Missa de Beata Virgine is a musical setting of the Ordinary of the Mass, by Renaissance composer Josquin des Prez. A late work, probably composed or assembled around 1510, it was the most popular of his masses in the 16th century. The Missa de Beata Virgine is unusual among Josquin's masses in that the first two movements are for four voices, and the last three for five, with the fifth voice derived canonically. Like most musical settings of the mass Ordinary, it is in five sections, or movements. It uses different plainsong chants for each movement, and is a paraphrase mass, one in which the original chants are elaborated, broken up, passed between voices, or sung in different voices simultaneously. The movements differ in their treatment of the source plainchant. The Kyrie has the chant in all voices, imitatively and paraphrased; the Gloria treats the chant as a cantus firmus, migrating it from voice to voice. Tonally, both movements end on G, and most of their cadences are on G or D. The Credo, the first movement for five voices, ends with a surprising Phrygian cadence on E, and uses canonic techniques more prominently than in the preceding movements.

Songlist: Missa De beata, Kyrie 1, Christe, Kyrie 2, Et in terra, Qui tollis, Cum Sancto, Credo sections, Sanctus, Pleni sunt caeli, Hosanna, Benedictus, Agnus Dei 1, Agnus Dei 2, Agnus Dei 3

These pieces of music came into being in a prison camp on Sumatra. The initial idea was Norah Chambers, and Margaret Dryburgh and her worked on the various pieces. Some they did together and others individually, depending on how well we could remember the original pieces of music. The idea was to bring singers together - Dutch, British, Australian - about thirty in all, to make music to uplift us and perhaps to bring some beauty and sanity. The music was written on odd bits of paper, mostly in pencil, and written as small as possible to save paper. It was difficult at first to sing without words, what sound to make, the tempo and the color. The One sound not used was "AH." It was too throaty. We found the best sounds were "Ne, Le." When notes had to be sung together, as in "Morning Sun," the sixteenth notes were not broken, but sung legato. The sounds used were "Le," with the accent on the first note of the sixteenth notes, such as humming was used when there was a solo singer as undercurrent to the melody.

Songlist: Song of Survival Vol. 1, Song of Survival Vol. 2, Song of Survival Vol. 3, Song of Survival Vol. 4, Song of Survival Vol. 5, Song of Survival Vol. 6

The setting was originally published in the year of Lassus' death (1594) and comes from his mature voice. Although it is economical in expression, it is rich and sonorous in sound and brought alive by the six-part counterpoint. It truly brings the text 'Music is a gift from God' to life.

Beautiful the Sky is a collection of beloved Scandinavian Christmas anthems by Paul J. Christiansen, edited by his son Erik Christiansen. These gorgeous settings evoke a sense of their homeland and would stand as beautiful additions to your church's Christmas worship service or concert program. The texts are presented in both English and the original language.

Songlist: Christmas Comes Again, This Happy Christmas, Joyous Christmas Song, Oh, How Beautiful the Sky

Norway is a country rich in folk tradition, and in these piece, elements of folk dance and instrumental music are clearly represented. These tunes are fun, singable, and would fit perfectly on a program of multicultural music, or as a stand-alone on a concert of a more diverse nature. Complete IPA guide included. "The text exists merely to give form to the music and is meaningless," says Finnish composer Mantyjarvi, whose "El Hambo" in 1999 was an instant success with American high school choirs. In "Pseudo-Yoik" he takes a humorous look at the stereotype of the Lapland folk music. Fun stuff!

Songlist: Pseudo-Yoik, God Morgan Ola Reppom, Ned I Vester Soli Glader, Ekorn Gjekk pa Volln og Slo