--- title: "Working with Small Choirs: Part 2 -- Other Resources" description: "Working with Small Choirs: Part 2 -- Other Resources" --- [![AF-prelude-logo](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Augsburg%20Fortress/AF_Prelude_Blog/AF-prelude-logo.png?width=181&height=52&name=AF-prelude-logo.png "AF-prelude-logo")](http://www.preludemusicplanner.org/) - [LEARN MORE](https://preludemusicplanner.org/) - [BLOG](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org) - [SIGN IN](https://members.preludemusicplanner.org/) # [Prelude Music Blog](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org) # Working with Small Choirs: Part 2 -- Other Resources by [Linda Kempke](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/author/linda-kempke) Think liturgical music for your choir. Arrangements of the psalms abound. Sing an appropriate psalm in addition to the appointed psalmody for the day. Opportunities for attendant music are the gathering, offering, and distribution of communion. [Psalm Settings for the Church Year](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/4556/Psalm-Settings-for-the-Church-Year-Revised-Common-Lectionary)from Augsburg Fortress contains various styles and arrangements from many different composers. There are different types of voicings available for the texts. Another excellent resource is [Psallite – Sacred Song for Liturgy and Life](http://www.litpress.org/Music/psallite/Psallite_music.html) – The Collegeville Composers Group. The cantor/choir books contain antiphons, descants, and simple part music, organized according to the three year Roman Catholic lectionary but the psalms are indexed and also organized by antiphon texts. There is a separate accompaniment book for each year. Sing some Gregorian chant psalmody, accompanied by handbells punctuating phrases with tone clusters. Choirs can learn to sing and play bells at the same time. Thomas Keesecker has set some of the texts suggested as Offering Canticles (Appendix E) from the book [Keeping Time, the Church’s Years](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/8096/Using-Evangelical-Lutheran-Worship). Settings are for unison and two-part choirs. Contact him at [www.facebook.com/Thomas.Keesecker.composer](http://www.facebook.com/Thomas.Keesecker.composer) When looking for worship music for small choirs begin with what you have. Look in your music library. Many SATB anthems work well singing only two of the lines. The most obvious is singing the soprano and alto line together, or the soprano and tenor lines. If you have instrumentalists available have them play the parts not being sung. Some pretty interesting and lovely arrangements can result from this method. Have a flute or recorder player? Have an instrument play the tenor line an octave higher than written as a descant. Obviously some anthems will work better than others. An instant anthem idea is to choose one of Bach’s Schübler Chorales and have the choir sing the chorale melody in unison with the organ accompaniment. Lovely music and arrangements can be the result. Collections are a great resource if a majority of the pieces are suitable for your situation. Some selected collections that I have used with choirs are as follows: [Sing It Simply](http://www.morningstarmusic.com/viewitem.cfm/item_id/80-790)*[.](http://www.morningstarmusic.com/viewitem.cfm/item_id/80-790)* 25 Congregational Hymn Accompaniments for Piano, Optional Guitar, Bass and Handbells by Thomas Keesecker. This collection is intended for unison singing, some with descants. Many hymns are in a lower key, with re-harmonizations that are different from most standard hymnals. All parts are reproducible. [Alleluia to Jesus – The Choral Music of Carl F. Schalk*.*](http://www.cph.org/p-11662-alleluia-to-jesus-the-choral-music-of-carl-f-schalk.aspx) Reproducible music of various voicings with a CD included. Contains both hymns and anthem music. A set of collections called [A Choir Book for Easter](http://www.giamusic.com/search_details.cfm?title_id=123); [A Choir Book for Lent](http://www.giamusic.com/search_details.cfm?title_id=3392), etc., edited by Paul R. Ladd, Jr. This is a series with individual books for the seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, Easter and General use. Contains unison, two and three equal voices; two, three, and four mixed voices, accompanied and a cappella settings. There are often two or more different settings of the same piece. [The New Gloria Deo: Music for Small Choirs, Volume One](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/8599/The-New-Gloria-Deo) by Aaron David Miller. [The New Gloria Deo, Volume Two](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/17293/The-New-Gloria-Deo-Volume-2) by Thomas Keesecker. [Augsburg Choirbook for Women](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/1748/Augsburg-Choirbook-for-Women). Unison, 2-part, 3-part, and 4-part treble voices. [Five Hymns](http://www.jwpepper.com/9537910.item) by Heinz Werner Zimmermann. [Treasures in Heaven](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/4639/Treasures-in-Heaven). Music for Two-Part Mixed Choirs by K. Lee Scott. [Assembly Required*,*Set 1: Service Music for Choir and Assembly](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/8597/Assembly-Required-Set-1-Service-Music-for-Choir-and-Assembly). Choir/Cantor and Assembly. [Assembly Required, Set 2: Service Music for the Easter Vigil](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/9430/Assembly-Required-Set-2). [The Augsburg Easy Choir Book, Volume 1: Music for the Church Year](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/4307/Augsburg-Easy-Choirbook-Volume-1-Music-for-the-Church-Year?c=285662). Unison and two-part mixed. Augsburg Fortress. [The Augsburg Easy Choir Book, Volume 2: Music for the Church Year](http://store.augsburgfortress.org/store/product/4454/Augsburg-Easy-Choirbook-Volume-2-Music-for-the-Church-Year?c=285662). Unison and two-part mixed. Augsburg Fortress. A choir director working with a small choir functions in the role of a cantor of the Church, leading the people’s song. “The cantor uses whatever musical resources are available, using them in a manner appropriate to the talents of those serving and the needs of the people who are served.” -from “The Role of the Cantor” poster - Association of Lutheran Church Musicians (ALCM) Posted on Jun 3, 2013 7:07:13 AM Filed Under: [Choral Techniques and Repertoire](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/choral-techniques-and-repertoire), Filed Under: [review-prelude](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/review-prelude), - [Tweet](https://twitter.com/share) ![Linda Kempke](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/hs-fs/hubfs/Augsburg%20Fortress/AF_Prelude_Blog/Authors/lindakempke-avatar.jpg?width=100&height=100&name=lindakempke-avatar.jpg) #### Written by [Linda Kempke](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/author/linda-kempke) Linda Kempke is a retired Associate in Ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and currently Region 1 President of the Association of Lutheran Church Musicians. She is the cantor at Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd in Brooklyn, OH. Linda holds degrees from the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory of Music, Berea, OH and Trinity Lutheran Seminary, Columbus, OH. ### Subscribe to Email Updates - Recent - Popular - Categories ### Lists by Topic - [review-prelude (87)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/review-prelude) - [Choral Techniques and Repertoire (56)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/choral-techniques-and-repertoire) - [Music Ministry (55)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/music-ministry) - [Planning (55)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/planning) - [Assembly Song (37)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/assembly-song) - [Potpourri (32)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/potpourri) - [Instruments and Ensembles (19)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/instruments-and-ensembles) - [Hymnody (14)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/hymnody) - [music (13)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/music) - [Uncategorized (10)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/uncategorized) - [COVID-19 (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/covid-19) - [Composing and arranging (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/composing-and-arranging) - [Coronavirus (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/coronavirus) - [News (5)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/news) - [Christmas (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/christmas) - [Easter (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/easter) - [Instruments (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/instruments) - [Social distancing (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/social-distancing) - [worship (3)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/worship) - [Advent (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/advent) - [All Creation Sings (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/all-creation-sings) - [Children Ministry (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/children-ministry) - [Lent (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/lent) - [Summer (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/summer) - [gratitude (2)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/gratitude) - [Creative Arts Camp (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/creative-arts-camp) - [Cultural (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/cultural) - [ELW (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/elw) - [Evangelical Lutheran Worship (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/evangelical-lutheran-worship) - [Holidays (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/holidays) - [Hope (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/hope) - [Hospitality (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/hospitality) - [Pentecost (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/pentecost) - [Psalms (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/psalms) - [Youth Ministry (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/youth-ministry) - [children (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/children) - [culture (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/culture) - [devotions (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/devotions) - [john the baptist (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/john-the-baptist) - [joy (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/joy) - [leadership (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/leadership) - [marriage (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/marriage) - [race (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/race) - [relationship (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/relationship) - [self-care (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/self-care) - [spiritual (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/spiritual) - [time (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/time) - [trust (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/trust) - [wedding (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/wedding) - [weddings (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/weddings) - [writing (1)](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/tag/writing) see all ### About Prelude Music Planner [Prelude Music Planner](http://www.preludemusicplanner.org) is the web-based tool that provides a wealth of music, thoughtful commentary, and time-saving tools for the church musician. - **Explore a wealth of music**. Search our database of congregational, choral, and instrumental church music by lectionary day, voicing, difficulty level, tune name, and more. - **Get the music you need, when you need it.** Preview the entire piece of music from beginning to end, and then download the parts you need. Subscribers will also receive a block of “points” to spend on our library of downloadable choral and instrumental pieces. - **Manage your church’s music library**. Organize your music library in one master location. Once your library information has been added, you can plan using both your physical library as well as the Prelude library with a single search. | [![Facebook](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/hubfs/Augsburg%20Fortress/Social/AF_facebook.png)](https://www.facebook.com/augsburgfortress/) | [![Twitter](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/hubfs/Augsburg%20Fortress/Social/AF_twitter.png)](https://twitter.com/augsburgfortres) | [![Youtube](https://blog.preludemusicplanner.org/hubfs/Augsburg%20Fortress/Social/AF_youtube.png)](https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtZR7BPcns-WJE_HNjkfmsw) | | --- | --- | --- | Copyright 2026 | Designed with by [Augsburg Fortress](http://www.augsburgfortress.org)