I'm interested in doing a polyphonic piece with my choir on Holy Thursday, probably during communion. My choir has experience singing hymns in four parts but very limited experience with polyphony. What are some good options? So far I've been looking into settings of Ave Verum Corpus or O Sacrum Convivium.
May I humbly suggest my Holy Thursday Foot Washing Antiphons? A few of them have texts that are general enough that they can be used elsewhere in the mass (or even liturgical year) such as “I give you a new commandment: that you love one another as I have loved you.”
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The Casciolini "Panis Angelicus" is in three parts, is relevant to Holy Thursday, and is fairly easy. It could be put together in one rehearsal, depending on who you're working with. Simple, but still elevated.
Bruckner has a Holy Thursday Mass, WAB 9, which is exceedingly easy and atypically restrained; no divisi. It includes the gradual, offertory, Sanctus/Benedictus, and Agnus. https://imslp.org/wiki/Special:ImagefromIndex/425803/pnba
The gradual and offertory were changed at V2, but I used to sing Bruckner’s Dextera Domini (the old offertory) after Ubi Caritas, in its new place as the offertory. It is striking to sing Dextera…. on Holy Thursday as it is from one of the Hallel psalms traditionally sung after the Passover meal, and so most likely was sung by our Lord that night. (“when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives”).
Of course there’s also the Byrd Ave verum and ye olde Dubois Adoramus te, Christe; I’ve used both at the very end, while the clergy/servers leave the altar of repose.
These are some things that have been programmed in the past at my parish. They are choral, not necessarily polyphonic - but since my parish is not good with polyphony, they have fit in quite well.
-- Worthy is the Lamb (Fetke) [since your handle is contemporaryworship, it might go well?] -- Meekness and Majesty - some choral setting [suited for more contemporary-music places] -- Anima Christi - Frisina -- I give to you a new commandment - Nardone (MINUS the overlay for simplicity) -- Mandatum - Latona (this was during footwashing) -- The TUNE of the Bertrand Vexilla Regis but to some LM text for Holy Thursday (in my opinion though, this tune is better suited for processions). -- Pange Lingua - Bruckner WAB 31 (not WAB 33) - they've sung this for the procession at the end - Pange Lingua with the Bruckner setting, then chant verses, then Tantum Ergo again in the Bruckner setting.
Speaking of "O sacrum", there is an English piece by Hayes with a choral refrain "How holy this feast" (the former translation in English).....also very suitable for Holy Thursday.
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Just make sure you don't do a setting of O Sacrum Convivium with the A word at the end. It's in the original antiphon text, so I think a lot of polyphonic settings may have it.
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