Fall and looking towards Christmas
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    I am preparing for choir rehearsals this fall and looking towards Christmas and the New Year. Would you consider taking a moment and sharing with me your "must haves" for these two times of the year? Our Mass is the Ordinary Form. I would like to teach my choir two new motets for Christmas and two for the fall/Advent. We sing in four parts and struggle with Renaissance polyphony, although it would be great to introduce something simple in this genre. Thanks.
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,200
    E'en So Lord Jesus Quickly Come-Paul Manz
    Rejoice in the Lord-Anon
    These two come to mind for Advent.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,515
    We did Maria anthems post-Communion throughout Advent last year. I think we'll try that again.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • GavinGavin
    Posts: 2,799
    I love "There Shall a Star" by Mendelssohn from Christus.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • CindyCeciliaCindyCecilia
    Posts: 65
    Of the Father's Love Begotten - for Christmas.
    O Come, Divine Messiah - for Advent
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    >>Of the Father's Love Begotten
    This is a great choice for Communion Hymn (if your parish is so inclined). It has 9 verses in really excellently translated English (there are two English versions - THIS ONE is the good one, IMHO). Add in as many Latin verses as may be necessary (Latin original, plus translation comparison here) and you can have one single hymn at the overlong Christmas Eve communion extravaganza. And since it's Gregorian, you can start (or, I guess, end) unaccompanied, allowing your organist (or hammer dulcimerist) to go to Communion. You can then add in vocal drones, sing alternatim, bring the organ (auto-harp) in, transition into a more "standard" hymn-like accompaniment (from 1906 or other).

    Love it.

    (Beats the heck out of three back-to-back Christmas carols with dubious transitions.

    ------

    By the way: Wikipedia reports that the melody (DIVINUM MYSTERIUM) originated as a "Sanctus Trope." Does anyone have any additional information on this? I assume this means that it is an embellishment on one of the Gregorian Sanctuses (Sancti?). Anyone know which one? It would be interesting (I would think) to pair the original Sanctus with its embellishment in liturgy.
    Thanked by 2canadash lmassery
  • Liam
    Posts: 5,119
    Restricting myself to a few things that are *not* typically included in classical choral holiday recordings:

    Advent:

    +1 to E'en So Lord Jesus Quickly Come (Manz), one of the great chestnuts of American sacred music: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sj0bhSF9OxA

    O Sapientia (Ramsay): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhrS0GpF0Rc

    Remember O Thou Man (Ravenscroft) - you need to vary the textures, though: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qGMoGOFQULU

    If they can sing German, one of the Es ist ein Ros entsprungen sections from Die Weihnachtsgeschichte (Distler), for example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gaUIaOfyK8

    For Advent 4 only, Stravinksy's Ave Maria (while there many settings, Stravinksy's captures the mood of quiet expectation well): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6GTdcUeIug

    * Btw, another great German Baroque chestnut (more challenging but not as freely polyphonic as Renaissance polyphony) that is not too hard often not thought of as an Advent text but a case certainly could be made, especially in the earlier part of Advent - John 3:16 - would be Also hat Gott die Welt geliebt by Schutz: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OWGrGj0hhkM

    Christmas (one bit of advice: build up the glory and splendor from Christmas Day through Epiphany; the reverse of common practice)

    The Glory of The Father (Egil Hovland); a very simple but masterfully distilled modern work that is one of the few pieces that uses and underlines the luminosity of the prologue to the Gospel of St John while having the good sense not to compete with the text - something perfect for Christmas Day:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RzDIbxE2P8E

    O Magnum Mysterium (Victoria): need I say more?

    Someday, work up towards Byrd's Hodie Christus Natus Est and the Gallus/Handl's pyrotechnically jazzy alleluias (repeat them by modifying the final cadence the first time) Ab Oriente Venerunt Magi (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P73Fapu4e8Y).


