SKU: A0.1375147

Taking words from Psalm 24, 7-10, this is an uplifting anthem for Palm Sunday.  With some unison passages (split between Sops & Men who can get a top F / Altos & Men who can get a bottom G / Full unison) and full SABar and an exciting but not difficult organ accompaniment this will reflect the joyous mood of the crowd welcoming Jesus into Jerusalem.  Dynamics are not stated, so left to the conductor to set as the Spirit moves, with the organ obviously being louder when introducing the verses than when accompanying.
(I have put this in the Lent and Easter sections, but that is only because there is no Palm Sunday listing.).

SKU: A0.887976

For 2 soloists, children's choir (or treble choir, or mixed choir), and piano accompaniment. Approx. 3:42.

I first began writing a Christmas carol about the Covid-19 pandemic in March of 2020 when it seemed unfathomable that the global social distancing measures could last until Christmas. First drafts, therefore, were upbeat and whimsical. The song was completed in May 2020, however, and not only did it seem likely that lockdowns could extend not only to Christmas, but beyond – until a treatment or a vaccine could be found. Though obviously written with this contemporary situation in mind, Holding on for Christmas avoids direct references to remain a universal message of hope despite hopeless circumstances. Through its imagery of a Nativity story told wrong, of an individual facing unexplained solitude, and of enduring a winter in order to experience brighter days ahead, the song can apply to many cryptic or overt scenarios.

SKU: A0.1320399

This is one of the most well-known of all British folksongs and refers to real historical events. It has been used in film and television programs and known to almost everyone in Britain. Skye (also known as “The Isle of Skye�) is the largest island of the Inner Hebrides. With an area of about 640 square miles, the island is about sixty miles long and lies close to the Scottish mainland.  

The boat in the song (“Speed bonny boat�) refers to a small sailing ship that in 1746 “carried the lad who was born to be king� to the Isle of Skye. The lad in question was Prince Charles Edward Stuart known affectionately as “Bonnie Prince Charlie.� The song also refers to the Battle of Culloden of April 1746, the last ever battle on British soil, fought between the British Army and the army of Bonnie Prince Charlie.  

In June 1746 and disguised as a maid-servant, Charles was secretly transported from the Hebridean island of Benbecula to the more southerly Isle of Skye. This is the event to which the song refers. 

The Skye Boat Song has its roots in a traditional Gaelic melody. The lyrics in this arrangement are the familiar ones written in the 1870s by Sir Harold Edwin Boulton. This is an easy SSA arrangement, with all vocal parts well within range and difficult leaps avoided. There are no divisi sections or solos, though can obviously create solos if you want. The keyboard part also avoids technical hurdles. Your singers will surely enjoy this joyful melody, with its contrasting verse and attractive counter-melodies. Vocal ranges are Soprano 1: D4 – D5; Soprano 2: D4 - D5; Alto: G3 - D5.