Motets for advent
  • cronanyu
    Posts: 4
    Hi guys,

    I'm currently in the process of assisting the director of music at my parish with the preparation of motets to be sung during Advent and Christmas.

    As such, what some of the best polyphonic compositions that should be sung during this season? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

    God bless.
    Thanked by 1Priestboi
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Conditor Alme Siderum (I think it's Dufay?)
  • Priestboi
    Posts: 155
    Here is a list on CPDL that is quite useful:

    http://www2.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/ChoralWiki:Music_for_the_Advent_and_Christmas_season

    I imagine that you are looking for a narrower list, but I hope this sparks some discussion and helps you find the perfect pieces for your group :)
  • maestrodicapella
    Posts: 129
    ADVENTUS I
    Alma Redemptoris, Aichinger
    Ad te, Domine, Hakenberger (GR)
    Ad te, Domine, Halmos (GR)
    Universi qui te, Rheinberger
    Ecce Dominus veniet, Victoria
    Dominus dabit, MacMillan (GR)
    Dominus dabit, Fux(GR)
    Dominus dabit, Balbi (GR)
    Juste et pie vivamus, Webbe (A)

    ADVENTUS II
    Deus tu convertens, Fux (GR)
    Deus tu convertens, Palestrina (GR)
    Deus tu convertens, Rheinberger
    Deus tu convertens, Halmos
    Canite tuba, Guerrero (A)
    A tender shoot, Goldschmidt (A)
    Jerusalem surge, Isaac (GR)
    Jerusalem surge, Kačanaukas (GR)
    Alma Redemptoris, Palestrina
    Fuit homo missus, Palestrina
    Cantcile of Zachariah, MacMillan

    ADVENTUS III (GAUDETE)
    Gaude et laetare, Sweelinck
    Cum audisset Johannes, Cardoso (A)
    Benedixisti, Rheinberger (GR)
    Benedixisti, Palestrina (GR)
    Benedixisti, Lassus (GR)
    The Record of John, Ives (B)
    Dicite: Pusillanimes, Balbi (GR)
    Dicite: Pusillanimes, Fux (GR)
    Rejoice in the Lord, Anon (C)
    Fuit homo missus, Palestrina (B)
    Inter natos mulierium, Lassus

    ADVENTUS IV
    Ne timeas Maria, Victoria
    Rorate caeli, Rheinberger (GR)
    Ave Maria, Elgar (GR)
    Ave Maria, Victoria (GR)
    Canite tuba, Palestrina
    Rorate caeli, Byrd
    Ave Maria, Byrd (GR)
    Rorate caeli, Tye
    Ecce concipies, Byrd (GR)
    Ecce concipies, Handl (GR)
    Dixit Maria, Hassler (B)
    Gabriel Angelus, Marenzio (B)
    Verbum caro factum est, Malcolm
    Cum esset desponsata, Issac (A)
    Exurgens Maria abiit, Dulichius (C)
    O radiant Dawn, MacMillan
    Joseph fili David, Busto (A)
    Thanked by 1janetgorbitz
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,799
    CPDL has numerous categories by season: "Advent" contains all pieces in the subcategories Advent I-IV plus a few (like Alma Redemptoris Mater and the Advent prose) that are not specific to one Sunday. The above-linked Music for the Advent and Christmas season casts the net much wider. To narrow results by language and/or number of voices you'll want to go to the Multi-Category_Search page.
    Thanked by 1rich_enough
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    I don't see Gibbons' 'This is the record of John' above - did I miss it?

    Most of the Latin gems are listed above.
    To them I would add these:

    Malcolm Archer - Creator of the stars of night
    Paul Manz - E'en so Lord Jesus, quickly come
    Gabriel Jackson - I look from afar
    Anonymous English, XVIth cent. - Rejoice in the Lord alway
    Henry Purcell - Rejoice in the Lord alway
    Grayston Ives - This is the record of John
    Gabriel Jackson - Tomorrow go ye forth
    Philip Ledger - Adam lay ybounden
    Malcolm Archer - Ave Maria
    Arvo Part - Bogoroditsye Dyevo
    S.S. Wesley - Thou judge of quick and dead
    Thos. Tallis - Audivi media nocte
    Adrian Batten - Lord, we beseech thee
    Wllm. Byrd - Laetentur caeli
    Thanked by 1MarkS
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    To Jackson's list, I would add Boris Ord's Adam Lay ybounden.

    Jackson,

    Given your obviously good taste and your loathing of anything pretentiously mediocre, can you help me understand how Paul Manz' work ends up on the list? I don't know that particular work (hence part of my question), but I've never been impressed with Manz' opus.

    God bless,

    Chris
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Chris -

    Paul Manz' work seems, to me, to be in a niche all its own. I knew him when I was choirmaster at a major Lutheran church here in Houston and have nothing but respect for him. He presided famously over a remarkable music program in his own Great Lakes area church for many years, was highly renowned in Lutheran musical circles, and had the integrity to resign rather than sign an oath that every last word of the Bible was inerrant and literally true. He had a great gift for improvisation which was inspiring to hear.