    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    We're doing an all Holst (with some Giffen) Concert this year, which leads me to suggest his "In the bleak mid-winter" (many times arranged) as well as his Four Carol medley.
    Other random favorites, off the beaten trail, not exclusively from Roman or Anglican stables:

    "There is no rose of such virtue" many arr's., but Gary Garcia's is my personal choice.
    "The rune of hospitality" Alf Houkoum
    "A stable lamp is lighted" David Conte
    Pretty much anything by Stephen Paulus
    Prof. Jenkin's arr. of "Of the Father's Love begotten" from Duquesne Colloquium.
    "Hodie Christus natus est" Victoria
    "Tomorrow shall be my dancing day" many arr's.
    "Jesus Christ the apple tree" (forget composer)
    for fun: "The donkey carol" in 7/8 by John Rutter
    easy: "Psallite" John Leavitt
    Many pieces composed/arr. by Randall Stroope
    Thanked by 2canadash CHGiffen
  • TCJ
    Posts: 990
    Sigh. Choir rehearsals (hahaha!) consist of a little practice after Mass going over the same old hymns. I don't have what I would call a choir, they are very unreliable, and thinking of doing polyphony is nothing more than a dream that won't come true.

    That said, we're definitely doing Of the Father's Love Begotten.
    Thanked by 3canadash E_A_Fulhorst veromary
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    TCJ, I very much enjoy your thoughts at your blog on all topics.
    You know a choir can be 3 or 4 voices of varying interest and experience and still be guided to part competency and "dreams come true" through a combination of directors' ingenuity and perseverence.
    Find out which of the local middle schools have a very successful choral program. Correspond with the director about sacred selections (if they're allowed) in 2/3 parts. Don't hesitate to use anthems arranged by folks like Hal Hopson, Patrick Liebergen, Eugene Butler, Roger Emerson, Natalie Sleeth and such mid level arrangers as their work, if done well leads to confidence.
    For example there's a number of "partner" arrangements wherein arrangers such as Liebergen pair "The First Noel" and the tacobell "Kanon in D" or "Still, still, still" with "Silent night" and so forth that your disparate bunch might find pleasing.
    And a general recommendation I have, when singing two part voiced SA, don't let that be automatically eliminated because of your men. Try having the men sing the S part which is generally the melody, and all the women sing the alto. You might be pleasantly surprised.
    I really believe any bunch of singers can be taught to part sing in less than an hour, if the director is full on engaged and attracts their attention with solid teaching and coaching.
    Thanked by 2canadash E_A_Fulhorst
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    Thank you so much!

    I suppose I was not clear, after re-reading my request. Is there something you would recommend for the fall, which I could repeat in ordinary time after Christmas and perhaps after Corpus Christi in the spring?
  • TCJ
    Posts: 990
    Charles in CenCA,

    I think you may have me mistaken for the famous blogger. I'm not. I had this name picked out before knowing about him! :)

    As far as the choir goes, there's a major problem: There's only one person who has the talent AND is dedicated enough to put in enough work to do SATB (or anything like it) singing. And then there's only one person who can do tenor/bass (me) and that doesn't work out too well when I'm playing the organ as well. It'd be nice to have more people step up and volunteer.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,223
    Maybe we ought to disambiguate things. Would you care to change your forum name to something like "The Other Curt Jester" or "TCJ"? :-) Let me know if you have any ideas.
    Thanked by 2E_A_Fulhorst Ben
  • TCJ
    Posts: 990
    I could change my name, although everybody would have to become familiar with the altered name.

    On other sites, I used to put in my signature line: "I am not the blogger." Or something like that. No signatures here though.
  • E_A_FulhorstE_A_Fulhorst
    Posts: 381
    Now I'm disappointed.
  • MarkThompson
    Posts: 768
    To add to the rare Advent pieces, I'd also mention Mark Sirett's easyish Thou Shalt Know Him When He Comes.

  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,501
    I've met Mr. Sirett. Terrific and passionate. Nice to use the music of Canadian Composers in Canada. Thanks for this one Mark.
  • Kathy
    Posts: 5,515
    My choir moved back in time towards Renaissance polyphony. When I came on, they knew some individual pieces from the 19th century. I started working on oratorio--Elijah and Messiah. Then some English polyphony. Then Latin polyphony.
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