And now for something completely different...
  • Earl_GreyEarl_Grey
    Posts: 904
    First time directing a men's choir: any suggestions?

    No trebles, just mature (mostly college age) male voices. Asides from unison chant (which we'll also be doing) I'm looking for some sacred polyphony. Of course I won't know what they can handle until we begin rehearsals, so just let me know your favorite TB TBB and TTBB sacred polyphony. Mostly looking for short motets and things that can be used during liturgy, but concert piece suggestions are also welcome.
  • Mark M.Mark M.
    Posts: 632
    Those Kevin Allen motets ("Motecta Trium Vocum," polyphony for three voices, available from CC Watershed) seem pretty spectacular to me.
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  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,199
    With luck, you'll also have some very high tenors/male altos, making ATB, ATBB works also available.
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  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Tenebrae comes to mind. Eons ago, when I moved in Anglican circles, the men of the choir sang for the triduum, and I think they sang some polyphony. I think the Lamentations of Jeremiah (Tallis, if I recall) would be appropriate.

    I have a 5-part (but 3 voice) setting of Quomodo sedet solo civitas plena populo.

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  • SkirpRSkirpR
    Posts: 854
    ECS publishes a bunch of the old Archibald Davison arrangements. I usually end up tweaking them, but it's a good place to start.
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  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    The Secunda Antologia Vocalis and Antologia Quinta Vocalis are always fine for that purpose. Besides, some Caecilian men's choir music in latin from 19th c. Germany: Cantuarium sacrum
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  • lautzef
    Posts: 69
    As a general rule, the earlier you go, the more polyphony is for men's voices (for a lot of reasons which needn't be gone into here). Coming to mind immediately are a couple of Ave Marias by Francesco de Layolle (choirmaster at the cathedral of Florence around the beginning of the 16th century) which are incredibly beautiful. (As I recall, they are in one of a set of Florentine Renaissance volumes that is part of the CMM - Corpus Mensurabilis Musicae, but I am at my day job and can't remember the particulars.) A lot of earlier Iberian polyphony is written for one alto and several tenor and/or bass voices. The alto was no doubt male, and if you have someone who can sing in that range, you're all set - a lot of those motets are liturgical, being settings of mass propers, responsories, and antiphons.
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