Carols for Choirs

Carols For Choirs was originally commissioned by the organist and music editor at Oxford University Press Christopher Morris. Whilst working at St George's, Hanover Square, he realised that church choirs lacked a definitive book of Christmas carols, and felt that a single book would be more convenient than using separate pieces of sheet music and hymn books. The book was originally to be called Carols for Concerts. To edit the collection, Morris enlisted David Willcocks, Director of Music at King's College, Cambridge, and Reginald Jacques, conductor of the Bach Choir. The book was published in 1961, containing new arrangements of traditional carols, but it also popularised pieces by modern composers such as William Walton, Benjamin Britten, Richard Rodney Bennett, William Mathias and John Rutter. Carols for Choirs was an instant success and became OUP Music Department's best-selling title, with over a million copies being sold. The volume was released on 13 July 2023, featuring fifty carols (both originals and arrangements). ==Volumes==

Choir singers sometimes refer to the books by the colours of their covers, with the "green" and "orange" books (volumes 1 and 2) being the most widely used. The "blue" book (volume 3) contains a number of longer anthems. A compendium volume called 100 100 Carols for Choirs (the "white" book) consisting of 74 of the most popular items from Carols for Choirs 1, 2 and 3, plus 26 pieces new to the series was published in 1987. It contains both accompanied and unaccompanied items, as well as the Order of Service for a Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols. The "red" book (Volume 4) features fifty carols arranged for sopranos and altos. Oxford University Press extended the series with volumes appropriate for other church seasons, such as Lent/Easter. • • • • • • • Other seasons • • • ==Contents==