Gerald Near has written music in exactly the same style as renaissance era polyphony. Not sure I'd classify Lauridsen as polyphony, unless you just meant great music in parts.

Many of Gerre Hancock's compositions exhibit use of contrapuntal idioms, but I question whether he could truly be considered a composer of "polyphony". It all depends on the terminology.

And didn't Joncas write some Latin polyphony for an NPM conference a few years ago....? (ducks!)

Side note: there are polyphonic passages (e.g. stretto imitation) in Lauridsen and Whitacre, but it's true they're rather more often working with massed chords/homophony. Tavener's secular "Tyger" is in canon, actually, if I remember correctly.

So for terminological clarity, let's say sacred polyphony means "a sacred text sung as at least two independent melodies sung in synchrony and conceived in primarily horizontal terms." That should obviate the matter of the composer's personal faith and privilege contrapuntal writing over chord-cluster homophony. However, as we know, the entire motet literature is often a mixture of polyphonic imitation and homophony. So let's be generous on that, ahem, score.

Though organists know his very functional organ pieces, I suspect few are familiar with the wonderful sacred choral settings of James Woodman. He's written a number of works for various Boston area choral ensembles; they're all winners.

Dear Jeff! In fact, Arvo Pärt did study sacred polyphony as well as its counterpoint. After writing "avant-garde" compositions until 1968, he engaged in the study of medieval music, starting from the writing of monodies.

About John Tavener I really don't know.

But of course I understand your point about differentiating consonance from dissonance as one of the essentials of building a sacred polyphony style. However, I think Pärt and Tavener also do that, though in some other way.

Colin Mawby might be another to consider. My choir & choristers just sang his AVE VERUM and I found it quite beautiful.

Randolph, you've piqued my interest: do you know who's published Woodman's choral works? A quick google search didn't show up much... I like some things about his organ stuff, and am interested to see how it might transfer to the choral idiom.

BruceL,

Now that you ask, I can't remember the publisher of the Woodman works I've sung. (His organ works are mainly EC Schirmer I think.) He's written a couple of things specifically for the Boston Archdiocesan Choir School, "Arise Shine" being one, and last Christmas we sing "Divinum Mysterium" which was commissioned by the Harvard University Choir. Perhaps we sang from self-published copies. They did have that Sibelius look. I'll rumage through the choir library tomorrow to confirm. If that doesn't resolve it, I'll e-mail the composer directly.

Lau is good for semi-contemporary but well written pieces that are not too difficult. I have done his "Give Me Jesus" and "There is a Balm".

Randolph: thanks! I was worried you were going to say they were unpublished...

I really do hope Kevin Allen's work becomes more well-known. I think it is all very inspired, artfully crafted, and not lacking in beauty for singer or listener. When I met him, I encouraged him to write more in the vernacular since so many of us still work in environments where Latin is tolerated, at best.

I have to confess no great love for Lauridsen's work; I have sung/conducted his "O magnum mysterium" and like it fairly well, but his repetitive use of the same compositional devices becomes tiring to my ear very quickly. Listening to his "Lux aeterna", I am convinced, is an ample cure for insomnia.

Bach... (I don't think he (his music) ever died)

As much as I like some of the music of Lauridsen or Part or Tavener or Gorecki, they do not compose sacred polyphony. More like homophony. I would like to hear more of the composer's works that represent sacred polyphony on your list before I would make a judgement, but I don't really like to perform modern (the last 100 years) music when it comes to polyphony since the true greats are from way back. I do have one exception that I have found. I will discuss him below.

I also ditto Bruce concerning Lauridsen. His comps are on the level of Rutter. The Britts themselves don't even consider Rutter a serious composer as I have been informed by one of them.

I have not heard much of Kevin's music yet.

However, to be in keeping with the mandate of this thread, my good friend Robin Hodson should be someone you all look up. Some of his music reflects H. Howells at times, which is not really polyphony as far as I am aware, but Robin composes some truly excellent 3rd millennium sacred music.

Take a listen to his Diaphonic Mass for example. Or the Agnus from his English Missa Brevis. Wonderful!

music of Robin Hodson