Choir is a uniting and powerful display of different voices that just about anyone can and should get into. But there are so many songs written for choirs that it is difficult to find the best one. So, we have created a list of some of the very best choral songs made!
Best modern choir songs 😍
1. You raise me up - Westlife
Originally written by Secret garden, but has been performed by lots of different artists. It is an uplifting and moving piece that is great for choirs getting started or even intermediate choirs.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bxc9hbwkkw
😌 Difficulty: easy.
2. Some nights - Fun
This song is fun and allows for a mixture of voices to shine and show their skills. It is fairly easy to pick up but still sounds effortlessly impressive. It is an engaging song for a choir looking for a modern set to get people clapping along.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQkBeOisNM0
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
3. Hallelujah - Leonard Cohen
This song is always a favourite and is a moving and satisfying song to listen to. It combines the different parts of the choir in beautiful rises and falls and sounds great accompanied by just a piano. This is guaranteed to captivate any audience.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n9YZJIp8cv0
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
4. Let it be - Beatles
Beatles songs can be a great and popular choice for choices, especially ones looking for less technical pieces. It can be done with a strong lead vocal or the group singing in unison throughout. Either way, this moving song is a great way to display vocal range.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QDYfEBY9NM4
😌 Difficulty: easy.
5. Yesterday - Beatles
Yet another Beatles song that is great for a mixture of voices to display their abilities. It can be simplistic or a choir can put their own twist on the vocals, either way it will be a crowd pleaser.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fCV9oqtwyVA
😌 Difficulty: easy.
6. Rolling in the deep- Adele
This popular song is fun and upbeat for both the choir and the audience. It can combine both the lead vocals and backup vocals to create a fast, blended choir song. It is perfect for a female only choir, but can be sung by anyone.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rYEDA3JcQqw
😌 Difficulty: easy.
7. Rolling in the deep- Adele
ABBA is a favourite for choir singing especially for choirs that are just starting out. This crowd favourite is perfect for a larger and mixed choir group.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sj_9CiNkkn4
😌 Difficulty: easy.
8. take on me - A ha
This song can seem impressive with lots of different voices mixing together, but in fact can be picked up by anyone. This is a crowd pleaser and is ideal for large choirs with music accompaniment.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=djV11Xbc914
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
9. Don’t stop believin - Journey
This song can be great for acapella with solo vocals and with layered sounds to mimic the instruments. This song can show off skill and be lots of fun to perform.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1k8craCGpgs
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
10. See you again - Charlie Puth and Wiz Khalifa
This song can allow for the beautiful harmonising of different voices and tells a moving story of family and friends. It is a great way for choirs and lead vocals to show off any rapping skills.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RgKAFK5djSk
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
11. Yellow - Coldplay
This song will get any audience shining their torch to the beat. Its beautiful melody sounds perfect when amplified by lots of different voices. It also goes brilliantly accompanied by a band.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKNxeF4KMsY
😌 Difficulty: easy.
12. Tiny Dancer - Elton John
This song is always a fan favourite and isn’t too difficult to pick up because of the iconic lyrics. It sounds impressive and a choir can put their own spin on it to really impress.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYcyacLRPNs
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
13. Bridge over troubled water - Simon and Garfunkel
This piece is moving and tells an emotional and beautiful story that a choir can bring to life. With lots of different voices in a large choir, this song can be harmonised amazingly. Simon and Garfunkal are always a good choir choice.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrcwRt6J32o
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
14. True colours - Cyndi Lauper
This song is perfect accompanied by just a piano and is a great way to bring on a solo vocal to introduce this beautiful melody. A choir can really impress and bring the power of this song.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LPn0KFlbqX8
😌 Difficulty: easy.
15. Imagine - John Lennon
A choir is guaranteed to bring chills to any audience with this famous song. It is moving and the soprano lead can create an angelic feel.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkgkThdzX-8
😌 Difficulty: easy.
Best classical choir songs 🎻
These pieces are often require a lot of experience and practice so are perfect for large, experienced choirs.
