Looking for ideas: Holy Thursday Prelude

Andrew Motyka

Hi all,

My parish is gathering a group of high school choristers for an "Honors Choir" for Holy Week. I am more or less set for repertoire, but I would like to have a choral prelude with them on Holy Thursday, and so far have had little success finding something I like.

Any ideas? It's an SATB choir of relatively capable high-schoolers.

(I'd welcome a few English suggestions, too.)

SMR

Oculi omnium (Charles Wood). It's rather short, but quite beautiful. http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/images/d/d7/Oculi_omnium.pdf

A new commandment (Thomas Tallis)
http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/images/sheet/tall-anc.pdf

This is My Commandment (Tallis)
http://www1.cpdl.org/wiki/images/sheet/tall-thi.pdf

noel jones, aago

If Ye Love Me
Thomas Tallis
The Catholic Choirbook Page 179
Link
Other suggestions are very good, but this, the singers may never forget, for their lifetime.

OrganistRob320

I'd recommend Palestrina's setting of the Introit Proper for Holy Thursday, "Nos Autem Gloriari"

BruceL

Andrew, you may have done this already, but did you post on ChoralNet? I'll try to do some looking this week.

Also, is the Durufle Tantum ergo too much of a reach? Ubi caritas is always hard for me to put together with disparate forces since it depends a lot on line. Tantum is easier if people can prepare it on their own and you have some good male voices.

rich_enough

Hoc corpus – Melchor Robledo
http://music.stignatiusmh.com/wp-content/uploads/Robledo-Hoc-corpus.pdf

Nos autem gloriari – Felice Anerio (may need to be taken down a step or two)
http://www3.cpdl.org/wiki/images/b/bf/Nos_autem_gloriari.pdf

A new commandment – William Mundy
http://music.stignatiusmh.com/wp-content/uploads/Mundy-A-New-Commandment.pdf

There's also a setting of Ubi Caritas by Christopher Dalitz - I'm not familiar with the piece, but it looks promising.

You might also think of doing a setting of "Christus Factus Est" (it is the Gradual for this day in the EF), esp. since many are relatively simple, e.g. those by Palestrina and Anerio.

More ideas here.

"If Ye Love Me" doesn't seem particularly appropriate for Holy Thursday, since it speaks more the sending of the Holy Spirit more than anything else.

BruceL

Also Andrew, not sure if it's your cup of tea, but my old job had Biery's Ubi Caritas in the library. It's a nice piece. Published by MorningStar, St. Louis Cathedral series.

Mark P.

Thee We Adore by T. Frederick H. Candlyn (Adoro te devote melody). Chant-based anthem with a rather dramatic middle verse. It returns to a very calm ending. Non-musicians describe it as "spiritual."

Andrew Motyka

I like most of these suggestions, with a few caveats (I should have given more info to begin with):

The choir isn't singing the whole Mass, just some parts; my regular choir is singing parts of the Mass, as well. They will combine for other parts.

I have several ideas already, but I'm stuck on the prelude. I'm using the Durufle Ubi Caritas (and the chant; Offertory will be long) at the Offertory.

Also, I'll only have 3 rehearsals with this group. A couple of these pieces might be out of reach with that time frame.

Ben

Are there any polyphonic settings of the holy Thursday introit? That might be an avenue to go down if you're still looking for ideas. It would certainly by appropriate for the occasion.

MaryAnn Carr Wilson

Anerio's "Christus factus est", taken from the Gradual for Holy Thursday, might strike a nice tone. Not too long. And it may be doable in three rehearsals. I think your honor choir would prob dig it- the teens in my choir seem to.

Andrew Motyka

There are several settings of the introit, Ben, most of which are probably just out of reach for that few rehearsals. There's one that's pretty easy on CPDL that I've been looking at (a newer one by Simone Stella).

I'll check out the Anerio, MACW and rich. Thanks for all the input, all!

canadash

MaryAnn, the Anerio looks wonderful and available on CPDL! Thank you.

CHGiffen

The Anerio is a real gem.

NathanReich

You might try Joseph Gentry Stephens' setting of Ubi Caritas.

http://www.stephensmusic.com/UbiCaritas.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fcatAHZEoig

francis

I have a setting of Hoc Est. Will dig it out.

Here is premier perf

http://romancatholicsacredmusic.com/seehear/massInCMaj/6.html

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