Favorite Motets/Anthems for Two Voices
  • emac3183
    Posts: 103
    Hello all!

    Our normal 4-voice professional choir is down to two for much of the summer (often alto/tenor, but sometimes soprano/alto). We regularly do two motets, one at offertory and one at communion, and I was wondering: what are your favorite motets/anthems for two voices? Bonus points if they're public domain. I am already using a piece from Lassus' Bicinia and plan to comb Perosi's Melodiae Sacrae.

    English and Latin appreciated--this is a Novus Ordo Mass.
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 145
    What are you looking for? A capella pieces ("Bicinia") or pieces with accompaniment (figured bass, organ, other).
  • davido
    Posts: 1,220
    English Motets has a ton of a cappella material in 2 voices
    Thanked by 2emac3183 ServiamScores
  • emac3183
    Posts: 103
    Mostly accompanied works, but I would take any suggestions you have!
  • m_r_taylor
    Posts: 379
    Works from https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Llibre_Vermell_de_Montserrat could be used with two.

    Lots of Baroque works for continuo + 2. You could probably get away with a continuo+3 work if the 3rd voice was just a continuo double.

    One 2-part I have used recently is Dering - Duo Seraphim.

    Random good-enough (?) picks from the CPDL 2-part search:

    Confitebor Domino (Michael Haller)
    Qui confidunt in Domino (Tanmoy Laskar)
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 145
    This might be a nice opportunity to try out some chant with drone accompaniment. The results can be quite amazing. Or the famous "cunctipotens genitor", which -obviously- is a Kyrie acclamation, though.

    As you speak of professional singers and ask for personal favorites: "Es steh Gott auf" by Schütz which ends with a wonderful version of a well-known chaconne, or, in the same style but without melody instruments: "Salve Regina" by Monteverdi.

    As alto/tenor was the combination of the duo with my wife (unfortunately, I can no longer sing that high and must rework many pieces), I have contributed several duets for this combination. Maybe the "O salutaris hostia" or the "Panis angelicus" are useful for you, or, if you still are in this situation on All Saints, "The souls of the just" (the sheet music is attached). I have even written an entire mass setting for this combination (atcually for any combination, because it is in double counterpoint), of which you might enjoy the Gloria. Someone in the comments wrote: "This is one of the most beautiful Glorias that I know", and I would not want to contradict ;-)
    justorum-animae-a2-en.pdf
    44K
    Thanked by 2irishtenor CHGiffen
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,665
    Well, a piece that is likely to be sung this weekend in some places: Flor Peeter's Tantum Ergo Sacramentum.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbF6AD49yho
    Thanked by 3Xopheros CHGiffen emac3183
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,277
    Are they readers? Is there organ?
    How high is your alto? Continuo motets with explicit alto parts generally don't work for women unless they're the sort who are comfortable singing tenor. But the soprano parts generally don't go past e, so ST or selected SS (with T on an S line) or TT motets might be just the ticket.

    There are more AT ish things in Perosi & Co's Melodie sacre.

    The 2-voice Renaissance rep as a whole is uninspiring, written for kids to learn to sing, or taken from movements of the Ordinary. But ir your local culture in Counterreformation-fixated, look into the works of Jean de Castro, who was somewhat of a specialist in 2 and 3 part music (often boildowns of others' pieces) These will probably want transposition to fit your performers as some tend to be quite high.
    Thanked by 1emac3183
  • emac3183
    Posts: 103
    Yes, they are readers (or at least I expect them to be, as well-compensated as they are). There is organ, a quite versatile one.
    The alto really sounds good up to an E...maybe an F to stretch her.
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