Adoro Te Devote / Humbly I Adore Thee for SAMen Three parts mixed - for critique
  • liampmcdonough
    Posts: 282
    Here is a short piece for general use. Perhaps it will be useful to those with small choirs. It is fairly romantic in its harmonic language. I would intend the chant verses to alternate with the "refrain" of verse one. Thoughts?
    Thanked by 11NihilNominis CHGiffen Andrew_Malton ServiamScores irishtenor sdtalley3 MichaelRaney tomjaw francis MAR LauraKaz
  • NihilNominisNihilNominis
    Posts: 986
    I am a sucker for the Romantic sacred idiom. Singable lines, but with some really striking intervals, very effective and accessible.

    I like it a lot. Thank you!
    Thanked by 2ServiamScores RedPop4
  • Chris Garton-Zavesky
    Posts: 6,902
    Intriguing. Thank you for this.

    Quaeritur: Whose translation is this?
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,148
    In total agreement with NihilNominis. A worthy composition indeed.
    Thanked by 1RedPop4
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,721
    This is indeed quite lovely. I'm definitely going to use this. Thank you!
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,295
    Beautiful!
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,721
    A little update: in anticipation of putting this before my choir, I made demo tracks for them. I'm sharing them here in case they help anyone. There are two SAB versions; one with me singing soprano in my range, another with that part doubled up an octave. The latter is obviously synthetic and I keep it turned down pretty low, but it helps get a better sense of the harmony in the proper octave.

    Edit: I ended up making a YT video too, that has the individual parts soloed out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UngeApB2csQ
    Humbly I Adore Thee • McDonough • SAB.mp3
    3M
    Humbly I Adore Thee • McDonough • SAB (synthetic high).mp3
    3M
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen MichaelRaney Joseph Michael
  • liampmcdonough
    Posts: 282
    Thank you for the kind comments. This practice video is wonderful, ServiamScores. I will definitely be sending the link to my little amateur choir.

    @CGZ - the translation is the that of the Monastic Diurnal 1932, likely the work of Canon Winfred Douglas
    Thanked by 2ServiamScores MichaelRaney
  • VocesCapituli
    Posts: 115
    I am going to use this as well. I always include the composers date of birth, what is yours?
    D.
  • liampmcdonough
    Posts: 282
    1993
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,721
    Liam, I'm so smitten with this that I've re-engraved it with the full latin set to the motet refrain for verses 1,3,5,7 and then the original chant melody on 2,4,6. We are going to sing it in english this weekend and then the full latin version for a special TLM for the Feast of Ascension in a few weeks. I'm so grateful for this motet. I'm taking the liberty of sharing the full-latin version here since you've already shared the english version.
    Humbly I Adore Thee • McDonough • LATIN (letter).pdf
    147K
    Thanked by 6CHGiffen sdtalley3 Nathan_the_Organist MichaelRaney tomjaw Lars
  • MichaelRaney
    Posts: 28
    Thank you so much for this composition, I will be bringing it to my choir very soon!
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,721
    Liam, this isn't the best rendition ever, but I thought you might like to hear our choir sing your work just the same (I'm always happy to hear someone else do one of my compositions). We sang this on Thursday live during communion. It takes a verse or two, but then the choir settles in a bit and it tightens up.
    McDonough Adoro Te (Live, Ascension 2021).mp3
    11M
    Thanked by 2MichaelRaney Joseph Michael
  • liampmcdonough
    Posts: 282
    Thank you @ServiamScores; I am glad that you have gotten so much use out of this work, and I hope your choir enjoyed it! My little choir enjoys singing it as well, though I have not had the opportunity to record them.
  • liampmcdonough
    Posts: 282
    We were preparing this again this week and I thought I should get a cell phone recording during rehearsal so that others could hear the English version live. Still working on that balance and intonation!

    Humbly I Adore Thee.mp3
    2M
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,721
    Liam, I cannot tell you how much we love this piece. My schola has gotten so much mileage out of it in both english and latin. We sing it all the time. I simply cannot thank you enough for blessing us with it. Also, your schola sounds great, especially for a cell phone recording.
    Thanked by 1liampmcdonough
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 2,721
    As an aside, I'll mention that I was surprised at how fast we took it in our recording from Ascension last year... we don't normally sing it that fast; it's typically right where your recording has it.
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