Ubi Caritas Sheet Music PDF — Gjeilo, SATB a cappella
Ola Gjeilo’s luminous setting of the ancient antiphon, engraved as a four-page a cappella score for SATB choir. Read the whole first page below, then download instantly.
Few works in the contemporary choral canon do what Gjeilo’s Ubi Caritas does in its opening bars: one unaccompanied soprano line over silence, and a hall goes still. Rooted in the ancient antiphon — “Where charity and love are, God is there” — the setting keeps the chant’s shape and wraps it in the open, slowly resolving harmonies that made it one of the most programmed sacred pieces of the last twenty years.
This edition is what a choir actually stands up with: the complete four-page a cappella score for SATB, in A major at ♩ = 52, with the Latin text underlaid in all four voices and every dynamic, hairpin and fermata from the setting engraved in. No accompaniment — none is written — and nothing between the singers and the line. The whole first page is shown below at full size, so you can read the engraving before you decide.
Choose your “Ubi Caritas” edition
SATB Choir Edition
€19.90The complete four-page a cappella score for SATB choir — 44 bars in A major, Latin text underlaid in all four voices, full dynamics from p to ff and back to the closing pp. High-resolution PDF, delivered the moment you pay.
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- Licensed edition
Quality in detail
- Read the score before you buy: The image on the product card is page 1 of the actual PDF. Click it to open the page at full size and check the note spacing, the text underlay and the four-part layout the way you would in a hard-copy sample.
- The complete setting, four pages: All 44 bars from the opening soprano entry to the closing pp “Amen” — the full a cappella score, not a reduction and not an excerpt.
- Everything the singers need on the page: Latin text underlaid in Soprano, Alto, Tenor (octave-treble clef) and Bass, with the complete dynamic scheme from p through the ff climax to the closing pp, plus hairpins, the rit. and the final fermatas.
- Choir-folder format: Engraved at 171 × 267 mm octavo, the size a choral folder is built for — bar numbers at the head of every system, so rehearsal directions land the first time.
- Instant PDF delivery: The file downloads the moment your payment goes through. Print a set for the choir, or read it on a tablet in forScore or unrealBook.
- Bespoke adjustments on request: A transposition for a lower ensemble, an added rehearsal-piano reduction, or a different voicing — Paul Lorenz adapts the edition personally. Ask before you buy and we will tell you what is possible.
Ubi Caritas (Gjeilo) sheet music at a glance
| Work | Ubi Caritas — Ola Gjeilo, on the ancient Gregorian antiphon (© 2007 Walton Music Corporation) |
| This edition | SATB choir, a cappella — engraved by Paul Lorenz Music |
| Voicing | SATB, unaccompanied (no accompaniment is written) |
| Language | Latin, underlaid in all four voices |
| Key & metre | A major; changing metre — 3/4, 4/4, 5/4 and 2/4 |
| Tempo | ♩ = 52, middle section ♩ = 58 (from bar 15), back to ♩ = 52 at bar 28, rit. into the close |
| Extent | 44 bars on 4 pages, octavo format 171 × 267 mm |
| Markings | Complete dynamics (p · mf · mp · ff · pp), hairpins, rit., closing fermatas; bar numbers at every system |
| Difficulty | Advanced amateur and professional choirs — intonation and pp control, not speed |
| Format | High-resolution PDF — instant download, print- and tablet-ready |
| Licensing | Protected work. Licensed for performances by the purchasing choir; public performance reported to the performing-rights society by the organiser as usual |
| Price | €19.90 |
Is this edition right for your choir?
Ubi Caritas rewards choirs that can shape stillness rather than volume. It suits:
- wedding ceremonies — a luminous, unaccompanied moment of calm
- sacred concerts, Easter Vigils and Advent programmes
- cathedral and chamber choirs with confident, blending voices
- competition and adjudicated sets, where tone and intonation are what is judged
It is not a piece for a choir still finding its intonation: unaccompanied writing at pp gives nothing to hide behind. With strong section leaders and generous rehearsal time, a good amateur ensemble sings it beautifully.
