Singing is a basic form of human expression – whether of worship, sorrow or joy – and the sound of a choir in full cry is a spine-tingling experience. Discover Choral Music surveys and explains the development of choral music from medieval plainchant to contemporary favourites such as John Rutter and Arvo Pärt, via Renaissance motets, oratorios by Bach and Handel, and symphonies by Beethoven, Berlioz and Mahler. The religious and social background to the music also receives due attention. This comprehensive and comprehensible guide is supported and illustrated by two-and-a-half hours of richly varied music on two CDs.