The Oxford Book of Descants is a definitive collection of 102 descants to well-known hymns, carols, and worship songs. It features descants by a wide range of composers, including contemporary names such as David Willcocks, John Rutter, Malcolm Archer, and Paul Leddington Wright, as well as celebrated twentieth-century church composers such as Alan Gray, Edward Bairstow, Sydney Nicholson, and John Wilson. Published in both full music and melody editions, this is a fully practical collection, with selected descants presented in different keys and with alternative words to match most popular hymnals. The full music edition provides an organ part for each descant while the melody edition contains the descants alone, without their accompanying tunes. With a superb range of descants, ably written and sympathetic to the style and harmony of the original tune, this is an excellent resource that will be welcomed by all choirs and church musicians and will enhance hymn singing at church services
Forces or Category
Descant & organ
Difficulty
Easy to Moderately difficult
Edited by Julian Elloway
Julian Elloway studied piano at the Guildhall School of Music and subsequently specialized in piano accompaniment with Paul Hamburger. After university he worked in Brighton as a choir conductor and repetiteur, especially with the University of Sussex Choir, New Sussex Opera and Brighton Festival Chorus, and as Director of Music at St Paul's, West Street, Brighton. He then became Music Editor at OUP. He now works as a freelance musician and music editor.
"Julian Elloway is to be congratulated on producing this highly practical selection . . . It should be warmly welcomed by all choirs and church musicians seeking to enhance hymn singing. I shall certainly enjoy using them at my church, and heartily recommend this new collection to all organists and choirmasters."
"A good descant, sung well by a choir or small group of upper voices, or played by an instrument, can give a wonderful lift to many kinds of congregational song, as long as the accompanist plays matching harmonies beneath. A recent publication from OUP, The Oxford Book of Descants provides complementary melodies and organ accompaniments to enliven the last verse of a wide variety of hymns, carols and songs . . . Julian Elloway's introduction includes some interesting historical background on the practice of singing descants as well as practical advice. The editorial process reflected his firm belief that 'descants should be chosen to enhance the worship of the congregation rather than just to give the choir some extra fun'." - Anne Harrison, Praxis News and Worship, Autumn 2012
"The collection is beautifully produced, with clear indexes and an informative preface by the editor, Julian Elloway . . . OUP is to be congratulated on producing this definitive and practical resource which should be in the hands of every director of music who uses and loves hymns. Singers in schools, churches and choral societies will find that the descants and arrangements will enhance their enjoyment and appreciation of Christian song." - Ian Sharp, Hymn Society of Great Britain and Ireland
"Descants should 'enhance the meaning of the words and intensify the sung prayer of the worshipper.' So writes the editor of this collection in his excellent preface to a significant new collection of 102 descants for hymns. The quality of printing is superb in both editions - and the melody edition is particularly clear with a helpful, good size of print for music and words. . . . This volume contains some of the best descants bound together under one cover . . . Many of the descants here are printed both in the original key and at a lower pitch. This matches settings in different hymn books, provides a more comfortable range for some singers, and helps the organist who is reluctant to transpose . . . This is an excellent collection which should find a significant place among those choirs which value and enjoy being part of the descant tradition in hymnody." - Gordon Appleton, Church Music Quarterly Sunday by Sunday, March 13
