Christmas & Advent Songs for Limited Rehearsal Time?
  • Egrimm84
    Posts: 9
    Hello, We are leading an elementary and then a separate middle school/high school choir for a large group of Catholic families whose children attend a public classical charter school. There is no parish choir in our area and parents want their children to learn Sacred music. I've attached the programs from our last two concerts so you can see what we've already done.

    For the littles we would love:
    1. a must know Advent or Christmas hymn
    2. a must know Chant
    3. something in parts - either a canon or a simple SA arrangement

    For the older kids we would love:
    1. a must know Advent or Christmas hymn they can learn in SAB or SATB (as usual we are short on boys)
    2. a chant for ladies only, a chant for men only
    3. a SIMPLE sacred song (SAB or SATB) that should be part of every well formed Catholic's repertoire

    We have very limited rehearsal time. Suggestions? Thank you!
    ECHO December Concert Program 2024.pdf
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    ECHO Spring Concert Program.pdf
    504K
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,404
    Just a couple of suggestions:

    Of the Father's Love Begotten
    Ave Maris Stella chant
    Any of the proper chants from the Christmas Masses, like Puer Natus or In Splendoribus
    Thanked by 5M. Jackson Osborn Egrimm84 rvisser Abbysmum Chant_Supremacist
  • cmb
    Posts: 92
    Silent Night for the SATB hymn - straightforward harmonies, and it’s beautiful a cappella. And congregations love it. For a little extra challenge, teach them the German.
    Thanked by 3Egrimm84 rvisser Chant_Supremacist
  • rvisser
    Posts: 81
    I look forward to seeing what others suggest!
    For littles (I'm thinking K-3, maybe 4):
    - See Amid the Winter's Snow - older ones can sing the verses, and really young ones can join in on the refrain
    - Mary the Dawn - works great sung antiphonally (could have girls sing the "Mary" parts and boys sing the "Christ" parts); I did this last year with grades K-2 and it worked wonderfully
    - O Come All Ye Faithful - really little ones can learn the refrain in English and Latin, older kids can sing verses; I have taught the Willcocks descant to grades 3 and above.

    Older kids (grades 4 and up):
    - Seconding irishtenor's recommendation of "Of the Father's Love"!
    - Tollite Hostias from Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio (10 year olds can hit the high notes beautifully, and your high schoolers could learn the SATB parts)
    - O Sanctissima (arr. Beethoven) - not exactly Christmas music, but I think Marian music counts ;) It is scored for SAB and the bass part is easy for students to learn.
    - Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silence (arr. Gustav Holst) - parts can be simplified if necessary (alternate verses between boys and girls on melody, then sing the final "Alleluia, Amen" in parts); really fun for the organist to play!
    - for chant, both "Creator Alme Siderum" and "Resonet in Laudibus" would be good choices; you could add organum on the "Gaudete" part of "Resonet in Laudibus" and alternate verses between boys and girls
    Thanked by 1Chant_Supremacist
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 228
    Some ideas..

    For the littles we would love:
    1. a must know Advent or Christmas hymn: Silent Night or Once in Royal David's City
    2. a must know Chant: Resonet in Laudibus
    3. something in parts - either a canon or a simple SA arrangement: O Maria, Virgo Pia with organ/piano (this one https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCJiShs38N0)

    For the older kids we would love:
    1. a must know Advent or Christmas hymn they can learn in SAB or SATB (as usual we are short on boys): Lo How a Rose
    2. a chant for ladies only, a chant for men only: Creator Alme Siderum (girls) and Puer Natus (boys)
    3. a SIMPLE sacred song (SAB or SATB) that should be part of every well formed Catholic's repertoire: O Gloriosa Virginum (attr. Palestrina)
    Thanked by 3Abbysmum CHGiffen Egrimm84
  • AbbysmumAbbysmum
    Posts: 105
    Just a couple of suggestions:

    Of the Father's Love Begotten
    Ave Maris Stella chant
    Any of the proper chants from the Christmas Masses, like Puer Natus or In Splendoribus


    Depending on your age group, I concur most heartedly with Of the Father's Love Begotten. The kids loved it when I used to teach it to the children's choir.

    They also loved Sleep, Holy Babe.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Egrimm84
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 71
    An advent song that all (and not only) kids love is "Maria durch ein Dornwald ging". Although the first extant source is from the 19th century, it apparently goes back to the medieval tradition of "Leisen". I do not know, though, whether there is a decent English translation, public domain or with a permissive license.

    Among the "must know hymns" I would suggest "Veni redemptor gentium". It goes back to antiquity and is thus the "most traditonal" extant advent hymn, I think. Beware, however, that most translations lack one syllable in each verse because they are based on Martin Luther's version of the melody ("Nun komm der Heiden Heiland"). After some searching, I have eventually found an English translation that actually can be sung to the original melody and also made some settings for SATB, SAT, or ATB.
    Thanked by 1Egrimm84
  • Egrimm84
    Posts: 9
    Thank you so much! This is immensely helpful!!
  • Chant_Supremacist
    Posts: 228
    Re: Veni Redemptor Gentium, I just recently took Praetorius's setting of the first verse and arranged it with two further verses (the second and the doxology). I think it could sound good on its own or in alternatim, though it might be a little challenging for even older kids.
    Veni Redemptor Gentium -GF.pdf
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    Thanked by 2m_r_taylor Egrimm84
  • CGM
    Posts: 781
    I've always liked O Come, Little Children. It's simple enough that the younger kids could learn it — perhaps even sing the SA parts while the accompanist plays the whole score.

    And I second the nomination of Silent Night for the SATB older kids. This arrangement is particularly simple.
    Thanked by 1Abbysmum
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 641
    Speaking of “Of the Father’s love/heart begotten”, if you want a combined-choirs piece, may I suggest David Willcocks’s arrangement? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pt75zI4kz6g

    It’s in Carols for Choirs 2, and in 100 Carols for Choirs. It’s the original triple-meter version of the plainchant, so is sounds very “happy” while being authentic Christmas liturgical music. It’s designed to alternate TB/SA unison for the first five verses, and then have a choral verse 6 with optional congregation joining in. In the final harmony verse, S=T and A=B until the final cadence, so it’s a quick learn. You could distribute the verses among your different groups as best suits.
    Thanked by 2Egrimm84 Roborgelmeister
  • davido
    Posts: 1,150
    It would be useful to know what you are terming “older” and” younger”. What grade levels or ages are you working with?
    Thanked by 1Egrimm84
  • Egrimm84
    Posts: 9
    Younger kids are 1st-5th
    Older kids are 6-12th (more girls than boys and I think it would be best to keep to SAT or SAB since the boys are not super confident)
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