Looking for Trinity Sunday Motets/Anthems
  • JacobFlahertyJacobFlaherty
    Posts: 331
    Hello all,

    Do any of you have any Trinity Sunday Anthems or Motets in either English or in Latin and in 2 or 3 parts?

    I look forward to hearing from someone. We have an extremely quick-learning ensemble. Thank you!
    Thanked by 1JulieColl
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    You could try Benedictus sit Deus by Ravanello. (SSA) It's on CPDL, but the link to Abel di Marco's website is broken so I don't know if you'll be able to access it but I see it here as well:

    http://media.musicasacra.com/pdf/secunda.pdf

    Another possibility: Tibi Laus by Di Lasso, but it's SATB.

    There's also Tres Sunt by Victoria. It's also SATB. This is an awesome piece. We were thinking of doing this (acapella of course) but the fourth part is too high for our bass (my husband).

    Here's the link:

    http://www3.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Tres_Sunt_(Tom%C3%A1s_Luis_de_Victoria)

    I've attached Tres Sunt if you want to see it. Alas, alas. Wish we could pull this off someday but my poor husband would bust all his buttons if he tried to do this. : (
    TresSunt.pdf
    48K
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,193
    Julie, try transposing it down a whole tone ... it's a lot more user friendly for basses that way.
    Thanked by 1JulieColl
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    That's a great idea, but I was just looking at it, and our soprano wouldn't be able to sing it because their part would dip to an A below middle C in a couple of places and most of them can't sing anything below a middle C. It's a bit of a dilemma. I guess we'll have to put it away in the "dream" file.
  • Richard MixRichard Mix
    Posts: 2,798
    Hello JIF,
    You might already have thought of CPDL's Seasonal index listing for Trinity, but you could also try metrical index of your hymnal. A multi-category search for 3vv (you don't say which 3) and "Office hymns" gets 18 results that could be sung to any LM hymn like "How wonderful the Three-in-one" (Wren, in the Catholic Community Hymnal). This is far from a complete list, my own rainy-day SAB favorite being Monteverdi's Deus tuorum.

    Another tack would be to substitute "Masses" for Office hymns and choose a Credo. We've too often skipped this movement and this Sunday are looking forward to finally singing that from Victoria's Missa O quam gloriosum.
  • Adam WoodAdam Wood
    Posts: 6,482
    I like to use "All Praise and Glad Thanksgiving" out of OCP Choral Praise, unaccompanied, as an anthem on Trinity Sunday.
  • lautzef
    Posts: 69
    'Tres sunt' is the Secunda pars of Victoria's motet "Duo seraphim." We sing it all through the green season as it is used in the Breviary until Advent. It does sound wonderful where it is written but is really too high for the basses. I did a transposition which is still high (we have tenors but no serious basses). Other Trinity motets are:

    Palestrina Benedicta sit Sancta Trinitas SATB
    from Pepys MS 1260 Trinitas sancta ATBar very short but nice - a medieval motet, but simple, not one of the difficult ones
    Monteverdi Duo seraphim TTT, bc - (maybe altos could sing at least one of the parts??)
    Dufay O lux beata Trinitas ATB
    J Walther O lux beata Trinitas ATBarB

    One of my very favorites is Palestrina's O beata et gloriosa Trinitas but it's SSATB and we don't even have one soprano at the moment, so double soprano is out of the question. The other favorite is Merulo's "O adoranda Trinitas" (SATTB), also a glorious motet. Both of these just take off like an airplane and are splendid.
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    JIF, I have attached my transcription/arrangement of the Ravanello, to which I added the Offertory verses as listed in the GR. I lay out the SSA parts one-to-a-staff and then add the A 8vb as a baritone part, then add a reduction. My professional quartet finishes on Pentecost, so in the summer I only have the volunteers--3 sopranos, 2 altos, 1 bass--and I have transcribed a bunch of the Ravanello Anthologia pieces for that SSA/B combination, so we can sing them with whoever is in the loft come Sunday morning.

    I have also done versions with English verses, one with the Offertory verses and one with the Communion verses, if anyone is interested.
    Ravanello Benedictus sit Deus Lat Off vs Bb SAB.pdf
    63K
    Thanked by 2JulieColl CHGiffen
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Sorry to pop up again, Patricia, but I just had to tell you how much I appreciate your arrangement of this. I was thinking about doing this with our choir, but the original was a bit of a stretch for our sopranos, and it's so helpful that you put the third part in the bass clef.

    These 3-part things are very handy, I agree.
  • Patricia Cecilia
    Posts: 400
    You are welcome. I have this in Sibelius, so if you would like a transposition (I think a M2 down would not unduly task anyone) just let me know.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    We're doing Palestrina's O Beata Trinitas, but that is in 5 voices (SSATB) and no help to you. I love this motet.
  • JulieCollJulieColl
    Posts: 2,465
    Oh my gosh, Harley, I just listened to it on YouTube and it's splendid. Wish I could be there to hear you!
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