Alternatives to Victoria Passion Choruses
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    We sang the Passion again this year for Good Friday, and we used the Victoria turba choruses. They're lovely . . . but maybe too lovely. I had a number of people tell me that they were moved, but felt a little strange hearing an "angry" mob of angelic voices singing "Crucify Him!" with such sweet major harmonies.

    Any alternatives out there for next year? They would still need to be compatible with the traditional chant, obviously.
  • Pes
    Posts: 623
    Bach's chorales, even just sections of them, come to mind. Perhaps they can be re-set, like contrafacta, to serve the purpose -- or merely provide grist for new fauxbourdon settings.
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    There is the (if I may be permitted a non-intended pun) very passionate setting of St Matthew by Schutz. Quite usable liturgically, and extremely moving.
    There is also a simpler one by J G Walther.
    There are others, including from the late Gothic period.

    Are you using only the choruses??? Why???
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    MJO,

    No, we're chanting the whole thing in the traditional way, with the chorus supplying the turba parts. Is that what you mean?

    H
  • M. Jackson Osborn
    Posts: 8,414
    Settings of the passions by composers such as Victoria, Schutz, etc. include the entire text, alternating between recitative-like solos and choruses for various groups of people. It seemed to me (perhaps I am mistaken) that you were extracting only the choruses to be inserted into the plainchant version. Am I wrong? This is, on the one hand, imaginative, but on the other, takes the choruses out of the context of the powerful, accompanying, recitative that was composed to be integral with them. I'm just curious.
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    Well, I would suspect that for Schutz, but I was under the assumption that Victoria would have used the traditional plainchant. This is incorrect, eh? Hmm . . . I'd be interested to see what he used.

    Any other thoughts? I know Lassus set some choruses . . . same situation with him?
  • Felipe Gasper
    Posts: 804
    There is a setting by Columba Kelly (sp?) that OCP publishes that takes the same approach of adapting the chant tone to the 1998 U.S. Lectionary’s text. Turba settings for SAB choir, but very pretty.

    Incidentally, I believe the Vatican’s book of the Passions includes two chant settings for each account.

    ISTM there is something to be said for a musically homogeneous language among the turba chorus responses. At least, given that the chant tone would be consistent throughout, it is sensible that the choir’s “tone” would remain consistent, too.

    The emotional distance that the tones provide, by not varying the music with the textual content, can be seen as a form of preserving the “catholicity” of the Scripture proclamation and of reinforcing the “transparence” of the choir, lectors, and clergy.

    My $.02. Incidentally, I believe Heath is using the GIA edition of the Passion.
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