Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 1 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1230028

By Sylvia Miles. By Traditional Japanese. Arranged by Sylvia Miles. Folk,Multicultural,World. Octavo. 4 pages. Sylvia Miles #825791. Published by Sylvia Miles (A0.1230028).

This lovely Japanese folk song depicts spring, the season of cherry blossom; it's eagerly anticipated and everyone goes out to the parks and the countryside to breathe their fill of the magical fragrance.
Originally 'Sakura' was an urban song of the Edo period of the 17th and 18th centuries. Like many eastern melodies it uses a pentatonic scale.
It's often sung in international settings, as a song representative of Japan.
I wrote this arrangement at a time when my choir only had a few (not very confident) Tenors and Basses, so wherever possible I put them together.
Although it's presented as SATB, it's easy to see that the Ts and Bs support each other!
The aim is to combine a feeling of timelessness (the sustained lines of the Ts and Bs) with a blossomy feeling of floaty weightlessness (Ss and As). Hope you enjoy singing it!

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1111404

By UA Fanthorpe. By Sylvia Miles. Arranged by Sylvia Miles. Christmas,Comedy,Praise & Worship,Religious. Octavo. 5 pages. Sylvia Miles #713687. Published by Sylvia Miles (A0.1111404).

This charming Christmas poem by UA Fanthorpe tells of the stable cat's feelings at having been left out of the Gospel story. Light-hearted but spiritual. In this SATB setting, I'd encourage all singers (especially A, T and B) to think feline!

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1229657

By Sylvia Miles. By Traditional Welsh. Arranged by Sylvia Miles. Celtic,Folk,Irish,Wedding. Octavo. 3 pages. Sylvia Miles #825418. Published by Sylvia Miles (A0.1229657).

Ar Lan y Môr is a popular tradtional Welsh folk song, and as with many folk songs, there are various versions. My personal preference is for this version; it paints a seashore picture that I can imagine, and I'm completely convinced by the romantic element!
Musically speaking, I love the alternating 3 and 4 beat bars; they make me think of waves coming irregularly to the shore.
Pronunciation notes: slight roll on all 'r' sounds; rye - 'ye' as in bye-bye; 'ch' as in loch, back of throat; 'll' is said H L - run them together 'hl'. Everything else is written phonetically.
Translation: 1. Beside the sea grow red roses, and white lilies, and there lives my true love, sleeping all night and rising in the morning. 
2. Down where the sea laps at the flat rock, we walked together, and spoke words of love; lilies grow there, and branches of rosemary.
3. By the sea are blue pebbles, golden flowers, everything that's beautiful - and also my dearest sweetheart.

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.1135078

By Paul Anka. By Paul Anka. Arranged by Sylvia Miles. 20th Century,Film/TV,Historic,March,Multicultural,World. Octavo. 9 pages. Sylvia Miles #735119. Published by Sylvia Miles (A0.1135078).

The Longest Day, from the film of the same name, commemorates the events of D-Day, 6th June 1944. The courage of those fighting men is legendary. I arranged this for my French choir. Based in Normandy, this has special poignance for local people, who owe their freedom to those warriors, and for whom these are their fields, their beaches. Annual commemoration events here in Normandy are extraordinarily moving, and happen in every town down to the smallest village, often attended by families of the men who fought on that day. (We sang it in French, of course - Le Jour le Plus Long - let me know if anyone wants this arrangement with the French words.) If you don't have enough singers to split the parts, sing the upper note.

Choral Choir (SATB) - Level 2 - Digital Download

SKU: A0.977680

Composed by Music: John Hughes and Words: Daniel James. Arranged by Sylvia Miles. Celtic,Christian,Folk,World. Octavo. 9 pages. Sylvia Miles #6118947. Published by Sylvia Miles (A0.977680).

I'm Welsh and I love this song. It's all about a pure heart which can sing by day and by night.
In the first verse I've kept the traditional Welsh harmonies; then in verses 2 and 3 the harmonisation is my own. In verse 2 ATB sing the melody in unison while the sopranos sing a lovely descant line. In verse 3 the tenors have the melody with full SATB harmonies. Every line is singable.
Welsh pronunciation is difficult (now there's an understatement) so underneath every line I've added the pronunciation. 
There are two specifically Welsh sounds: LL which is pronounced HL, and CH which is said in the back of the throat, as in the Scottish Loch.