Favorite English motet for Confirmation
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    My 'work church' Anglicans are having confirmation on Easter V, so I am looking for a relatively easy SATB motet/anthem for that day. My wonderful paid soprano just moved to NYC to pursue an operatic career (if you are up there and need a solid soprano who knows Anglican chant and is very reliable and personable, shoot me an e-mail) and there is a good chance we may be tenor-less depending on work schedules. I want to stay within the parish's very 'high church' tradition but in English so the bishop doesn't fuss (although he may fuss over other non-liturgical matters.) Thanks!
  • Heath
    Posts: 966
    Hymn to the Holy Spirit, Currie, published by GIA. We use it every year during Confirmations at the Easter Vigil. Based off of the Veni Creator melody. Beautiful, and not too hard. SATB.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,515
    Tallis, If Ye Love Me.
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen Aristotle Esguerra
  • Daniel Bennett PageDaniel Bennett Page
    Posts: 837
    Attwood: Come, Holy Ghost
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,200
    I second Kathy's recommendation. There is also this early 20th century gem:

    Everett Titcomb, I Will Not Leave You Comfortless - one of my favorite pieces, and, although I've lost my copy of the score, I could still sing it by heart after last singing it about 35 years ago (I first sang it at All Saints E.C. in Princeton in the early 60s). I just checked, it's available at SheetMusicPlus (minimum order 6 at $1.52 each). At the "Alleluia" the melody (in the bass) is that of the "Veni Creator" - looking forward to Pentecost.

    Here is another performance, by the Concordia Chamber Choir of Athens, Georgia.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    These have been "staples" for us over the years...
    COME HOLY SPIRIT (Binchois) GIA
    RECEIVE THE HOLY SPIRIT (Alexander Peloquin) GIA
    O LORD, GIVE THY HOLY SPIRIT (Tallis) cpdl
    CUM SANCTO SPIRITU (Vivaldi, from “Gloria”) cpdl
    FACTUS EST REPENTE (Byrd or Aichinger) cpdl
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    Thank you all! CH, I love the Titcomb--thanks for the reminder.

    Daniel, I like the Attwood and haven't done it in a while.

    Kathy, If ye love Me is our standard Easter VII motet :-)

    After I looked at the gospel reading for the day, I decided we would keep the Holy Spirit anthems for Pentecost and sing Peter Aston's I am the True Vine, another unappreciated gem.
  • Mark P.
    Posts: 248
    "Come I Pray Thee" by W.H. Anderson--available from Leslie Music: http://www.lesliemusicsupply.com/catalogue.pdf
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