If you have ever sung 'Hills of the North Rejoice!' or ‘With a Voice of Singing’, or enjoyed singing while at school, you will have sung Martin Shaw’s music - perhaps without knowing. From the same generation of composers as his friends Gustav Holst, Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Ireland, he was responsible for creating ‘Morning has Broken’, 'All Things Bright and Beautiful' and ‘Rocking’ (we will rock you…) among many other favourites. Yet his own choral work remains unjustly neglected, in part due to the lack of recordings. Now is your chance to set this injustice to rights.

A project is underway with the BBC Singers and the English Chamber Orchestra to record three of Shaw's major choral works, released by the Signum label in time for the 60th anniversary of his death in 2018. The Arts Council will – in principle – support the project, provided there is also sufficient support from individuals.

The three pieces are:

'Sursum Corda' (1933) words specially written by Laurence Binyon: Wake, O awaken, Soul that goest/Drowsed and dark thro’ cloudy vales!

'Easter, a play for Singers' (1929), words specially written by John Masefield: …And with him, lo, the shining strengths that dwell/Within His Father’s Kingdom, gleam on gleam,/Come to defend Man’s spirit against hell/And make God’s Kingdom here, and not a dream.

'The Changing Year' (1951) words chosen by Joan Cobbold from the canon of English literature, from John Clare to Christina Rossetti.

Shaw holds a unique place in British music history, and the joy of his work deserves to be wider known. Every donation, however small, will help it live again. Please, if you love singing, and want others to enjoy singing too, give what you can.