100 Carols for Choirs (For Choirs Collections) [Paperback]

David Willcocks (Editor), John Rutter (Editor)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0193532271 | ISBN-13: 978-0193532274 | Publication Date: January 7, 1988

This is a selection of the best-loved carols and hymns for Advent, Christmas, Epiphany, and Easter: 74 of the most popular titles from Carols for Choirs 1, 2 and 3, plus 26 titles new to the series. There are carols suitable for both sacred and secular occasions, and both accompanied and unaccompanied material. The Order of Service for a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols is included.

Editorial Reviews

Review

This will be widely welcomed by singers who find such volumes in the traditional format difficult to manage. I have occasionally found that spiral-bound volumes have the disadvantage that the pages can become torn and eventually detach themselves; but this volume seems to be very sturdily made. Stephen Cleobury, Mastersinger, Winter 06 --This text refers to the Spiral-bound edition.

About the Author

David Willcocks is a former Kings College Chapel Director of Music, London, and is conductor of the Bach Choir. John Rutter is an OUP composer.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (January 7, 1988)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0193532271
• ISBN-13: 978-0193532274
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #174,897 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The masters do it again!, December 16, 2002

By 

. "Adelie" (Grass Valley, CA, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 100 Carols for Choirs (For Choirs Collections) (Paperback)

I had the pleasure of participating in a workshop with David Willcocks, and received this book as part of it. It was first published in 1987, but Sir David had some amusing anecdotes to share about how he and John Rutter, another name to reckon with in choral music circles, put it together.

This is what I like about it:

* These gentlemen are giants in the English choral music scene, and personify the English choral tradition in everything they do. So it's a pleasure to find that they have included many carols from other countries, as well as the English ones. It's very hard to find non-English-language carols, so this is a nice little collection.

* Their 4-part arrangements are imaginative but easy enough to sight-sing.

* It also includes a listing of church festivals other than Christmas, with the names and page numbers of carols that would be appropriate for each.

* For ease of navigation as you're singing, the verses are in Roman type while the refrains are in italics.

* For reasons that are not clear, they have chosen to include the text in the original language in some cases, but not all. The foreign language texts are immediately under the English translations, so you can sing in either language.

* At the very end of the book is the order of service for the traditional Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, with instructions on the appropriate rank of each person to read, from chorister to bishop.

If you are only going to buy one carol book, this and the Oxford Book of Carols are the best ones to consider. The Oxford has more in it, and is hugely more expensive, so I recommend this one! it'll take you several Christmasses to sing your way through it.

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing resource for established choirs, October 24, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 100 Carols for Choirs (For Choirs Collections) (Paperback)

This book is a wonderful source for any established choir. The multi-part harmonies are arranged in a unique and expressive way. The song selections range from old latin (Quem Pastores Laudavere), to religious (It came upon a midnight clear), and even encludes variations of Jingle Bells and Deck the Halls.

11 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Carols for Choir is the most beautiful music, December 30, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: 100 Carols for Choirs (For Choirs Collections) (Paperback)

This is the first time that I am able to find so many Christmas Carol for Choir which is my favorite music during the whole year. I would like to see more information about the songs contained, and the title of the songs.