“Easy” here means a piece which can be learnt by ear for non-readers; almost all of these have been sung successfully by unauditioned choirs. The sacred pieces below would be suitable for any SATB church choir.
Most of these pieces can be purchased from MusicSpoke for $2 per copy – browse my MusicSpoke composer page here. A few are published by NoteNova. The rest can be ordered directly from me by sending an email (please include the name of your choir, how many copies you need, and whether you prefer to print your own or have them posted to you).
Secular choir pieces
- Mary Morison – 4′, SSATB choir a cappella, fairly easy. Buy from MusicSpoke. Hear it below:
- After Culloden – 5′, SATB choir a cappella, mostly easy. Buy from MusicSpoke.
- Come Away, Death (3′, SATB, fairly easy, words by Shakespeare). Copies £1.50, PDF £20.
Sacred pieces for church choirs
- A 2-part setting of Adam Lay Ybounden for your next service of 9 Lessons & Carols. Suitable for SA, TB or mixed choirs. (Can also be performed S/B, S/AB or ST/B if you’re short on numbers.)
- Send Lazarus – SATB or ATBarB, no divisi, for any climate-related service
- Be Thou A Bright Flame Before Me – SATB, no divisi, suitable for most sacred occasions. View the score here (2 pages), listen on SoundCloud, or watch a score follower video.
- Keep Watch, Dear Lord – SATB choir, short soprano solo at end, written in memory of victims of the Covid pandemic. Order from MusicSpoke. Hear a recording on SoundCloud.
- Come, My Way, My Truth, My Life – SATB with no divisi. Hear it performed at the London Festival of Contemporary Church Music.
- Anna, Surprised – SATB choir, some divisi, easy to moderate difficulty. Ideal for Candlemas. £2 per copy or £25 for a PDF.
- Hush My Dear – SATB choir, easy, 2′. Lyrics are a Christmas carol (lullaby for the Christ Child) adapted from Isaac Watts. Available from MusicSpoke. This has been recorded by the University of Hull Chapel Choir, listen below:
- A Mother’s Blessing – SATB choir, easy, 3′. Lyrics are an ancient Celtic prayer from “Carmina Gadelica”. A beautiful piece for a baptism or christening. Buy from MusicSpoke.
- In The Bleak Midwinter (a new setting, not an arrangement) – for SATB choir, fairly easy, 4′. Published by NoteNova. SMezABar version also available. Hear Glasgow University Madrigirls (SMezABar version) – or watch the Edinburgh Singers perform it (SATB version). Please order this piece from NoteNova – click here to place an order.
- Crux Fidelis – SATB choir, mostly easy, 1′. Latin. Buy from MusicSpoke.
- O Vos Omnes – SSATTB or SAATBB choir, mostly easy, 2′. Latin. Buy from MusicSpoke.
- Solus ad Victimam (English text, 5′, SATB with divisi, medium difficulty). Single copies £2, PDF £25.
- Also available, three sacred pieces from Carmina Gadelica – “God To Enfold Me”, “Come I This Day” and “The Peace Of God” are all for SABar (or ATB) choir, and would fit well into most church services. Email me for copies.
- And I have several arrangements for smaller mixed choirs (3-part, SABar and ATB), especially if you have many women and few men, or vice versa. Most of these (with the exception of “Duncan Gray”) would be suitable for an unauditioned choir.