Easy Polyphony for All-Male Schola?

Coultermac

Hello all,

I am currently in college seminary and am active in the music program. I am hoping that some kind soul on this forum would be willing to provide suggestions for simple, 3 or 4-part motets that can be sung with an all-male schola.

Thanks in advance.

M. Jackson Osborn

Do your have countertenors?
If so, this expands your musical perimeters.

Coultermac

No countertenors. Sadly, this is not an extremely varied or experienced group of voices.

Richard Mix

Adding "Latin" Sacred" and "a cappella" to a CPDL Multi-Category Search will narrow your TTBB results from over 800 to under 200. Palestrina and Gounod would both be useful to beginners, as with transposition would Dufay.

WGS

The Ravanello Anthology for 3 voices is just what you should be looking for - presuming that Latin is acceptable for your use. You have access to it by means of the CMAA website.

CHGiffen

Here is a TTBB (or ATBB) Ave Maria, arranged from my earlier SATB version.

CHGiffen

And here is my TBB Gustate et videte (Communion for the 8th Sunday after Pentecost) with harmonised Mode III chant for the verses ... also available in English ('O taste and see'), with Anglican chant for the verses.

Paul F. Ford

Heath Morber has made available the Tricinia Sacra work of Eugene Lindusky. I can also send you whatever you need from this list. Send me your email address. I sang all of these when I was in high school seminary—they were the making of me.

Heath

Richard Chonak was a great help with the Lindusky project, as well!

Coultermac, check my www.englishmotets.com site and let me know if it piques your interest. If so, pm me.

CHGiffen

One more: my three-part TBB setting of Psallite Domino, the Communion for Ascension. Also, an English version is available ('Sing to the Lord, who ascended').

Schönbergian

Chuck's compositions and the Lindusky Renaissance adaptations are on a different plane entirely when compared to the paltry efforts of the Cecilians, whose music should honestly be allowed to fade from whence it came (with few exceptions) I have sung many of the two-part motets (in Latin, not Heath's English adaptations) and they are well-suited for choirs not yet ready to tackle the more advanced polyphonic works, while still providing plenty of interest and craftsmanship.

Viola

Check out Giovanni Battista Martini on the cpdl site. His pieces are straightforward; the In monte Oliveti is for TTB, very beautiful and suitable for Holy Thursday. Adoramus Te Christe, likewise, for Good Friday. You'll find he has some 4 part ones also.

Jeffrey Quick

Check out my contributions on cpdl. There are some things by the early 18th-c. Florentines Feroci and Matucci (TTB, moderate ranges, tenor parts fine for most baritones) and my Marian Antiphons. Alle psallite cum luya from the Montpellier Codex goes well with 3 men (maybe down a step or m3)

CGM

I second "Alle psallite cum luya" — a rollicking fun, and not terribly difficult, piece. (You may want to sing it down a step or a third, as per JQ's suggestion.)

CGM

I'd also recommend the music of Cistercian monk Jakob Handl, perhaps my favorite Renaissance composer. He wrote a lot of sacred music for men's voices.

— Start with the lovely In nomine Jesu for four voices (TTBB).

And here are others:
— Confirma hoc Deus TTBB
— De coelo veniet TTBB
— Dicunt infantes TTBB
— Natus est nobis TTBB
— Preparate corde vestra TTBB
— Pueri concinite TTBB
— Super solium David TTBB
— Vae nobis TTBB

— Ante luciferum TTTBB
— Ascendit Deus TTTBB
— Canite tuba TTTBB
— Civitatem istam TTTBB
— Qui manducat meam carnem TTTBB

— O bone Deus TTTBBB

— Haec dies TTBB+TTBB

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