Contents:
Antony Baldwin: ABBOT'S LEIGH (in C and D)
Alan Gray: ABERYSTWYTH
Christopher Gower: ABRIDGE (in D and C)
David Willcocks: ADESTE, FIDELES
Anthony F Carver and Donald Davison: ALLELUIA No. 1
John Cooke: ANGEL VOICES (in D and C)
Donald Davison: ANGELS' SONG
David Willcocks: ANIMA CHRISTI (in F and G)
Adrian Lucas: AURELIA
James Vivian: AUS DER TIEFE
Thomas H Ingham: AUSTRIA (in E flat and F)
Ashley Grote: BEAUTY FOR BROKENNESS
David Willcocks: BETHLEHEM (in F and G)
John Scott: BLAENWERN (in G and F)
Sydney H Nicholson: CARLISLE (in E flat and D)
Kenneth Naylor: COE FEN
Maurice Bevan: CORVEDALE
Donald Davison: CRIMOND
Paul Leddington Wright: CROSS OF JESUS (in G and F)
Harold Darke: CRUCIFER (in D and C)
John Scott: CWM RHONDDA
Sydney H Nicholson: DARWALL'S 148th (in D and C)
Simon Lole: DEUS TUORUM MILITUM (in C and B flat)
John Wilson: DIX (in A flat and G)
Sydney H Nicholson: DOMINUS REGIT ME (in G and F)
David Willcocks: DOWN AMPNEY
Philip Moore: DUKE STREET
John Rutter: EASTER HYMN
Harrison Oxley: EISENACH
David Willcocks: ENGLEBERG (in F and G)
David Willcocks: EVENTIDE
David Thorne: FAITHFUL ONE
FAITHFULNESS (in E flat and D)
Paul Leddington Wright and Robert Prizeman:
William Llewellyn: FATHER, WE ADORE YOU
William Llewellyn: FATHER, WE LOVE YOU
Thomas Armstrong: FOREST GREEN
Robert Gower: GERONTIUS (in A flat and G)
Ashley Grote: GOD OF THE POOR
Christopher Robinson: GOD REST YOU MERRY
John Barnard: GUITING POWER
Alan Gray: HANOVER
James Vivian: HEINLEIN
John Rutter: HELMSLEY
Robert Gower: HIGHWOOD
Ashley Grote: HOLY IS THE LORD (in A and G)
John Scott: HYFRYDOL
Ashley Grote: IN CHRIST ALONE (in D and E flat)
Benjamin Lamb: IRBY (in F and G)
James Whitbourn: JESUS IS LORD (in G and A flat)
Christopher Gower: LASST UNS ERFREUEN (in D and E flat)
Reginald Thatcher: LAUDES DOMINI (in C and B flat)
John Wilson: LAUDS
Sydney H Nicholson: LAUS DEO
Harrison Oxley: LOBE DEN HERREN (in F and G)
John Barnard: LORD OF THE YEARS
William Mathias: LUCKINGTON
Richard Lloyd: LUX EOI
Malcolm Archer: MACCABAEUS (in E flat and D)
Alan Gray: MELCOMBE (in E flat and D)
Alan Gray: MELITA
David Willcocks: MENDELSSOHN (in F and G)
Alan Gray: MERTON (in F and E)
Alan Gray: MILES LANE
John Wilson: MONKLAND
Cyril Winn: MONKS GATE
David Willcocks: MORNING HYMN
Alan Gray: MOSCOW
Sydney H Nicholson: NEANDER
James Vivian: NICAEA
David Willcocks: NOEL
William H Harris: NUN DANKET (in F and E flat)
Alan Gray: ORIEL
Alan Gray: PRAISE, MY SOUL
Harrison Oxley: PRAXIS PIETATIS (in F and G)
John Scott: PUER NOBIS NASCITUR
John Henderson: QUAM DILECTA
Sydney H Nicholson: REDHEAD No. 46
David Thorne: REGENT SQUARE
John Scott: REPTON
Edward Bairstow: RICHMOND (in F and G)
Unknown: ROCKINGHAM (in D and E flat)
Simon Lole: SAFFRON WALDEN
John Henderson: ST ALBINUS (in C and B flat)
John Scott: ST ANNE
David Blackwell: ST CLEMENT (in A flat and G)
Donald Davison: ST COLUMBA
Cyril Winn: ST DENIO (in A flat and G)
Robert Gower: ST GEORGE'S WINDSOR
Christopher Gower: ST HELEN
John Wilson: ST MAGNUS
William Llewellyn: SEEK YE FIRST
Cyril Winn: SINE NOMINE
Traditional: SING HOSANNA (in E flat and D)
John Wilson: SLANE
David Thorne: SLANE
Donald Davison: SONG 34
Antony Baldwin: STUTTGART (in G and F)
Ashley Grote: THE SERVANT KING
David Willcocks: THORNBURY
John Wilson: TRURO (in D and C)
Sydney H Nicholson: UNSER HERRSCHER
Robert Gower: VENI EMMANUEL (metrical version)
Robert Gower: VENI EMMANUEL (plainchant version)
Sydney H Nicholson: WAREHAM (in B flat and A)
Donald Davison: WAS LEBET
John Rutter: WESTMINSTER ABBEY (in A flat and G)
Alan Gray: WINCHESTER NEW
Alan Gray: WINCHESTER OLD
Richard Lloyd: WOODLANDS
Benjamin Lamb: WOODLANDS
