In addition to his many solo songs, Franz Schubert wrote about one hundred male quartets and choruses. These part songs, like their solo counterparts, use texts by the great poets, like Goethe and Schiller, and have equally beautiful melodies. The popularity of these pieces was due to the development of music making by the middle class. Small public concerts, given in taverns or peoples homes, were places that the songs would be performed. Schubert was often requested to compose these part-songs for the occasions. Among the all male songs is the gem 'Standchen' which is scored for alto and male chorus with piano accompaniment. The men of the Robert Shaw Chamber Singers perform these rarely heard pieces with great beauty and lyricism. The songs on this CD are a cappella, with a few having guitar or piano accompaniment.

Twenty-nine carols arranged by Robert Shaw and Alice Parker, and sung by the forty-nine member Robert Shaw Chamber Singers. Many English, but some French, Spanish, Italian, German and the occasional American carol are included. In broad terms, carols were popular songs, and the original definition referred to a type of dance; remember, too, that Christmas was an adaptation of various pagan celebrations, an influence that can certainly be discerned in carols such as 'Masters In This Hall,' the sprightly rhythms of which are not meant to be listened to sitting down. Robert Shaw's various classical vocal ensembles are considered to be some of the finest in the world, and under his direction, earned many Grammy's and international acclaim.

The more modern and esoteric of Shaw's Christmas recordings, featuring the 'Ceremony Of Carols,' a modern suite by Benjamin Britten, comprising 11 tracks, and highlighting two soloists and harp. The contemporary composer, Morten Lauridsen's 'O Magnum Mysterium' is also included; its simple and graceful melody floats ethereally by. Biebl's 'Ave Maria,' with its distinctive major/minor tension, Praetorius' 'Lo, How A Rose E'er Blooming,' and Howell's 'Sing Lullaby' are other gems, most of which are arranged by Shaw and Alice Parker. The sprightly 'Allon, Gay Bergeres' and 'While By My Sheep' suggest caroling from door-to-door, the crisp crunch of snow underfoot and rosy-cheeked smiles for all!