Best score for Sicut Cervus?
  • amindthatsuits
    Posts: 892
    Hey, folks:

    I see CPDL has many scores for Palestrina’s Sicut Cervus.

    Anyone have opinions on which is best? And what key is the original in (if we know)?

    Thanks.

    Kenneth
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,298
    The original was in F (one flat), best for ATBB or TTBB voices. Most editions at CPDL transpose it up to G, A-flat, or A. The (currently) most recent edition by David Masao Zimmerman in G is excellent.
    Thanked by 2M. Jackson Osborn amindthatsuits
  • amindthatsuits
    Posts: 892
    Thank you. That is very helpful. I suspect to be a useful chorister, I should get used to singing it in several keys. I have in fact had someone turn to me at Midnight Mass and ask if I knew it becasue they were down a voice. I do chant but I decided I should branch out.

    Thanks again.

    Kenneth
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 1,095
    Peter Hilton in G is my go-to!
    Thanked by 1amindthatsuits
  • amindthatsuits
    Posts: 892
    Excellent, thank you.
  • Jenny Donelson
    Posts: 300
    The CMAA's Parish Book of Motets has a great one in A-flat, with practice tracks.

    https://churchmusicassociation.org/pbm5/#sicutpalestrina
    Thanked by 1Gaudium
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 752
    I suspect to be a useful chorister, I should get used to singing it in several keys.


    I found my strong sight reading, ear training, vowel production, and intonation were what made me most useful as a chorister. I had to sight sing my way through most of the full chant propers my first Good Friday and Easter Vigil in the EF because there just wasn’t enough time to go through everything in rehearsal. I had to learn almost 20 years of built up repertoire in 6 weeks.

    Strong musicianship skills and vocal technique are what will make you the most useful.
  • PolyfolliaPolyfollia
    Posts: 29
    Hi, my favourite is "Wenn der Hirsch schreit", Psalm 42 by Mendelssohn.
    German version of Sicut cervus...
    Can be found on CPDL:
    https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Psalm_42,_Op._42_(Felix_Mendelssohn)
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Gellie09
    Posts: 1
    Hi all, I know this forum is old, but I came across it while searching for scores in the original key and thought I might have some useful information to offer.

    Palestrina's Sicut Cervus was originally written in F Major, with the top three lines written using C-clefs (as was common at the time). It would have most likely been sung by four singers (one to a part): a countertenor/falsettist, a high tenor, a baritone, and a bass. Due to pitch standards in Rome at the time, F Major would have sounded about a whole tone lower than it does today. Hence, it may be desirable to "transpose down" to E-flat Major if your goal is to obtain maximum historical authenticity. Doing this would also bring the parts more squarely within the ranges of each singer. In the absence of a countertenor, an alto or mezzo-soprano will do in a pinch.

    Hope this information is helpful! Please let me know if there's anything I've missed.
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,575
    Yeah but they could also adjust on the fly. F was whatever it was said to be, as the hexachordal solmization allows for this. And today while you can do modern F major with ATTB/ATBB (we did in G the last two times with SATB, but normally we run ATTB lately), we have adult women sopranos and altos. That was not the case in Rome. It’s just a hard motet to pitch as a result no matter your goals.

    To another point: so many Sicut Cervus scores are badly done, probably because so many groups use it and it alone for Renaissance works.
    Thanked by 1Liam
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,627
    For liturgy (as opposed to recordings and concerts), I am a pitch-for-the-forces-you-have guy. Same for things that congregations sing - and the time of day they sing (might need to be lower at 8AM....). People with perfect pitch can offer it up.

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