Sourcing and selecting appropriate music for small choirs can be difficult. Here you’ll find a number of pointers and even some free resources.
Sunday by Sunday – The RSCM publishes a resource entitled Sunday by Sunday. This is an excellent way of finding music appropriate to a particular season or Sunday in the the year. It’s a resource that is available to members but some material is available free of charge.
The ChoralWiki, Choral Public Domain Library (CPDL) is a great resource of free material, but you need to know what you’re looking for first. If it’s commonly in use and out of copyright (the composer / arranger died more than 70 years ago) then you may very well find it here.
Some resources recommended by Herefordshire Churches
| Advent | When all is dark – Charlston Creator of the stars of night Advent Prose (plainsong) Many more suggestions here | Unaccompanied Plainchant |
| Christmas | ||
| Lent / Passiontide | O saviour of the world – Goss | Simple 4-part with or without organ |
| Easter | Now the green blade riseth * O sons and daughters – Walford Davies | In many hymn books – can be sung in harmony, unison unaccompanied, with a simple drone (tonic and fifth) Simple plainchant version in many hymnbooks, or choir version by Davies |
| Communion | Ave verum – Elgar Panis angelicus – Franck | Simple anthem, which can be simplified further if needs be For two voices or more. |
| Thanksgiving | Locus iste – Bruckner Psalm 150 – Stanford | Unaccomp satb SATB + organ – easy, impressive |
| Harvest | Now the green blade * see above Thou visitest the earth – Greene | |
| Remembrance | Kontakion | Moving, 4-part harmony |
| Funeral | Psalm 121 – I will lift mine eyes- Walford Davies | Beautiful, simple setting, performance options flexible |
| Wedding | Jesu, Joy of man’s desiring – Bach |
All the PDFs below are free from copyright restrictions. Either they are out of copyright or composers have given permission for them to be used freely.
The Ross Parishes: Ross-on-Wye, Walford & Brampton Abbotts 