Need ideas!
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    Hey all,

    I (thankfully) began at a new parish 3 weeks ago, and I'm scrambling to do my 3 months of summer planning in one month. One event particular to my parish that I've never had to do before is a separate Christmas concert. This in itself isn't too difficult; you can usually recycle a large amount of your Advent / Christmas liturgical music for a concert. My problem is that they have traditionally done a larger work of some sort with instrumental accompaniment (read: brass, strings, timpani, or all of the above). Past concerts have included Messiah Part 1, the Vivaldi Gloria, and the Vivaldi Magnificat.

    I have no idea what to do this year. I haven't worked with the choir yet, so I have no idea as to their abilities (a soprano I've met indicated that some of them found the Vivaldi Magnificat to be very difficult). I also am concerned about spending so much rehearsal time teaching a major work like this that the regular liturgical function of the choir gets neglected. Anybody have any ideas???
  • Mark P.
    Posts: 248
    Many (I mean a lot) of the Oxford University Press' carols have orchestral parts available. Most of these are strings with an added instrument or two. This way, your Christmas concert could do double-duty with your Christmas Masses where you could accompany the same pieces on organ.
  • jpal
    Posts: 365
    Andrew, the Saint-Saens Christmas Oratorio might be an option.

    There's also the Finzi In terra pax, which could be combined with other things for a concert-length program. That way you really highlight the orchestra for one piece without a huge tax on the choir (relatively speaking). Then mix it up with some other anthems or motets of various periods.

    Jon Laird
  • francis
    Posts: 10,821
    i do an eclectic mix of christmas music 45 mins before the midnight mass

    last year we did traditional carols with the backing of a string quartet. i used many original four part settings (authentic) for the effort. i will send you the parts if you want.
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 946
    Thanks for the suggestions, everybody. I'm taking a closer look at the Finzi piece. Recordings I've found so far sound amazing. Francis, I would love to take a look at your settings if you would let me. Thanks again!
  • Jeffrey Quick
    Posts: 2,086
    The Charpentier Midnight Mass? The notes aren't too hard, but you'd have to work style.
    This isn't a serious suggestion, because you'd tear your hair out getting all the instruments together (and need a choir of soloists, or at least 4 good basses), but I'm a sucker for the Schütz Christmas Story. One of my first gigs when I came to Cleveland in 1986 was as one of the sackbut players in a church performance. It was mostly authentic instruments @ A440, but in English, and since they didn't have a tenor to do the Evangelist recits (which don't work that well in translation anyway), they had the pastor read the texts. It worked surprisingly well.
  • francis
    Posts: 10,821
    OK... found all the files for the Christmas Book I compiled and which our choir sang from last year. I will put it up as a new thread... "Christmas Carol Project" (can't seem to link to the new thread... sorry)
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