When we think of songs connected with the sea, our thoughts are likely to turn to sea shanties, and indeed, shanties are well represented in this collection. However, there are plenty of traditional folk songs where the sea forms the backdrop of the story. Songs from England, Scotland, the Bahamas, the United States, and Brazil all contribute to this compilation. The shanties were work songs once commonly sung on board large merchant sailing vessels and associated with the hard labor of setting sails, raising the anchor, etc., invariably requiring coordinated effort. In their 19th-century heyday, shanties were sung only in work-based contexts and were never designed for entertainment. The switch to steam-powered ships and the use of machinery for shipboard tasks meant that shanties gradually ceased to serve a practical function. However, recordings by veteran sailors and commercial artists have ensured the continuing popularity of the art form. This choral edition includes the full score (choral parts with piano accompaniment) along with pages with just the vocal parts that are reproducible for your choir. A budget-stretcher for tenor-bass choirs!