Good Friday Veneration Music
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    Hello Everyone,

    I'm starting to look for music for Holy Week and I'm stuck on good music for the Veneration of the Cross Before I got there to the current church I'm at, they were doing the common Schutte Behold The Wood and other guitar 80's contemporary church music. I'm tired of that stuff and looking for good music for the Veneration of the Cross this year. Possibly some nice chant music. I would prefer it to be in English but if it's simple Latin chant, I might try that this year as well.

    Please let me know of good suggestions.

    Thanks.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,451
    My favorite suggestion for introducing polyphony to a small choir also happens to be the text of a proper antiphon for the veneration: Palestrina's Adoramus Te Christe. Available in the Catholic Choir Book.

    Additionally, the Parish Book of Chant has some (all?) the Latin chants for the veneration.

    If you're still in Contemporary-Music mode, but want to introduce some proper Latin text, there is a setting in the Gather Hymnals (I believe by Haugen) of "Adoramus Te Christe" which is not bad. There is an ostinato refrain with overlaid solo verses of the full text, all in Latin. If I was in the first year of a parish's transition away from folk-mass standards, I would use it.
    (The ostinato can also be sung with/over the English-language song "Tree of Life," which I have mixed feelings about.)

    I believe Taize has some simple settings of some of the Good Friday texts, but I can't remember off the top of my head.

    Are you mostly looking for congregational music, or choir stuff?
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,499
    The "Crux Fidelis" :http://erato.uvt.nl/files/imglnks/usimg/4/4e/IMSLP227689-WIMA.7265-Crux-fidelis.pdf

    I will have the choir chant the refrain and the men will sing the verses.

    Then there are the Reproaches, if you need something more:
    http://forum.musicasacra.com/forum/discussion/comment/68833
  • musicman923
    Posts: 239
    Well the choir that I am putting together is about eight people. I'm looking for examples of both but not "crazy" contemporary. Should the veneration of the cross music be all unison to make it more "haunting"? If it were to be a choral piece, I would like two part or simple three part (SAB). I'm looking for music that eighty people can sing either unison or simple choral selections.
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    The Popule meus by Victoria is SATB and not that difficult.
  • CharlesW
    Posts: 11,934
    I have a cantor sing the Reproaches. I understand there is a new translation in the missal, so I am going to have to look into that. Unfortunately, it is text only with no music. I don't know if we can use the old translation, need to adapt the new text to the familiar music, or look for new compositions. In any event, I will be doing the Reproaches again this year.
  • jpal
    Posts: 365
    I highly recommend Bruce Ford's new-translation Reproaches, which we sang last year. It can be found in the thread canadash mentioned. Here is a direct link.
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • Aristotle EsguerraAristotle Esguerra
    Posts: 1,185
    You may wish to consider either the We Adore Your Cross or the Reproaches from this collection.
    Thanked by 1CharlesW
  • RPBurke
    Posts: 25
    In my current multi-ethnic parish the music director uses spirituals. Seems like a really good fit, in the spirit of "altus cantus aptus"
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