In recent years Stanford's music has undergone a major reassessment and revival as a new generation of musicians has discovered its format strengths and attractive classical qualitites. These are precisely the virtues of the Fantasia and Toccata a short yet dramatic pair of movements that begins with quiet melodic paragraphs and swiftly builds to a powerful conclusion. In recent years Stanford's music has undergone a major reassessment and revival as a new generation of musicians has discovered its format strengths and attractive classical qualitites. These are precisely the virtues of the Fantasia and Toccata a short yet dramatic pair of movements that begins with quiet melodic paragraphs and swiftly builds to a powerful conclusion.

SATB and organ.

Set for the London College examinations Grades 6.

A jewel of English music The Blue Bird first appeared as the third of these eight-part songs to words by the Victorian poet and novelist Mary Coleridge. Published shortly after her death in 1908 Op. 119 is the first of two such cycles composed in response to the refined sensibility of her poetry which proved an ideal match for Stanford’s mastery of word-setting and of the romantic choral idiom.

Rhian Samuel's fresh and stimulating vocal and instrumental works have earned her an enviable reputation as a composer willing to tackle challenging subjects and a variety of musical forms. The three contrasting pieces of Blythswood were written at Glaick in Scotland on the mainland across from Skye and each one evokes in terms of seascape or memory the idea of the 'distant view'.

In the 50th anniversary year of the death of Ralph Vaughan Williams this highly attractive arrangement for piano of one of his most popular works will surely find its way into the repertoire of many pianists. Treasured by organists but no less admired in its orchestral arrangement often heard on Classic FM this delightful prelude on the Welsh hymn tune known as Rhosymedre is a perfect union of the style of Bach and RVW. No less aptly known by the name of ‘Lovely’ the tune appears in the manner of a choral prelude which Bryan Kelly has skilfully re-crafted for piano solo. Of intermediate difficulty and well within the range of players of Grade 5 standard orabove this new version of the piece also complements the arrangement for piano duet by Reginald Hadfield already available in Stainer & Bell’s Easy Festival Duet series.

A stirring march celebrating the installation of the mighty Wurlitzer theatre organ from the Gaumont (Granada) Cinema Manchester in 'Projections' formerly part of the Studio Tours Complex.

Edited by Thurston Dart CONTENTS Alman in C; Fantasia; Galliard to Pavan 8 (set by Mr Heyborne?); Go from my window; Nancy; Pavan in D (set by Mr Heyborne)

The Viola Sonatina is reissued to coincide with the release of a major new recording on ASV CD DCA 961. Three terse yet atmospheric movements contain a wealth of soaring melody displaying the many-sided character of the instrument.

Drury's Accords (Anonymous); Duncomb's Galliard (Anonymous); Merry Mood (Anonymous); Fancy (John Daniel); My Lord Willoughby his welcome home (John Dowland); La vecchia pavan (John Johnson); Echo (Francis Pilkington); Plainsong (Thomas Robinson); Toy (Thomas Robinson). These duets of varying difficulty have been transcribed from their lute origins by Oscar Ohlsen and edited by Robert Spencer. Recently revised.

Standard: Elementary

Standard: Advanced Set for the Guildhall School examinations grades 7 and 8 Spanish Sonata is written in a lively and approachable idiom that will appeal to many players and their teachers. In three widely contrasted movements it looks set to become a regular concert item and reflects the diverse interests of its composer Sarah Rodgers in the many popular and folk idioms of contemporary music.

SATB and piano

SATB unaccompanied.

William Lloyd Webber's The Gardens At Eastwell - A Late-Summer Impression for Flute and Piano.

This is a rowdy and lusty setting of a favourite song from the Coventry Pageant of the Shearmen and Tailors. The music has tremendous swing to its stride and a folksong quality to which by the use of judicious pauses the composer adds the feel of impromptu singing. A certain exaggeration might even be called for in performance for example in the robustly canonic second verse with no loss of humour or atmosphere. The music draws too on the cumulative energy of unison and octave unaccompanied singing and apart from a brief episode suggestive of the shepherds' pipes that is how it proceeds to its rousing conclusion.

Even for Ralph Vaughan Williams the prospect of two world premieres within 24 hours must have been something of a rarity. Such was the case however on the first two days of June 1953 when his now classic arrangement of The Old Hundredth Psalm was sung at the Coronation of Elizabeth II in Westminster Abbey being preceded the evening before by the premiere of 'Silence and Music' fourth of ten partsongs of A Garland for the Queen commissioned from leading British composers by the Arts Council of Great Britain to honour the new monarch. Long unavailable except as separate items from individual publishers this historic collectionis now reissued complete by Stainer & Bell in its original single-volume format allowing conductors and singers to choose from a rich collection of choral music with which to mark the Queen's Diamond Jubilee and in 2013 the 60th anniversary of the Coronation itself. In addition to VW's contribution A Garland for the Queen includes important settings by Bax Berkeley Bliss Finzi Howells Ireland Rawsthorne Rubbra and Tippett. The collection moreover draws on the work of poets whose names likewise feature prominently in the annals of mid-century British literary talent: Clifford Bax Edmund Blunden Paul Dehn Christopher Fry Christopher Hassall James Kirkup Louis MacNeice Walter de la Mare Henry Reed and Ursula Wood. Intended as a counterpart to The Triumphs of Oriana of 1601 the celebrated madrigal volume published in praise of Elizabeth I by Thomas Morley A Garland for the Queen emulates its distinguished predecessor in its variety of moods and vocal combinations. There is material here to fit every aspect of celebration from the airy five-part ensemble of Bax's 'What is it like to be young and fair?' and the soprano solo with SATB of Rawsthorne's Canzonet to the lustrous contrasting of male and female timbres in Bliss's Aubade and the rapturous eight-part setting of

This Fantasia is founded on the following traditional English carols: The Truth Sent From Above (Herefordshire) words and tune; Come All You Worthy Gentlemen (Somerset) words and tune; On Christmas Night (Sussex) words and tune; There Is A Fountain (Herefordshire) tune only; together with fragments of other well-known carol tunes. The work is scored for ordinary full Orchestra with Organ and set of bells (ad lib.) or String Orchestra with Organ or Piano. Alternatively it may be accompanied by Organ or Piano alone played from the Vocal score with an optional solo Cello part (H212). A chorus part for performance bysolo Baritone and TTBB is also available (W41). The chorus is required to sing in four different ways: 1. Singing the words. 2. Singing with closed lips. 3. Singing 'Ah'. 4. Singing with half-closed lips i.e. with a short 'u' sound as in the word 'but'. Watch Pasadena Master Chorale performing Ralph Vaughan Williams ' Fantasia On Christmas Carols :

For Clarinet and Piano.

Edited by Howard Ferguson CONTENTS Almand; Pavana Chromatica: Mrs Katherin Tregian's Paven; Pavana: Clement Cotton; Pavana; Galiarda; Coranto; Coranto