Choir Resources
"Since Old Testament times, God’s children have sung in choirs to offer praise to Him.
Church choirs bring glory to God, unify and edify Church members, and bring joy to participants and congregations."
General Handbook, Section 19.3.7
The resources included here are intended to support the spirit of worship provided by the choirs in the Fresno East Stake.
Pieces to Try
Here are a couple pieces we found recently that you may want to consider for your choir:
A setting by Mary McDonald -
Adapting the text of the early chant, McDonald sets the piece reverently, yet
with dignity, to the tune we know of the hymn "If You Could Hie To Kolob".
Reverently set for SAB choirs by Kelly D. Anderson. This one is a winner for the great Thanksgiving hymn in a more accessible setting!
Free Repertoire
Here are some great resources for cost-free repertoire for your choirs:
ChurchofJesusChrist.org
The official Church Music Website has compiled a list of the pieces that have been gathered by - or submitted
to - the Church Music Department over the years. The result is a great list of potential pieces for our choirs.
SacredSheetMusic.org
Free Sacred Sheet Music - The website boasts that it has an index of over 4500 arrangements of cost-free sacred arrangements - and not just for choirs.
RonaldStaheli.com
Dr. Ronald Staheli, former conductor of the Brigham Young University Singers, provides a plethora of
arrangements for the smaller choir. Most pieces on his site are arranged for SB (women and men in two parts).
JayRichards.com
Jay Richards
is an accomplished composer who has written for a broad variety of genres. On his site, he provides
a small assortment of choral hymn arrangements, but also lists some great vocal solos and instrumental pieces.
Full arrangements with great-quality accompaniments.
FreeWardChoirMusic.com
Linda Pratt has arranged several pieces for varying voices/instruments and has graciously provided
them cost-free. The site features several hymn arrangements as well as some lesser-known sacred pieces.
Lynne Perry Christofferson, daughter of Janice Kapp Perry, offers an assortment of arrangements of sacred pieces. The arrangements vary in voicings and subjects.
Sharon Austad Bagley offers an assortment of arrangements of sacred pieces. The arrangements include classic choir arrangements as well as several new settings.
PetrieFamily.org
Craig Petrie provides a wide variety of resources in his arrangements, which span almost every vocal
combination or music need in your ward.
wardchoir.com
Vieve Thompson
provides a modest listing of hymn and Christmas arrangements for your choir.
The late Ruth Gatrell (1921 - 2017) penned a large variety of hymn arrangements and some "old school" pieces. In particular, she wrote quite a bit for treble voices.
Nathan Howe, a well-known published composer and arranger, has provided a considerable list of free arrangements, though his site asks for donations to support his efforts.
LedgerMusicPublishing.com
Timothy Max
provides a modest catalog of free arrangements. One of his pieces was recently performed in General Conference.
Publishers
Although there are great free resources available, the well-established repertoire and many for-purchase contemporary offerings are also worth considering. The General Handbook states that wards should budget a portion of the sacred funds for purchasing choir music (see section 19.3.7.1).
Publisher websites are a great resource for perusing listings and many offer access to evaluation scores and sample recordings of their pieces. However, in many cases, when purchasing, you may want to consider visiting the "online retailers" section below as some offer bulk-pricing not offered by the publishers directly.
Jackman Music
Jackman Music has been the primary publisher and distributor of sheet music in the Church since 1975.
Holy Sheet Music
Many of us were familiar with Plum Publishing (the "Green Label" folks). Dr. David Zabriskie, who was the primary
contributor to the pieces which Plum distributed, established Holy Sheet Music to collaborate with other composers
who sought to self-publish their pieces and distribute them together in the "label to make it legal" distribution model.
Plum Publishing subsequently folded, and most pieces migrated to Holy Sheet Music for distribution.
Oxford University Press
Drs. Mack Wilberg and Ryan Murphy, the directors of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square, have established their
publishing contracts with Oxford University Press. If you're looking for Dr. Wilberg's or Dr. Murphy's pieces,
OUP is where to start. Since OUP is established in the UK, it is best to purchase their publications through other stateside retailers.
Beckenhorst Press
Although not a Latter-day Saint exclusive publisher, Beckenhorst publishes outstanding Christ-focused music, including many arrangements of familiar hymns. The website is
a fantastic resource, providing access to perusal scores and quality recordings of many of their pieces.
The Lorenz Corp
Lorenz publishes under several labels, including its namesake - Lorenz Publishing, Sacred Music Press, SoundForth, Heritage Music Press, Word Music, Lillenas Publishing,
and Medallion Music; all purveyors of some beautiful Christ-focused music; Use discretion, as some titles may
not be appropriate for the intended purpose of music in our Sacrament Meetings, but many of their titles are fitting and are quite accessible for our unique choirs.
Lorenz is another company that has maximized its resources on their website for helping conductors select the perfect repertoire.
Jubilate Music Group
Jubilate distributes Alfred Sacred, which provides many accessible sacred arrangements of well-known hymns. Alfred uses a
numbered "Level" system to indicate the difficulty of their pieces, making it a bit easier to find pieces
for your particular choir singers. Jubilate and HW Gray, their two other brands, have many Christ-centered and church-appropriate contemporary offerings.
Hal Leonard Church Music
In recent years, Hal Leonard, the mammoth sheet music publishing and distribution company, has acquired the distribution of
almost all of the other publishers of Church music, including Hinshaw Music, Shawnee Press, Fred Bock, Boosey & Hawkes, and others. To explore
these catalogs, click on the "Choral Anthems" link in Hal Leonard's navigation and select the publishing brand.
Online Retailers
These retailers are the established venues for purchasing sheet music. You may want to consider purchasing directly from the publisher website, as many offer digital purchases, eliminating wait times and shipping costs.
That said, consider these retailers if you can't find a title by the publisher. Some offer bulk discounts too.
Sheet Music Plus
Boasting the claim that they have the world's larget sheet music selection, Sheet Music Plus is often a good place to
start. They sell the products of most - if not all - of the publishers above (except for Holy Sheet Music). They
offer bulk discounts. The catch is that Sheet Music Plus has a minimum copy purchase requirement for
all of their choir pieces, so if you're looking for a single copy purchase, try JW Pepper.
They do offer some digital sales and also have their own library of independent publications for sale.
JW Pepper
JW Pepper's reputation precedes its name. If it's in print, chances are that Pepper has it for sale. No minimum-copy
purchase requirements for hard copies of music, and smaller minimum purchases required for digital copies - but no discount is offered.