the description more neatly.

Born in the first year of the century, his life spanned nine productive decades. He not only wrote his own music, he worked tirelessly to promote the music of his fellow composers. Copland was the first American composer to be internationally recognized as creating musical works that were both distinctively American and unquestionably of lasting merit.

Written in 1954, his opera The Tender Land stands as the culminating masterpiece of his “Americana” period of composition, ca. 1935-1955. “Stomp Your Foot,” a choral square dance from the second act, is considered one of the most rousing moments in American opera.

Originally composed for solo voice and piano, Old American Songs consists of ten settings of minstrel and religious songs from the 19th century. Copland later transcribed them for voice and orchestra. Other composers, notably Irving Fine, have arranged most of them for chorus in various voicings.

Also significant in Copland’s choral canon are his Four Motets (“Help Us, O Lord,” “Sing Ye Praises to Our King,” “Have Mercy on Us, O My Lord,” and “Thou, O Jehovah, Abideth Forever”) for mixed voices, The Lark for baritone solo and mixed chorus, and In the Beginning, a jazz-tinged work for unaccompanied chorus and mezzo-soprano “narrator” describing the seven days of creation from the Bible.

Selected Works:
At the River
Four Motets
In the Beginning
The Lark
The Promise of Living
Stomp Your Foot
Simple Gifts
Zion’s Walls

For more distinguished choral repertoire suggestions, please contact us.

Involve your youngest singers in worship this fall and Christmas with one of these great anthems for children’s choirs!

Psalm 100 by Kenney Potter
This outstanding piece by Kenney Potter is the second installment in the Growing Musicians Leading Worship choral series. “Psalm 100″ is not only a carefully crafted, exhilarating piece of music, but also includes many opportunities for teaching musical and vocal techniques. This piece will work well in your church or school choir programs.

This Is My Father’s World arr. Heather Sorenson
The “Hymnz4Kidz” series burst forth last year with considerable fanfare, led by one of the brightest new names in sacred music, Heather Sorenson. Now comes the latest release: “This Is My Father’s World.” Traditional hymns dressed in fresh and snazzy outfits that captivate young singers and teach them our legacy of hymnody is grabbing everyone’s attention. Teaching old hymns has never been so much fun!

Hush, My Dear in the Manger arr. Mark Burrows
This piece by Mark Burrows thoughtfully pairs the popular “Away in a Manger” with the lesser-known “A Cradle Hymn” on the HYFRYDOL tune. The piece may be sung in unison, or a second part, which includes beautiful harmonies and melody partnering, may be added. “Hush, My Dear in the Manger” will make a unique addition to your church’s Christmas service or pageant.

Joy to the World arr. Mark Patterson
This exciting arrangement by Mark Patterson uses the typical ANTIOCH tune with a driving piano accompaniment. The arrangement may be sung in unison, or an optional second part may be added for more advanced singers. A simple glockenspiel part adds a smart texture to the piece and is easy enough to be played by young musicians.

On This Day Earth Shall Ring arr. Ashley Brooke
Jubilant and dance-like, this flexible anthem works perfectly for Christmas or Epiphany services. The traditional text celebrates the birth of Christ while an optional text for verse 2 recounts the journey of the Wise Men who came to see Jesus. Unison or 2-part treble choirs will enjoy singing the spirited PERSONENT HODIE tune accompanied by piano and optional tambourine.

Want more suggestions from Stanton’s?  Contact our choral department at 1.800.426.8742!

Prepare for Christmas with your church choir with some of these outstanding anthems and cantatas!

Communion Carol by Lee Dengler
What a beautiful anthem to share with your congregation during communion before or after Christmas! The poignant text by Adam L. Tice has been set lovingly and expressively by Lee Dengler. The flowing accompaniment and gentle four-part writing are a lovely invitation to “taste the new birth.”

