Choral Music & descants : The Art of Music

Music your choir will love singing
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"splendid … I feel sure many choirs
(and congregations) will enjoy it."

Martin Neary

Downloadable PDFs (and sample pages) now available for many items
  • Many of our titles are available for purchase as Adobe PDF files.
  • You can buy a licence to print 10, 30 or 50 copies for use by your choir. If you need a different number, simply purchase multiple copies of the files. For example, if you want 60 copies, buy two 30-licence copies.
Printed copies (octavos) also available for most items
  • Limited offer: Free standard shipping when you buy 10 printed copies!
Some of our most popular titles
Title PDF Octavo
Ken Naylor, arr. Alistair Warwick
How shall I sing that majesty		 PDF Octavo
Carolyn Sparey
A Man's a Man		 PDF  
Elizabeth Ann Spencer
Irish Blessing		 PDF Octavo
Matthew Beetschen
A Celtic Prayer		 PDF Octavo
Carolyn Sparey
Christmas Bells		 PDF Octavo
Our publications

Beautifully-engraved publications from The Art of Music.

Performed at St Paul's Cathedral, London, England and Dunblane Cathedral, Scotland,
and many churches in the English-speaking world

Customers include:

  • RSCM Millennium Youth Choir directed by David Ogden
  • RSCM Cathedral Singers directed by Brian Kay
  • many churches, choirs and other performers around the world

Selected for choral workshops and summer schools in Australia, New Zealand and the USA.

Music for SATB choir
(Soprano, Alto, Tenor & Bass, some divisions))
Music for unison voices (or 2-part)
  • Elizabeth Ann Spencer
    Irish Blessing     PDF
    text: traditional
    unison / 2-part with piano/harp – or SATB a capella
    difficulty level: *(**)
  • chant
    In paradisum
    text from the liturgy, set to Gregorian chant (in modern notation)
    as sung on the album Equinox by Voces 8
    unison
    difficulty level: ***
  • Alistair Warwick
    The Great O
    A chant setting of the initial 'O', as used in the 'O' Antiphons, to be sung before the Advent hymn 'O come, O come, Emmanuel' (melody and words included)
    words: from the Advent Liturgy, tr. J. M. Neale; music based on a French melody
    unison (and optional organ)
    difficulty level: *
Plainchant (or chant-inspired music)

  • chant
    In paradisum
    text from the liturgy, set to Gregorian chant (in modern notation)
    unison
    difficulty level: ***

  • Alistair Warwick
    The Great O
    A chant setting of the initial 'O', as used in the 'O' Antiphons, to be sung before the Advent hymn 'O come, O come, Emmanuel' (melody and words included)
    words: from the Advent Liturgy, tr. J. M. Neale; music based on a French melody
    unison (and optional organ)
    difficulty level: *
Forthcoming publications

  • chant
    Ubi caritas est vera
    for communion or at any time of the year, especially on Maundy Thursday
    unison
    difficulty level: **

  • chant
    Verbum caro factum est
    responsory for Christmas
    unison
    difficulty level: **

  • John Harper
    Si quis diligit me
    This setting of the Sarum antiphon for Pentecost 'Si quis diligit me' by John Harper is based upon the tenor in the setting by David Peebles in the Wode Partbooks.
    2-part/SATB choir and cello
    difficulty level: **

  • John Harper
    An Easter Antiphon – Regina Caeli
    text from the liturgy
    SATB choir (with divisions) and organ
    difficulty level: ****

  • John Harper
    Benedictus (for Schubert's Mass in G)
    text from the liturgy, music by John Harper
    First performed in Durham Cathedral during an RSCM International Summer School, this alternative Benedictus was composed for occasions when for reasons of length it would be impractical to use Schubert's beautiful original setting.
    SATB choir and organ
    difficulty level: ***

  • Dennis Macdonald
    Come down, O love divine
    solo soprano, SATB choir and organ
    difficulty level: ***

  • Tom David Wilson
    Ecce homo
    The world première of this work was given by The Rosenethe Singers at the Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling on 16 March 2008. The text by Clive Wright draws connections between Jesus' birth, his staggering steps (both as infant and on the way to the cross) and resurrection.
    SATB choir
    difficulty level: ****

