Recommendations for post-communion serene/angelic motets for 3 voices
  • dtanguyen
    Posts: 2
    Hi all, our small choir recently came upon Andre Caplet's O Salutaris from his Messe a Trois Voix and immediately fell in love with its calming and angelic nature. It was an easy to choice to sing it after communion on Corpus Christi.

    Now we're searching for other similar motets that could be sung with 3 voices after communion. Emphasis on relatively low tempo, less intricate/"busy", calming pieces that would help encourage holy prayer and reflection. We already found Giammateo Asola's O vos omnes (which hopefully we can sing some time during Holy Week next year).

    Wondering if anyone has any recommendations for other similar motets. Even better if written for SAT or SABaritone, but honestly we'd be motivated to make anything work. (After all, the O Salutaris piece mentioned above was technically SSA/TTB). We'd even consider SATB motets that could still be considered "sufficiently robust" even without the bass part (e.g., we're looking at Marco Ingegneri's O Bone Jesu as a potential example of this).

    (We already have "The Parish Book of Motets for Three Voices" and "THE KWASNIEWSKI COLLECTION" (pdf) that's been posted on here.)

    Thanks and God bless!
    Thanked by 1AdteBeateJoseph3
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 145
    Asola's collection "Missae duo decemque sacre laudes" (1588) contains more three part pieces in the same style as the "O vos omnes" (which is from a different collection of which I do not have a facsimile). The original part books contain only very few ligaturae, so it might be feasible to directly sing from the facsimile. For your purpose, "Gustate & videte" might be fitting.

    Concerning SATB pieces that can be sung with three parts (e.g. by accompanying it with an intabulation on the organ), Isaac's most famous piece, "Innsbruck ich muss dich lassen", is often sung with the text underlay "O esca viatorum" ("O food of men wayfaring"). And if an English edition of my SAT setting of "Aller Augen warten auf Dich Herre" (Ps 145,15f: German edition, international edition) might be useful, please let me know (but only if you actually plan to sing it, so that the trouble would be worthwhile).
    Thanked by 1dtanguyen
  • dtanguyen
    Posts: 2
    Thanks for your reply! We'll add Gustate et Videte to the list!

    For posterity's sake, I thought I'd share the remainder of our list of the short and sweet 3-voice motets we've identified with similar serene vibes (some of these might require singing at a lower tempo to attain that vibe). Some of these have been listed in other threads, albeit in different contexts.

    -- Ravanello - Ave Maria
    -- Palestrina - Bonus est Dominus
    -- Palestrina - Esurientes implevit bonis
    -- Menegali - Jesu Salvator Mundi
    -- Martini - In Monte Oliveti
    -- Palestrina - Jesu Rex Admirabilis
    -- Anerio - O Jesu, mi dulcissime
    -- Allen - O Sacrum Convivium
    -- Casciolini - Panis Angelicus
    -- Palestrina - Tua Jesu Dilectio
    -- Muelas - Vox Clamantis in Deserto
  • AdteBeateJoseph3
    Posts: 85
    I have just written this Ave Verum Corpus for Equal voices: https://emmanuelmusicasacra.com/b/aveverumcorpus

    I am planning to write a few more small equal voice motets (which can also be sung SAB). will keep you posted on those when they come out.
    Thanked by 1dtanguyen
  • Xopheros
    Posts: 145
    From your selection, I conclude that you exclusively sing Latin motets. In that case, you might not only like the listed piece by Kevin Allen, but the entire volume of his 12 eucharistic motets: Motectae trium vocum. Moreover, the SSA edition of my very simple Ave verum corpus might be of interest, too.
    Thanked by 1dtanguyen
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