Our Hope Is In Emmanuel by Victor C. Johnson
Victor Johnson brings us an original Advent carol that is full of reflective and melodic phrases that capture the hope, joy, and peace promised by the Savior’s coming. Hints of VENI EMMANUEL and an optional flute obbligato add a little something extra to this skillfully crafted and reverently expectant seasonal selection.

Surely the Time Is Near by Lloyd Larson
A thoughtful setting for SATB choir and keyboard speaking to the anticipation of the Promised One. This Advent anthem is well within the reach of the average church choir.

Angels Singing, Bells Are Ringing arr. Douglas Wagner
Pure Christmas joy abounds in this pleasant folk carol arranged for success. A happy accompaniment punctuated by bells helps spread a seasonal spirit throughout the piece while the inventive vocal writing gives your singers a reason to smile. Join the angels singing with this very special and unique carol arrangement. Handbell/Handchime part included (2 octaves).

Rise Up and See the King arr. Mary McDonald
What a brilliant marriage of two seemingly contrasting tunes in this setting by Mary McDonald! The spiritual, “Rise Up, Shepherds, and Follow” has been combined with Andre Crouch’s “Soon and Very Soon” in such a seamless way that it almost seems these melodies have always resided together. The addition of an optional tenor solo and hand clapping will only further serve to enhance the impact of this anthem.

The World’s Been A-Waitin’ So Long by Larry Shackley
“There will be joy when the Messiah comes. The world’s been a-waitin’ so long.” Larry Shackley has created this joyous, energy-driven Advent anthem for a cappella choirs. It may also be performed with the optional percussion parts, which further enhance the effectiveness of this original spiritual.

Children of Light, Rejoice by Ken Medema
From the creative mind of Ken Medema comes this joyful nativity anthem. Whether your choir performs it with or without the optional part for children’s choir, this anthem is certain to be an exciting addition to your Christmas worship events. Beginning with an upbeat opening section, and moving into a gently flowing melody that focuses on the manger, the piece ends with great joy as voices are lifted up “in songs of gladness.”

O Holy Child of Bethlehem arr. Lloyd Larson
In this beautiful ballad, Lloyd Larson combines the prayerful words from verse four of “O Little Town of Bethlehem” along with “Silent Night” and the contemporary song “Emmanuel, God with Us” to create a worshipful Christmas medley. The instrumental accompaniment enhances its rich nature, with a clarinet solo at the start based on “Of the Father’s Love Begotten.”

A Night for Rejoicing by Lee Dengler
“Christmas night, what a glorious night for rejoicing!” This new cantata tell the age-old story of Jesus’ coming to earth, which culminates in that glorious “night for rejoicing.” This 35-minute work is scored for choir, congregation and optional children’s choir with keyboard accompaniment. There is also an optional chamber orchestra accompaniment available. The 8 choral movements, along with prelude and underscore, are replete with familiar carols as well as newly composed music. They are separated by narration that can be presented by one or two readers. This stirring work, which includes delightfully upbeat tunes as well as slow, deeply worshipful pieces, is sure to be an effective part of your choir’s music ministry.

A Blest Messiah Born by Larry Shackley
The Christmas season opens a portal in time through which words and melodies from many centuries flow into our busy modern lives. In “A Blest Messiah Born,” Larry Shackley skillfully blends some of the most beloved ancient carols into a fresh, captivating retelling of the story of Jesus’ birth. It begins with God’s eternal plan of redemption, then starts the Christmas story with the Annunciation. Along the way, Larry presents delightful new settings of favorite carols such as “The Friendly Beasts;” “What Child is This?;” “Ding Dong! Merrily on High;” and “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice.” “A Blest Messiah Born” contains rich moments of reflection as well as high-spirited rejoicing. It is enhanced by hints of Renaissance rhythms and melodies, and the lyrics of the carols flow together with the poetic narration to portray the events of the nativity story. The entire work lends itself to simple staging, adding characters in each number to build a living manger scene.

For more quality suggestions for your church choir, click here to view our complete Sacred Choral promotion for Fall 2012, or contact us at 1.800.426.8742.