easy motet for EF Christ the King?
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    Can anyone suggest a 2,3, or 4 part motet for Christ the King? My schola is assisting at Missa Cantata with the parish choir of my home parish, so we may not sing anything that the parish choir cannot sing with us, so it has to be reasonably easy. Any suggestions?
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    Jesu, Rex Admirabilis - Palestrina
    Free download in The Catholic Choirbook Anthology 1

    www.thecatholicchoirbook.com

    Do a youtube search for videos - you really cannot go wrong in your situation with this great work.
    Thanked by 4canadash trentonjconn CCooze Skladach
  • rich_enough
    Posts: 1,049
    You might consider these setting of Vexilla Regis by Michael Praetorius and Juan Francés de Iribarren.
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    Frogman, we know it and like it, but the director wants something with a bit more oomph (organ-wise; again, not difficult because he's presently on his honeymoon with nowhere to practice :-) But since he is gone, I may just say 'this is it' :-)

    rich_enough: sorry, those are too difficult. I should have said earlier that this is a parish choir whose repertoire staples are from the St. Gregory; they do very little polyphony with independent parts, and anything faster than eighth notes will intimidate them. SAB, normally, with one lovely soprano who reads anything (the bride of the organist, above :-), two altos who sort-of read, and everyone else follows the organ. I transcribe a goodly amount from 3pt sources like the Ravanello, but even those pieces take several weeks to sink in.
    Thanked by 1noel jones, aago
  • WGS
    Posts: 300
    Ravanello has a 3-equal voice setting of the Palestrina mentioned above. Here, attached is an English version of the same two verses. (Please pardon the skewed scan.)
    JesuRex001.pdf
    139K
    Thanked by 1donr
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,802
    The go-to SAB + org. anthem would be David Hogan's O Jesus King most wonderful (E. C. Schirmer). I would change the text back to "Thee" in the last verse; my old Lutheran choir thought that "You may our tongues forever bless" must refer to some obscure popish custom of inviting God to bestow a blessing on outstuck tongues waiting in readiness...
  • veromaryveromary
    Posts: 162
    Christus Vincit. There are lots out there - gregorian chant as well as SATB settings.

    This one on CPDL is a bit of a favourite. Something of a triumphant march, but very simple. I remember hearing something sounding like a descant for this from the Christus Rex Pilgrimage bunch.

    The gregorian chant ones are good and there's one with organ accompaniment in the Australian Pius X Hymnbook organ book here (page 62), pew book here (go to page 70). They're made so the choir repeats the antiphon and you just need some cantors to take the other bits. Actually, the pew book is marked up for alternating between schola and choir, so might be right up your alley.
    Thanked by 2expeditus1 CCooze
  • noel jones, aagonoel jones, aago
    Posts: 6,611
    EF....no english need apply.
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    Frogman, LOL If it were the NO, we'd be doing any number of good things. (My Anglicans are partial to Gerre Hancock's arrangement of Joseph Noyon's Christus vincit and John Ness Beck's Jubilant Canticle (choral partita on 'Sing praise to God who reigns above'), but then again, they are both in English :-) )

    We do Christus Vincit (the 'Roman' chorale from the St. Gregory with the chanted verses from the PBC with my organ part) at the Offertory. The refrain only is usually sung between the Gospel and the homily at Missa Cantata, Easter through Holy Cross (something our pastor picked up in France). The St. Gregory is the same as Fr. Solims' on cpdl.

    I found it interesting where the St. Pius X hymnbook chant melody varies from the PBC, as well as having a few different phrases of text near the end--another instance of local variants.

    Richard, thanks for the suggestion--I will check out the Hogan. I like the few works of his with which I am familiar.

    Thanked by 1veromary
  • kevinfkevinf
    Posts: 1,193
    Richard Dirksen's Jesu, Rex Domine. SSA or TTB or SAB. Done it all three ways.
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    Kevin, you're sending me upstairs to the music closet--Richard Dirksen sent me a ton of his scores about 15 years ago, and I haven't looked at them in a while. Thanks!
  • VocesCapituli
    Posts: 123
    Would love to have a lot at Richard Dirksen's Jesu, Rex Domine for TTB.
    Thanks,
    Dirk Maes
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Patricia,

    I have just recently finished (and posted hereabouts) a 2-part setting of Regnum ejus...

    I intended that it would work with two male voices, but you might sing it up the octave, and use soprano and alto?
  • GerardH
    Posts: 464
    It's not a perfect match textually, but Tu es sacerdos by Aloys Desmet might meet your other criteria. It's meant for TTB and organ, but also sounds fine sung as SAB and organ. Has some oomph about it
  • monasteryliturgistmonasteryliturgist
    Posts: 314
    Ave Rex Gloriae! A little known treasure. A little late- but at least for later use or for the OF folks
    ave rex gloriae.pdf
    33K
    Thanked by 3Chrism CHGiffen sdtalley3
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