I am sure some of you are way ahead of me on this, but I just heard for the first time the Let All the World in Every Corner Sing by Paul Mealor. I am looking forward to discovering new treasures.
The Tchaikovsky is wonderful, but, alas, it was composed by a non-Catholic so some on this Forum a priori would not approve of its use at Mass.
The Mealor has a virtuosic organ part, and that factor may lull some into thinking it's a great piece. It's not, IMO. (I'm surprised, MBW, that you think it is. Listen to it a few more times, please, as I will do the same.) Best to stick with the Vaughan Williams. (Oops, another non-Catholic, so disregard that.) Oh, and I almost forgot, the text was written by a non-Catholic.
Sacred (presumably) Catholic choral gems? Sacred (ostensibly) non-Catholic choral gems? Other (possibly) non-sacred or religious choral gems? Modern? Ancient? Big gems or little gems? What are we talking about?
In the realm of little known (which was asked for), perhaps something like the setting by Williametta Spencer of "At the Round Earth's Imagined Corners" (no. 7 of John Donne's Holy Sonnets) would fit someones idea of a choral gem (it does mine). It was the opening piece in this fall's concert by the Ensemble Singers (a group in which I sing), so I'm attaching the concert recording, as well as the following video performance by the National Lutheran Choir at the 2007 ACDA National Convention).
At the round earth's imagin'd corners, blow Your trumpets, angels, and arise, arise From death, you numberless infinities Of souls, and to your scatter'd bodies go; All whom the flood did, and fire shall o'erthrow, All whom war, dearth, age, agues, tyrannies, Despair, law, chance hath slain, and you whose eyes Shall behold God and never taste death's woe.
But let them sleep, Lord, and me mourn a space, For if above all these my sins abound, 'Tis late to ask abundance of thy grace When we are there; here on this lowly ground Teach me how to repent; for that's as good As if thou hadst seal'd my pardon with thy blood.
OK, Fr. Krisman, maybe a semi-precious gem. But I like it. The bell part is problematic practically and perhaps also in terms of taste. I also recognize that it is a piece which packs quite a sonic wallop and thus would have to be carefully programmed if it were to be used at all for a Mass.
It raises another issue that some might want to address. His Ubi caritas is an exact reuse of his Now Sleeps the Crimson Petal from his Rose Cycle. Same music, different text. Does this, in anyone's eyes, diminish the piece's value for Catholic worship?
I know I've offered this piece before. I can't believe that I conducted my high school concert choir with this wonderful piece. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifoCMbNu3PM I would like to have found the recording of this piece, The Rose (Paynter) by Northern Arizona U's Concert Choir. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEvb1faTbK8 This other setting of the medieval text by the late Gary Garcia. Performed by CSU Long Beach, under Jonathan Tallberg, great scholar/performer. We have done this at my parish and when I had Fresno's cathedral. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mFQb2-8naqM
Not the best perfomance of this I have heard, I think the acoustic is a bit harsh, it can be more tender, but it is a beautiful piece, conducted here by the composer.
William Billings "Jargon," while not sacred, is in a distinctly neoclassical idiom... it just happens to have been written in the 18th century: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtGh66mg7YQ
One of Gombert's finest motets, the 8-part Lugebat David Absalon
In addition to the YouTube performance below, I've uploaded the Zephyrus ensemble recording (the last recording I made with this group before moving to Wisconsin in 2004), as well as my edition of the performing score.
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