16. Only in sleep - Eriks Esenvalds
This piece is often led by a solo soprano voice that provides the basis of this angelic sounding song that would display the impressive abilities of different voices in a smaller choir. This piece can really heal the soul.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fvPynMI6Umc
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
17. Ballade to the moon (from three nocturnes) - Daniel Elder
This song would sound perfect with a piano accompaniment and a choir is the perfect way to communicate these beautiful and poetic lyrics. The different voices mixing together different parts and building up to the impressive climax of the song. This song will leave an audience on the edge of their seat.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbnT2leLv40
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
18. The battle of Jericho -
While the origins of this song is largely unknown, it has become well known and a popular piece for large mixed choirs with its quick tempo and its layered structure. The song is difficult to perfect but can be done by any choir.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIIX0oCDAs0
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
19. Always something sings - Dan Forrest
This song is a slightly easier introduction to traditional choir songs. This moving piece begins with a soprano melody and gradually brings in more voices. Everyone has a chance to show off with this song.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sQeZerftJ8
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
20. Gloria in excelsis deo - Antonio Vivaldi
This song is a classic for a reason. Its iconic chorus would give anyone chills and perfectly showcases the talents of a choir. It is paired perfectly with orchestra and the amazing power in the vocals carries perfectly in a large concert hall with a large choir.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhhYIZJj6rk
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
21. Hallelujah - George Frideric Handel
Yet another song that is instantly recognisable. This large and grandiose choral piece is perfect for those with powerful voices and great for mixed vocals as well as mixed abilities. The perfect way to grab the crowd's attention.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUZEtVbJT5c
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
22. Ave maria - Franz Schubert
While this song is often led by a solo vocal, it can be used for choral music for a chilling performance. This piece is moving and emotional and its Italian lyrics can engage even those who cannot translate it.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWe95K5BEoM
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
23. Stetit angelus - Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina
A song that beautifully harmonises different voices to create a technically impressive song to perform and will move an audience. Its strong and clear vocals with a soprano harmony is a perfect climax to a song.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=__NIuaCMYG8
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
24. Messiah - George Frideric Handel
This is a very long choral piece and it would be a very impressive choral and orchestral performance. Choirs can also pick an excerpt from this piece and still dazzle the audience with the powerful vocals such as ‘For unto Us a Child is Born’.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlR9AAYMa3A
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
25. Symphony No.8 (finale) - Gustav Mahler
This song is another one that is perfect for very large choirs with lots of different voices. It sounds beautiful with a soprano lead vocal and the crescendo build up leads for a very impressive and satisfying choral song.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9WhNn6zxqVg
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
26. Missa solemnis - Ludwig Van Beethoven
This is another piece that is very long and for a dedicated choir performance with orchestra, it is perfect. But choirs can still pick just a section of this piece and still impress any audience. This piece is a difficult song to nail, but is well worth the effort.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8Yy0gSt-JE
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
27. Sing to me - Laura Farnell
This piece displays lots of different voices so that everyone has a chance to shine. The perfect song to impress an audience, while not being too challenging. This song can capture the beauty of choir.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e71UH5p3xmk
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
28. hope, faith, love, life - Eric Whitacre
This piece can be perfect for showing off impressive bass singers as they come through strongly at the beginning. It then mixes in lots of different vocals through layered and building each voice in crescendo.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Apg548BbCGM
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
29. The road home - Stephen Paulus
This song is a peaceful choir piece that isn’t too challenging for choirs to sound amazing. It works best for SATB choirs as each range can be heard. This moving piece would get any audience lost in the lyrics.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlcAt2dKXQU
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
30. Panis angelicus - Cesar Franck and Sylvester Wager
This song is moving and the latin lyrics sound angelic when sung and harmonised by many different voices.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PK3TeWqSAZk
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
31. Song for Athene- John Tavener
The way that the voices slowly build in this beautiful hymn is truly enrapturing especially with the powerful bass beginning. Its lyrics pay tribute to a woman named Athene Hariades, a friend of the composer, and a choir is the only way to do this beautiful song justice.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ma_Ouv74_8
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
32. Lamentations of Jeremiah - Robert White
This piece has a very sombre feel that beckons the attention of any audience. It goes into an urgent and fast pace melody that mimics the powerful lyrics. This would be a challenge for a choir with the different change in pace and mood, but with practice, it is a guaranteed win.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFeopMIp2jQ
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
33. With a lily in your hand - Eric Whitacre
This song can be sung acapella and sound very impressive with the different harmonisations of mouth sounds and beautiful lyrics.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4bmmYqUZ-fQ
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
34. If ye love me - Thomas Tallis
This song is moving and should be powerfully sung by an intermediate choir. It can be performed by any sized choir and will leave any audience in awe.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqt005j1dB0
🫣 Difficulty: medium.
35. Sleep - Eric Whitacre
This song is peaceful and moving and the bass comes out strongly and beautifully harmonised with the other voices. This song is perfect to showcase the skills of any choir.
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yw5gupbe9E0
🥵 Difficulty: hard.
Hopefully this list will come in handy for your choir and if you would like to learn more about choir music, visit the links below!
- Nineteen Spectacular Songs Ideal for Youth Choirs 🎉
- 22 essential Christmas choir pieces 🎄
- 50 gospel favorites you can't miss 🌟
Thank you for reading. See you at the next rehearsal!
