One major challenge for many choirs, particularly in rural areas, is a lack of lower voices. This new book addresses that issue head on. It is a collection of canticles and chants and a set of responses, written for sopranos, altos and lower voices. Six composers accepted the challenge of writing a setting of the evensong canticles for this vocal configuration, with an accompaniment that is not too challenging for a parish organist.

The result: six very different settings, each wonderful in its own way, giving singers a choice of pieces in a variety of compositional styles and levels of difficulty. In addition there is a set of responses, including a setting of the Lord’s Prayer, as well as four simple psalm chants – two major and two minor.