SA/SSA/SAA music for Good Friday
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,537
    Looking for one piece SA/SSA/SAA music for Good Friday. It must be unaccompanied and not too complex or high (not higher than G5.). It's too late to order but I'm happy to purchase online. Thank you for any ideas you have to offer.
  • davido
    Posts: 1,150
    What wondrous love arr. Richard Rossi is really effective. GIA. Does have a high A though
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • irishtenoririshtenor
    Posts: 1,404
    How about Heath Morber's high voice, 2-part adaptation of a Maternus Beringer canon? Heath put the text "Christ became obedient unto death..." to it. You could add a psalm tone verse in order to repeat it as many times as needed. http://englishmotets.com
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • CGM
    Posts: 780
    Consider programming an Adoramus te, Christe.

    CPDL has several settings for women's voices, including
    — Brahms SSAA
    — Giffen SA
    — Lassus, two settings for SSA
    — Lassus, a stunningly beautiful setting for five high voices
    — Martini TTB, works well up an octave for SSA
    — Palestrina SSAA
    — Ravanello SSA
    — Reiner SSA
    — Remondi SSA
    — Saladino SSA
    Thanked by 2canadash CHGiffen
  • Heath
    Posts: 988
    Canadash, plenty of options on my English Motets site! But even better is the adaptation of O Come and Mourn I did several years ago. I'm away from my desk right now and thus can't attach it, but a little searching on this site will turn it up. It was a fine arrangement that I "improved" and it's probably EXACTLY what you're looking for. :)
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,537
    Heath, thanks so much! I should have looked there first because I've used that site quite often in the past.

    Thanks to all for your great suggestions! Blessings to your Lent!
  • CHGiffenCHGiffen
    Posts: 5,268
    Here is my 2-part setting of "Adoramus te, Christe" (the Antiphon for the Transfer of the Blessed Sacrament on Good Friday), newly revised. It was composed in memory of my uncle Carl J. Hauptmann, who was a Deacon (also the doctor who removed my tonsils when I was a child).

    Giffen-Adoramus te, Christe-MzM-2025.pdf
    77K
    Giffen-Adoramus te, Christe-MzM-2025.mp3
    1M
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • SponsaChristi
    Posts: 606
    Does have a high A though


    You can just transpose it down.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • canadashcanadash
    Posts: 1,537
    Ty Charles. Your Parce is a staple for my group!
    Thanked by 1CHGiffen
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 71
    Caspar Othmayer has a wonderful two part setting of "Aus tiefer Not" (Psalm 130) for TB or SA as no. XIII in "Bicinia sacra" (1547). I have not found a modern edition, but the original part books are very legible and can be used directly. The top voice uses the C4 clef ("tenor clef") and has one ligatura (upward stem), but as it is the famous cantus firmus, this should not be a problem. The bottom voice is in bass clef (F4). If you are interested, I can send you a scan of the two voices. As there are only two voices and the setting is strophic, it is not much effort to transcribe it if your singers cannot read the original notation. A public domain singable Enlglish translation is "Out of the depth I cry to Thee" by Winkworth.
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  • Xopheros
    Posts: 71
    Sorry, forgot to mention the obvious: Vexilla regis. CPDL lists many settings, some of which are for equal voices. Even the setting by Palestrina includes one stanza for three parts, which, appropriately transposed, can be sung with SAA, and you can also underlay a different stanza if necessary.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • AnimaVocis
    Posts: 196
    Menegali Jesu Salvator Mundi. Can be done with 3 equal voices.
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • Heath
    Posts: 988
    Here's my arrangement of O Come and Mourn I talked about a couple weeks back, plus a live recording from last year. Free to use!

    Score: attached
    Sound file: https://recorder.google.com/ed0f4de3-733c-444d-8347-1f724a7fcc07
    OComeAndMourn.pdf
    145K
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen canadash Xopheros
  • AgnusDei1989
    Posts: 50
    "Vere Languores Nostros" by Lotti, for three equal voices. There are several versions on CPDL; the original key is G minor, I think, but there's a good one in F minor (though that one may have the lowest part in bass clef, as this one is also often done by TTB.) Short (it can easily be repeated) but beautiful, and particularly fitting for Good Friday with its poignant text: "Truly He hath borne our griefs and carried our sorrows..."
    Thanked by 2canadash rich_enough
  • Quaerens
    Posts: 32
    Stabat Mater by Tartini (SSA or TTB)

    https://vmirror.imslp.org/files/imglnks/usimg/f/f5/IMSLP380233-PMLP614035-tartini-stabat-mater.pdf
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen canadash
  • RoborgelmeisterRoborgelmeister
    Posts: 307
    Ah, reminds me of a long departed choir director who used to say, "how about a martini to go with that Tartini?"
    Thanked by 3CHGiffen canadash Quaerens
  • AgnusDei1989
    Posts: 50
    how about a martini to go with that Tartini?

    Well... there's always the option of this Martini.
    https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/index.php/Giovanni_Battista_Martini — he also has some good Lenten things (including this beautiful "In monte Oliveti" for SSA). https://www.cpdl.org/wiki/images/b/b4/In_Monte_Oliveti_TTB.pdf
    Thanked by 3canadash CHGiffen rich_enough
  • ServiamScores
    Posts: 3,180
    Open, O Hard and Sinful Heart
    Preview: https://youtu.be/S7k40CWnrLo?si=MjAHAsbY-8BDw8yp
    Open, O Hard and Sinful Heart (CCW Bicinium).pdf
    74K
    Thanked by 3canadash Roborgelmeister Heath
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 803
    @canadash, consider "O, Come and Mourn With Me Awhile" There are a couple different melodies for this hymn, but I attached the melody I know best. It is SATB, but you could easily sing it with three voices.

    edited---------
    I just noticed a typo in the second verse, second stanza, "thrist" should be "thirst"
    O,_Come_And_Mourn_With_Me_Awhile - Chords.pdf
    54K
    Thanked by 1canadash
  • CGM
    Posts: 780
    Don9of11:
    — also in the second verse, shouldn't "Tonque" be "Tongue" ?
    — in the fourth verse, what does "And all three hours his silenced cried" mean?
    Should that be "silence cried" ?
  • Don9of11Don9of11
    Posts: 803
    @CGM
    You are correct "Tonque" should be "Tongue"
    again you are correct, "silenced" should be "silence"
    good eye!

    I uploaded a new copy with those corrections.
    O,_Come_And_Mourn_With_Me_Awhile - Chords.pdf
    54K
    Thanked by 2CHGiffen canadash
  • GambaGamba
    Posts: 641
    Gibbons, “Drop, drop, slow tears”, arr. Philip Ledger. It’s in OUP’s Anthems for Choirs 2 (the upper-voices book).
    Thanked by 1canadash
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