Motets for Easter Vigil and Good Friday
  • Andrew23423
    Posts: 1
    I am a young choir director, and I have been tasked with programming music for Holy Week at my parish. What are some good songs for Easter Vigil, Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, etc.?
  • MatthewRoth
    Posts: 3,345
    We need some context.
  • GerardH
    Posts: 636
    Indeed, how large and how competent is your choir?

    To start the list off, though, Victoria's O vos omnes is just about my favourite Good Friday piece. If you need to be economical, use it on Palm Sunday during the Mass (not before the reading of the Passion).
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,418
    What hymnals or other music resources do you have at your disposal? What hymnal is in the pews, if any? What style of music is typically used at your parish? Do you have an example of what you have done the past few weeks, in order to give us an impression of what has been done before?
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 342
    Stabat Mater during Communion on Good Friday.There are a multitude of settings, in every degree of difficulty, and easily available in Latin or English, as your circumstances dictate.

    "The Missale Romanum gives specific directions as to the music used during the adoration. The antiphons We worship you, Lord, the reproaches, the hymns Faithful Cross, or other suitable songs are sung. Totally new is the indication: “According to local circumstances or traditions of the people and pastoral appropriateness, the Stabat Mater may be sung, according to the Graduale Romanum, or another appropriate chant in memory of the compassion of the Blessed Virgin Mary” (GR, no. 20). " (Veneration of the Cross)

    "Mention is made that Psalm 22 (21) may be sung during the distribution of communion or another appropriate chant (GF, no. 28)." (Holy Communion)

    as mentioned here
    https://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/194/communion-for-good-friday-liturgy/p1
    Thanked by 1Abbysmum
  • AbbysmumAbbysmum
    Posts: 150
    abat Mater during Communion on Good Friday.There are a multitude of settings, in every degree of difficulty, and easily available in Latin or English, as your circumstances dictate.


    A very nice and not very hard Latin version is by Marco Frisina. You can sing it with the oohs and aahs underneath the verses and does well a cappella, but it's also very nice just SATB on the refrain, with a soloist on the verses (the organ plays the oohs and aahs anyway) with organ support.

    It has optional C instrument (oboe I think?), which is very nice. If the choir is singing the oohs, I will usually play some of the optional C-instrument melody on the Swell while playing the basic chords underneath, shared between the Great and my pedals. If it's just the soloist, I just stick to the written accompaniment.
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