    As for 'E'en so..', it is a beautifully conceived, very concise and moving little motet which I would not be averse to include in any choral repertory. Ditto, many of his organ chorales. Note that I said 'many', not 'all'. The best of them are mid-to-late twentieth century heirs of the organ chorale form. Some are meant as alternatim versets. I would not do them on a recital because there is so much that's better to choose from, but would without qualm do them as preludes on processional hymns, or postludes, today - providing there wasn't something even better on a given tune to play. I would put Manz in the same class as someone like Jan Bender or Hermann Schroeder, et al. But no, he, nor they, was no Joseph Ahrens or Ernst Pepping, nor, I would add, Helmut Walcha or Ludwig Lenel. The modern Lutheran compositional style is, as I said above, in a class by itself, but, largely, is not at all to be looked down on. Thanks for questioning me on this. Manz and his like are, indeed, border-line cases who, at times, make it across the border.

  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,048
    Here are some shorter Latin motets for Advent available on CPDL. All are SATB unless otherwise noted. Those marked * are more popular / better known.

    Ad Te, Domine, levavi – Fux

    Ad te levavi – Franz Xaver Witt

    Alma Redemptoris Mater – Aichinger (SST)

    Alma Redemptoris Mater I – Aichinger (SATB)

    Alma Redemptoris Mater II – Aichinger (SSTB)

    Alma Redemptoris Mater – Anerio (SST)

    Alma Redemptoris Mater II – Anerio

    *Alma redemptoris Mater – Palestrina

    Alma Redemptoris Mater – attr. Juan Garcia de Salazar

    Alma Redemptoris Mater – Soriano

    Conditor Alme Siderum – Praetorius
    All verses
    Even verses in harmony

    De caelo veniet – Handl (ATTB)

    Dicite pusillamines – Fux

    *Dixit Maria – Hassler

    *Ecce concipies – Handl

    Egredietur virga – Handl
    prima pars
    secunda pars: Radix Jesse

    Gabriel angelus – Marenzio

    Ipse est qui post me – Cardoso

    Obsecro Domine – Handl

    Rorate Caeli – Guerrero

    Vox clamantis in deserto – Diego de las Muelas (SAT)

    And I've attached a simple setting of Rorate Caeli arranged from a piece by Tye.
    Rorate Caeli - Tye.pdf
    271K
    Thanked by 2Heath canadash
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,048
    Also, you can sing a setting of the Ave Maria in the last weeks of Advent, esp. on the 4th Sunday.

    Clemens non papa

    Mouton

    Verdonck (SATB)
    same piece for AATB

    L. Balbi Venti
    Thanked by 2Heath canadash
  • MarkS
    Posts: 282
    ...can you help me understand how Paul Manz' work ends up on the list? I don't know that particular work...


    My current favorite YouTube of the Manz 'E'en so, Lord Jesus, quickly come':
    https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=e'en+so+lord+jesus+georgia+boys+choir+


    It's a little gem, and very singable (soprano/treble high b-flat).
    Thanked by 3M. Jackson Osborn canadash WGS
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    Here are some Advent carols -
    found readily in The Oxford Book of Carols

    No.:
    ..41 - Righteous Joseph Wedded Was
    ....5 - The Praise of Christmas (for Advent or Christmas)
    114 - No Room in the Inn
    133 - People Look East
    115 - Joseph and Mary
    134 - If Ye Would Hear the Angels Sing
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,048
    The Oxford choral collections are always a good start for solid selections; Advent for Choirs is no exception.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • CGM
    Posts: 699
    The six-voice Rorate caeli of Handl is a wonderful Advent motet. My edition of the score is here. I recorded it back in 2013; have a listen here.
    Thanked by 1rich_enough
  • Gustavo Zayas
    Posts: 87
    I usually go to canticanova.com and pick from their suggested titles, although I usually don't use the given arrangements. Currently I'm teaching my choir communion propers from Richard Rice's Simple Choral Gradual.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    The Saint Basil's Hymnal has Thou that art so fair and bright, seemingly designed in this arrangement as a hymn.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,415
    It occurs to me that Willan's 'What is this lovely fragrance' might be nice for 'Mary Sunday'.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Creator Alme Siderum by Richard Burchard is a favorite of mine for the Advent/Epiphany season.
  • CCoozeCCooze
    Posts: 1,259
    The Heinrich Isaac polyphonic Alleluia: Ostende nobis, Domine is the alleluia for the 1st Sunday of Advent. Even without the "alleluia," it is a lovely motet.
    Thanked by 1M. Jackson Osborn
  • matthewjmatthewj
    Posts: 2,700
    http://www0.cpdl.org/wiki/images/sheet/rac-ttol.pdf

    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    [unable to make intended post load; not using Jackson's dot!]
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