  • John Harper
    Song of Redemption – Salve Regina
    (SSAATTBB, solo for precentor/cantor, and organ)
  • John Harper
    Ubi caritas
  • David Peebles, ed. Alistair Warwick
    Si quis diligit me
    (ATTB or SATB)
    we're no longer publishing this work, as you can get free downloads from Church Service Society
  • John Piggins
    Didache
    (SATB choir)
  • Elizabeth Ann Spencer
    Go in peace
    Words by Shirley Elena Murray: a song for funerals and remembrance services
    unison and keyboard/guitar
  • Elizabeth Ann Spencer
    Water Song
    unison with keyboard
  • Elizabeth Ann Spencer
    Ps 84 (85)
  • Alistair Warwick
    Amen (stand-alone or for plainsong acclamations):
    unison, optional SATB choir & organ
  • Alistair Warwick
    descants (including Angel voices, Fulda and Moscow)
  • Alistair Warwick
    Gospel acclamations
    for Lent and for Easter or Ordinary Sundays
  • Alistair Warwick
    Litany of the Saints
    (including versions for Easter Vigil and ordinations)
  • Alistair Warwick
    Music for Episcopal Ordinations
    first sung at Arundel Cathedral, England: unison with optional organ
  • Alistair Warwick
    Psalm settings (cantor & assembly with organ):
    Ps 88 (89): I will sing for ever of your love
    (for Chrism Mass and other occasions)
    Ps 96 (97): This day new light will shine (for Christmas)
Most popular titles

  • Matthew Beetschen
    A Celtic Prayer
    text: Alistair Maclean (from Hebridean Altars)
    Sung in a BBC Radio 3 broadcast of Choral Evensong by the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir, conducted by David Ogden (2 September 2007).
    SATB choir (with divisions) and organ
    difficulty level: ***

  • Patricia Lynch
    Love came down at Christmas
    words by Christina Rossetti, music by Patricia Lynch
    SATB choir and organ
    difficulty level: **

How to buy The Art of Music publications
Printed octavos (B5, 176x250mm)

Our customers (from North America, Australia, New Zealand and Europe) have found that it's easy to order as payment is securely handled by PayPal (you don't need a PayPal account: credit or debit cards are accepted).

We aim to ship orders within 24 hours of receiving them.

Downloadable PDFs

Many of our titles are available for purchase as Adobe PDF files. Others are being added regularly.

What customers say

"splendid … I feel sure many choirs (and congregations) will enjoy it."

Martin Neary, London, England

"Music arrived safely today. Thanks for the quick turnaround and delivery."

Stuart, Ayrshire, Scotland

"Your edition fits my needs perfectly. Thank you so much for the edition and your prompt service!"

Mary, Pennsylvania, USA

"Thanks Alistair.  Music arrived in post this morning - excellent."

Derek, Herts, England

Public performances and recordings

We welcome information about any public performances or recordings of works published by The Art of Music.

Please send details to performances(at)theartofmusic.com

Known performances
  • The première of Carolyn Sparey's A Man's a Man was performed by Stirling University Choir on 30th November 2013 at the Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling
  • Matthew Beetschen's Celtic Prayer was sung by the RSCM Millennium Youth Choir, directed by David Ogden at Dunblane Cathedral, Scotland (and broadcast on Radio 3 Choral Evensong) on 2 September 2007
  • John Harper's Regina Caeli first sung on 9 April 2007 at St Paul's Cathedral, London, England, by the combined RSCM Cathedral Singers, directed by Brian Kay
  • Lizzy Ann Spencer's Irish Blessing has been sung in numerous weddings and other services, and also in concert by the Stirling University Choir
  • Tom David Wilson's Ecce homo received its world première by the Rosenethe Singers, directed by Matthew Beetschen at the Church of the Holy Rude, Stirling, Scotland on 16 March 2008
  • Alistair Warwick's choral arrangement with descant of Coe Fen: How shall I sing that majesty has been sung too often to be counted, including in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the USA, and various parts of the British Isles.
Submitting unpublished manuscripts

We are currently unable to review manuscripts for publication.

Please return to this site periodically for further updates.

December 2024

Typesetting your work

A separate typesetting facility is available should you need your work to be professionally engraved by The Art of Music.

Please contact us if you are looking to publish your own music, as we can provide the following services:

  • engraving the music in Score
  • setting the text in InDesign
  • preparing camera-ready PDFs
  • negotiating with printers to enable the best result for you.
 
Difficulty level

This is indicated by up to five stars, where one star (*) is very easy and five stars (*****) will challenge an advanced choir.

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