Polyphonic pieces for 4 voices (or 3 or 5)

MatthewRoth

There is a really comprehensive thread where several of you made a nice list of polyphonic settings of the Mass. HERE

Our situation is a volunteer group where we're trying to nail down a regular rehearsal schedule, where we're free to sing polyphony on certain feast days, where some of us are (former) music majors with extensive musical backgrounds, others have been singing and have learned how to sing polyphony somehow.

We need motets, ideally two, but at least one for feasts that correspond to the theme or are general motets (Ave Verum, Ave Maria, etc.) We've started with a lot of Byrd (some of us have sung one or more of his Masses for Three, Four, and Five Voices, the Sacerdotes Domini, the Surge Illuminare and the Ave Verum Corpus), Palestrina (we're doing the Missa Aeterna Christi munera plus Sicut Cervus this weekend; a few have sung the Missa brevis, the Justus ut Palma for John the Baptist, a few of his other motets, and even the Missa Papae Marcelli)…

We'd like to do as much Palestrina as possible because, well, it's Palestrina. It's fairly approachable (I hesitate to say easy).

We can augment the chant propers with a repetition in motet form (including the Isaac communios, after singing the chant psalm verse, where appropriate); we probably won't replace other propers with polyphony more than once in a blue moon, but I'm still interested in hearing from people who do more Isaac, the Byrd Gradualia, etc. Similarly, we may have a few Saturday feasts where we can sing a polyphonic setting of the Ordinary, but weeknights are ordinarily a chant Mass (though we might be able to do the Et incarnatus etc. with polyphony). And I'm very interested in having the anonymous Missa ferialis of Granada Cathedral in our wheelhouse (since if it needs a Gloria, we have a ton of options).

I value your input because my strategy so far is going to CPDL and glancing at stuff with an occasional trip to YouTube to hear it (even if "Aristotle Esguerra's editions are made for similar choirs, don't overthink this, just choose from his list"), then adding it to my list of pieces that we should think about doing.

m_r_taylor

Here is a pretty arbitrary list of some 4-part motets, minus those already mentioned, which work for my SATB quartet (unless specified as TTBB). All, or almost all on CPDL - probably a handful of instances where I've transposed the XML file and reset on my own. I also program motets in English but have filtered it here to older Latin stuff. Obviously there is a boatload more out there, much of which I have yet to discover or spend much time with. Most of these are pretty compact.

I can't tell which would fit your choir well, but I can send you one big PDF of these in alphabetical order as listed below to save you the slog through CPDL editions. Just send me a message with your e-mail and I can send it over.

Anerio - O Bone Jesu
Anerio - Unam petii
Anonymous - Jesu dulcis memoria
Belli - de Profundis Clamavi
Belli - O Crux Benedicta
Byrd - Alleluia. Cognoverunt discipuli
Byrd - Cibavit Eos
Byrd - Ego Sum Panis Vivus
Croce - Cantate Domino
Croce - Tenebrae factae sunt
Croce - Voce mea
de la Rue - O Salutaris Hostia
des Prez - Tu Pauperum Refugium
di Lasso - Eripe me
di Lasso - Improperium expectavit
di Lasso - Jubilate Deo
di Lasso - Perfice grassus meus
di Lasso - Super flumina
Gabrieli - Angeli archangeli (singing this tomorrow)
Gabrieli - Angelus ad pastores
Gabrieli - Caro mea
Gerarde - Respice in me
Gesualdo - In te Domine speravi
Guerrero - O Crux Benedicta (a favourite)
Guerrero - Quicumque Christum quaeritis
Handl - Beati estis
Handl - Ecce quomodo moritur
Hassler - Ave Maris Stella
Hassler - Dixit Maria
Hassler - Domine Deus meus
Hassler - Tu es Petrus
India - Assumpta est Maria
Ingegneri - O Bone Jesu
Ingegneri - Tenebrae factae sunt
Isaac - Gustate et videte
Isaac - O esca viatorum
Isaac - Panem de caelo
Juan XIV de Portugal - Crux Fidelis (alternatim with Pange lingua...proelium certaminis)
Mouton - Ave Maria
Mouton - Quaeramus cum pastoribus
Mouton - Tota Pulchra Es (TTBB)
Obrecht - Parce Domine
Ortix - Janitor coeli
Palestrina - Alma Redemptoris
Palestrina - Ave Maria II (SATB)
Palestrina - Ego sum panis vivus (a favourite)
Palestrina - O Domine Jesu (TTBB)
Palestrina - O Rex gloriae
Palestrina - Quam pulchri sunt gressus tui
Palestrina - Regina Coeli
Palestrina - Super Flumina
Palestrina - Veni Creator (another favourite)
Petrus - Ascendit Deus
Pitoni - Cantate Domine
Pitoni - Laudate Dominum omnes gentes
Praetorius - Vita sanctorum
Richafort - Christus resurgens
Rivulo - Verbum caro factum est
Scarlatti - Ad te Domine
Scarlatti - Exaltabo te Domine
Scarlatti - Iustitiae Domini
Scarlatti - Miserere mei
Schütz - Oculi omnium
Soriano - Salve Regina II
Tallis - Gloria Patri
Viadana - Exsultate justi
Viadana - O Sacrum Convivium
Victoria - Benedicam Dominum
Victoria - Conditor alme siderum with alternatim
Victoria - Hic vir despiciens mundum
Victoria - Laudate Dominum
Victoria - O magnum mysterium
Victoria - O quam gloriosum
Victoria - O vos omnes
Victoria - Quicumque Christum quaeritis
Victoria (attr.) - Jesu dulcis

tomjaw

We sing around 20 of the Issac Communion. The shorter ones work well with doing,
Issac, Psalm verse, Chant setting, Psalm verse etc.

