An Easy, Beautiful Kyrie that involves congregation & SATB choir (based on Brudieu)
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    imageDear Friends,

    As you know, Corpus Christi Watershed strives to provide as many FREE resources as possible for our Catholic musicians.
    To make sure that our work can continue as it always has, we are now experimenting with other possibilities (with regard to sources of income).

    Here's a possibility we're exploring:
    Brudieu Kyrie • SATB & Chant • (Easy Polyphonic Setting) • Excerpt: QUICK AUDIO EXCERPT

    Since there is no GLORIA during Advent and Lent, this piece would be especially appropriate during those holy seasons. Furthermore, It involves both choir and congregation, allows for a cantor (if desired), and can even be sung by just four singers. In my opinion, this work by Brudieu is a true masterpiece of polyphony, but it is not extremely difficult to sing.
    PLEASE CLICK HERE to learn more

    What Watershed is offering (for only $15.00) is the score (in a special, one-page arrangement) and practice videos, for choir members.
    PLEASE CLICK HERE to learn more. Your payment of $15.00 lets you have the PDF, so you can make as many copies as you need (forever).

    If this small attempt is a success, and choirs profit by it, perhaps this can be a source of income for our organization in the future.

    FREE VIDEO EXAMPLES:
    Vimeo version • BlipTV version • YouTube Version • GloriaTV Version
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    That would be a PERFECT Advent Kyrie! Solemn, mysterious... but whoa! Joyful! Expectant! Oddly contemporary.... Very fresh, like Advent always should be. I wouldn't do it for Lent, I don't think.... but, oh gosh- that made me feel Adventy all over. (We've had a cold front move in here in DFW, too- so it's not just the music... maybe).

    My mouth is watering... I'm just not sure my choir can pull it off. Maybe... maybe...


    (PS: One of these days I need to drive down to Corpus Christi and check you guys out...)
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Jeff,
    As a member of Wilco's Brudieu choir of '09, I couldn't tell from the audio-
    Is the cantor intonation of the Requiem the chant portion that the congregation can enjoin?
    Couldn't bring up a score example.
    Charles
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    @Adam: thanks a million! Please consider purchasing access to the practice videos --- I feel that pretty much any Schola could sing this piece ... and I say that with "full knowledge" --- :-) :-)

    @ Charles: I'm not sure of the details, except to say that all those Renaissance Mass Kyrie settings were based on that famous "Requiem" Kyrie chant. In many cases, it is not wrong to sing the chant, followed by the polyphony based on the chant. I'm not convinced Renaissnance composers always spelled out everything in that regard.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    No criticism intended, Jeff. JT let me know about the triple formulae, cantor, cong., schola/choir. Works big time for me. The Brudieu is a gem. There are still so many more renaissance era composers' opi awaiting resurrection. I hope I have time to explore the Gomolka Psalter, myself, for posssible translation from the Polish to English. Imagine, all these nativist renaissance counter reformation composers churning out stuff just like we're doing now. Gives ya goosebumps.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    So... I didn't read the original post or the text at CCW at all before just taking a listen...
    I was shocked (SHOCKED!) when I read again and saw that this was written in the 1600s. I assumed it was a modern piece, in the Kevin Allen school of awesome.

    Ever ancient, ever new, I guess. The thing sounded more contemporary than the St. Louis Jesuits.
    (Let me remind you that I like the SLJs. I say that to put my commendation of this piece into perspective.)

    Anyway- I'm buying! If we're not up to it this year, we'll do it next Advent.
    (PS on that note... we started working on a Tallis Magnificat [for general repertoire] last night. We've done Gregorian Chant in Latin and English since I arrived, plus some contemporary things and the usual 1982 Hymnody. This will be the first piece of polyphony for us. It's gonna be a challenge, but I think we'll make it!)


    Anyway- cheers, Jeff! Keep up the good work.
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    @Charles: Thanks! (I knew you weren't!) :-) Mike O'connor probably knows the specifics for the Brudieu Requiem: whether chant would have been "mixed in."

    @Adam: THANKS!
  • aquinasadmirer
    Posts: 102
    Hi Jeff,

    Thank you. This is stunning!

    I've listed to this dozens of times! If I close my eyes, I can almost smell the incense!

    I don't know how difficult this is to correct, but I noticed the spelling of "Eleyson" in the instruction bubbles differs from the spelling in the chant score.

    Like I said, I was so struck by the beauty, that I didn't notice until now.

    Cheers!

    -Mark
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    Mark, thanks so much!

    Re: "Kýrie Eléison" vs. "Kyrieleyson" vs. "Kyrie eleyson" all three are interchangeable.

    In the Vatican edition, for the sake of uniformity, Pothier made the decision to always spell it "Kýrie Eléison" --- but he took heat for this, because he had to change some Medieval melodies to do this.
  • RagueneauRagueneau
    Posts: 2,592
    By the way, if using this piece for ADVENT or LENT, this Kyrie could easily be substituted, and would work REALLY WELL, especially in the key I chose for the Brudieu polyphonic verset.

    image
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