Palestrina 2025
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,862
    Is anyone else making plans for the Palestrina quincentenary?

    I've been pondering the 1589 Hymnary and sketching a plan to perform all of it at Vespers but I'm also thinking about a mass or masses for our parish choir. Usually we start Ordinary Time with a Benedictus (Schubert E-flat) and an Agnus (Byrd a 4) at the Offertories for Baptism & OT 2 (in a parish with no tradition of choral Ordinaries-yet). I've had trouble coming up with SATB settings by Palestrina, though Regina caeli has a 4vv Benedictus and perhaps we can manage the 6vv Tu es Petrus Dona nobis. Am I missing other non-3vv/5vv mass movements though?
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,625
    Yes. Candlemas, at least the Missa Papae Marcelli. TBD if the choir does the Lumen ad revelationem gentium for the blessing. More to come after that I hope.
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,935
    Pope Marcellus for Candlemas.

    Stabat Mater for September 15th (don't go copying us on that one too, Roth!)
    Thanked by 1MatthewRoth
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 2,625
    I only copy the best of ideas, sir. :)
    Thanked by 2StimsonInRehab tomjaw
  • smt
    Posts: 76
    More ideas? I wondered what are the most famous motets of Palestrina. Through his vast oeuvre, only a few compositions come to mind that stand out. But I also don't know him tremendously well either. "Sicut cervus" and "Tu es petrus" would probably be number 1+2, but then...?

    I'm thinking about Missa Sicut lilium for next year.
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • PolyfolliaPolyfollia
    Posts: 29
    Hi, I would suggest these juwels:

    - Missa+motet Viri Galilaei (à 6v)
    - Missa+Motet Hodie Christus natus est (à 8v)
    - Alma redemptoris à 4
    - Valde honorandus à 4
    ...
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen smt
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,126
    My plan had been to learn the Missa Aeterne Christi Munera, now that we're getting comfortable with "Baby's first polyphonic Mass" (Gregorio Zucchini Missa Secunda). We do "Baby's first Palestrina", the easy pieces that usually aren't by Palestrina at all. And Sicut Cervus, and a few things that I boiled down to meet our capabilities. I was going to do "more of all of the above."

    But I say "had been" because I've realized that a majority of my singers will not/cannot consistently attend a midweek rehearsal, and without one, we simply cannot learn new music. And I'm strongly considering cancelling a rehearsal that is only attended by 25% of my members.
  • ViolaViola
    Posts: 412
    Hello from the UK. Bumping this thread, to make two requests please.
    1. more recommendations for Palestrina motets/hymns to suit a volunteer choir. We have started off with the alternate verses of Pange Lingua found in our copies of Music for Holy Week (Sir Richard Terry). From the same book we have Pueri Hebraorum, which even Sir Richard admits might be spurious, but our singers are coping well with it, and we have also sung the three part Jesu rex admirabilis. If anyone could recommend a next step I would be very grateful, eg some of the Baby's First Palestrina mentioned above.
    We managed Byrd's Ave Verum Corpus last year after much rehearsal, and Sicut Cervus is another long-range possibility,
    2. How do people cope with a wide range of ability in their choirs? We have about 25 members (when they all turn up) ranging from enthusiastic but can't read music through to an ex Kingsman and an ex chorister from Magdalen (the other place), who exercise great patience and are a huge help to the choir. One possibility is to have a small group of the more able ones to tackle more ambitious stuff, but I don't want to alienate the others.
    Any ideas gratefully received!
  • GerardH
    Posts: 523
    @Viola try O Domine Jesu Christe a 4. Mostly homophonic, good for Lent.

    Jesu dulcis memoria is good too, but I'm fairly certain all available editions have mistakenly switched the alto and tenor parts. It is much more effective with the alto part taken down an octave for the tenors, and the tenor part up an octave for the altos.
    Thanked by 1Viola
  • VocesCapituli
    Posts: 136
    We sing his Sicut cervus, Hodie Christus natus est, Pueri heabreorum and, more modest, his Miserere mei.
    Thanked by 1Viola
  • StimsonInRehabStimsonInRehab
    Posts: 1,935
    Try the Palestrina Reproaches for Good Friday. Just as easy (and beautiful sounding) as Victoria's setting.
    Thanked by 2Viola smt
  • PolyfolliaPolyfollia
    Posts: 29
    Hi all! You could try as well "Salvator mundi" (SATB) https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Salvator_mundi_(Giovanni_Pierluigi_da_Palestrina)
    and "Ego sum panis vivus" (SATB)
    https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/images/c/cf/Palestrina_Ego_sum_panis_vivus_4vv.pdf
    or "Loquebantur variis linguis" (SATB)
    https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Loquebantur_(Giovanni_Pierluigi_da_Palestrina)
    Thanked by 3StimsonInRehab Viola smt
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,052
    @GeraldH
    It appears that the Jesu dulcis you link to was originally written for TTBB, and then "arranged" for SATB by simply putting the tenor parts up an octave for SA (not an uncommon things to see on CPDL!), which results in the very awkward spacing in the voices. But taking that SATB version and switching the alto and tenor leads to other problems - e.g. parallel fifths at m. 10. So it would be better to keep it TTBB or perhaps raising it a minor third for AATBar.
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen Liam Viola
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,052
    A few more "easier" motets of Palestrina:

    SATB:
    Christus factus est
    O Domine Jesu Christe
    Super flumina Babylonis
    Ave Maria a4 (1564)

    SABar:
    Pars mea / Bonus est Dominus
    Tua jesu dilectio

    Most of Palestrina's better-known motets (at least for SATB) have already been mentioned; others include:
    Ad te levavi oculos meos
    Canite tuba
    Dies sanctificatus
    Exsultate Deo
    Nos autem gloriari
    O magnum mysterium
    O rex gloriae
    Stabat Mater
    Surge illuminare
    Surge propera (and other motets from the Song of Songs)

    Other better-known masses:
    Missa Brevis
    Missa Ave regina caelorum
    Missa Assumpta est Maria
    Missa Je suis déshéritée ("Sine nomine")
    Missa Regina caeli (a4)

    Many of these have been recorded by The Sixteen under Harry Christophers.
    Palestrina - Christus factus est - SATB.pdf
    61K
    Palestrina - Pars mea - Bonus est Dominus - SAT.pdf
    71K
    Thanked by 3Viola sdtalley3 smt
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,240
    Note:
    "Jesu dulcis memoria" does not appear at all in the complete works of Palestrina, and I've yet to find the source. I've also been checking to see if it might be a contrafactum of some other Palestrina work, without success. I wonder if it might be wrongly attributed.
    Thanked by 2rich_enough Viola
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,819
    What about Dulcis Jesu... or perhaps the Matins and Lauds hymns which use texts from the same 43 verse? poem.
    Thanked by 1Viola
  • mmeladirectress
    Posts: 1,111
    our Palestrina pieces so far - there are more in the queue
    all SATB except noted
    Adoramus Te Christe
    Exsultate Deo (SAATB)
    Jesu, Rex Admirabilis (SAB)
    O Bone Jesu
    O Gloriosa Virginum
    O Memoriale
    Pange Lingua II
    Sicut Cervus
    Tua Jesu Dilectio
    Thanked by 2Viola smt
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