The Palestrina Offertories are not to difficult once the choir has learnt a few.

Here is our blog, https://stbedeschoirblog.wordpress.com

Byrd Gradualia is difficult but well worth the effort!

MatthewRoth

a pretty arbitrary list of some 4-part motets… Obviously there is a boatload more out there, much of which I have yet to discover or spend much time with. Most of these are pretty compact. I can't tell which would fit your choir well…

Yeah, an arbitrary list suits me well, and yes, you get it. There are a few on here that I wouldn’t have considered. Thank you!

rich_enough

Here's some motets we've done; most are available on CPDL. SATB unless otherwise noted.

Advent Christmas and Epiphany
Arentino – Verbum caro factum est
Clemens non papa - O magnum mysterium (SSATTB)
Gabrieli, A. – Videntes stellam
Gesius – Crudelis Herodis
Monteverdi – Angelus ad pastores ait (SAB)
Muelas – Vox clamantis in deserto (SAB)
Palestrina -Dies sanctificatus
Palestrina - O magnum mysterium (SSATTB)
Praetorius – Conditor alme siderum

Lent
Anonymous – Peccavi super numerum (SAB)
Crecquillon – Peccantum me quotidie (SAB)
Garcia – Immutemur habitu
Lassus – Audi benigne Conditor
Lassus – Miserere mei
Morales – Peccantem me quotidie
Muelas – Erat Iesus eiiciens daemonium
Muelas – Hic est Filius meus
Soriano – Ave regina caelorumæ

Passiontide and Holy Week
Asola - Christus factus est
Bianciardi – Crux fidelis
Brumel – Vexilla regis
Clemens – Adoramus te, Christe
Jacquet de Mantua – O Jesu Christe
Morago – Christus factus est
Palestrina – Pueri Hebraeorum portantes
Sartori (attr. Anerio) – Christus factus est
Tallis - Salvator mundi (SATTB)
Victoria – Eram quasi agnus
Victoria - Hosanna Filio David
Victoria - O Domine Jesu Christe (SSATTB)
Victoria – Pueri Hebraeorum vestimenta
Victoria – Popule meus
Villanueva – Christus factus est

Easter and Pentecost
Aichinger – Confirma hoc, Deus
Anerio – Angelus autem Domini
Asola – Surrexit pastor bonus
Gabrieli, A. – Maria Magdalene à 4
Handl – Steit Jesus
Ingegneri – Haec dies
Lassus – Regina caeli à 4
Lassus - Regina caeli à 6 (SSATTB)
Palestrina – Loquebatur variis linguis
Philips – Surgens Jesus (SSATB)
Praetorius – Veni Creator Spiritus
Soriano – Regina caeli
Taverner – Dum transsiset Sabbatum (SSATB)

Corpus Christi / Communion
Allegri – Adoremus in aeternum
Byrd - Venite comedite
Croce – O sacrum convivium
Robledo – Hoc corpus

Marian
Brumel – Sicut lilium inter spinas
Clemens – Ave Maria a5
Gorczycki – Omni die dic Mariae
L’Heritier – Ave virgo gloriosa (SAB)
Verdonck – Ave gratia plena

General
Aichinger - Jesu rex admirabilis
Aichinger – Lauda anima mea Dominum
Anerio – O Jesu mi dulcissime (SAB)
Asola – Gustate et videte (SAB)
Cifra – Ave rex noster (SSAB)
Clemens – Benedicite Domino (SAB)
Compere – O bone Jesu
Gabrieli, A. – Diligam te, Domine
Handl – In nomine Jesu
Hassler – Cantate Domino
Hassler – Jubilate Deo . . . cantate
Iribarren – Jesu dulcis memoria
Lassus – Cor meum conturbatum est (SAB)
Lassus – Exaltabo te Domine
Lassus - Exsultate justi
Lassus – Tibi laus
Morago – De profundis
Palestrina - Exsulatate Deo (SAATB)
Palestrina – Jesu rex admirabilis
Palestrina – Pars mea / Bonus est Dominus
Palestrina – Sicut cervus / Sitivit
Pitoni – Cantate Domino
Pitoni – Laudate Domino in sanctis
Tallis – O nata lux (SATTB)
Tye – Laudate nomen Domini
Viadana – Exsultate justi in Domino
Victoria – Beati immaculati (SSTB)
Victoria – Domine non sum dignus
Vivanco – O quam suavis

rich_enough

For more ideas, check out:

Useable modern editions
- Chester Books of Motets
- Parish Book of Motets

Historical editions
(not really useable but will give you titles you can usually find on CPDL; many organized by liturgical season)
- Musica Divina (Carl Proske)
- Anthologiae Vocalis [3] [4] [5]
([3] and [4] are for ATTB, but most can be sung higher as SATB; [5] is for TTBB)
- Anthologies of Masses and Motets, ed. Stephan Lück

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