What you receive
- The complete four-page SATB a cappella score — 44 bars, A major, ♩ = 52, Latin text underlaid in every voice
- One high-resolution PDF, delivered the instant your payment goes through — yours to keep and print for your choir
- Access to Paul Lorenz’ bespoke service if you need a transposition, extracted voice parts or a rehearsal-piano reduction
Programming Ubi Caritas
Placed early in a programme it settles a room; placed as a benediction it sends an audience out in silence rather than applause. The Latin text and the open harmonic language sit comfortably beside Renaissance polyphony on one side and contemporary sacred writing on the other — and because it is unaccompanied, it works anywhere a choir can stand, with no instrument to move or tune.
Two practical notes for rehearsal. The metre changes almost every bar, so conduct the words rather than the bar lines and the piece stops feeling irregular. And build the dynamic arc backwards from the ff at bar 21: everything before it should feel like it is still holding something back, or the climax has nowhere to go. Explore the related sacred arrangements below to build the rest of the programme.
Customer reviews
5.0 out of 5 · 1 review
★★★★★Anyone looking for modern, ethereal choral music can't get past this one. Gjeilo's sound worlds are magical. The score gives the choir wonderful room for intonation and phrasing. Highly recommended!
Matthias N., Chamber Choir Director
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Ubi Caritas sheet music — frequently asked questions
What exactly is included in the download?
One high-resolution PDF containing the complete four-page SATB score of “Ubi Caritas” — 44 bars, A major, ♩ = 52, Latin text underlaid in all four voices. It is worth being precise: the setting is a cappella, so there is no accompaniment part, and the four voices are engraved together in score rather than as separately extracted parts. That is the format choirs rehearse and perform this piece from.
Can I see the sheet music before I buy?
Yes — the whole of page 1. The product image on this page is the actual first page of the PDF; click it to open it at full size and zoom in. You can check the note spacing, the text underlay and how the four staves sit on the page before spending anything. If you would like to see more of the score first, write to us and we will send further sample pages personally.
Is there an accompaniment part?
No — and that is the piece, not an omission. Gjeilo set “Ubi Caritas” for unaccompanied SATB voices, and this edition follows the setting exactly. If your ensemble would like a rehearsal-piano reduction to learn the harmonies from, Paul Lorenz can prepare one on request; contact us before purchasing.
What is the difficulty level?
It is written for advanced amateur and professional SATB choirs. The notes themselves are not fast or high, but three things make it demanding: the metre changes constantly between 3/4, 4/4, 5/4 and 2/4; the harmony moves through slowly resolving suspensions that only work with true intonation; and the piece begins and ends at pp, which is where unaccompanied singing is most exposed. A choir with confident section leaders and blending voices will manage it; it rewards far more rehearsal than its four pages suggest.
What key and tempo is it in?
A major, marked ♩ = 52, with the middle section moving to ♩ = 58 from bar 15 and settling back to ♩ = 52 at bar 28. The final bars are marked rit. and the piece closes on fermatas at pp.
May we perform Ubi Caritas from this score in public?
Your purchase licenses this edition for performances by the purchasing choir — concerts, weddings and services included. “Ubi Caritas” is a protected contemporary work (© 2007 Walton Music Corporation), so the public performance itself is licensed and reported as usual by the organiser through the responsible performing-rights society: GEMA in Germany, AKM in Austria, SUISA in Switzerland, ASCAP/BMI/PRS elsewhere. For a commercial recording or a broadcast, please contact us directly first.
Can the edition be adapted for our ensemble?
Yes. Paul Lorenz offers a bespoke service — a transposition into a more comfortable key, a rehearsal-piano reduction, extracted individual voice parts if your choir prefers to sing from them, or a layout built for a particular tablet. Requests are handled personally and usually take a few days for a piece of this length. Contact us before purchasing so we can quote it.
What is your refund policy?
Because you receive the complete file the moment you pay, downloads cannot be returned. That is exactly why the whole first page is shown here at full resolution — please read it, and ask us anything you are unsure about, before you buy. If a file is ever faulty or will not open, write to us and we will fix it personally.