YC's Choral Rep!

Okay, there are definitely some choir nerds on here. And I invite thee to come, and discuss, and suggest some really nice choral pieces on here! Pieces you've sung, pieces you will sing, pieces you want to sing... this thread is for giving suggestions to others for pieces to listen to and possibly sing (so if you could include, say, voicing, it would be helpful).

Here are some to start:

(Franz Beibl) [sSATTBB, men's, or women's]

(Rachmaninoff) [sATB w/ divisi]

(Palestrina) [sATB]

Weep O Mine Eyes (Bennet) [sATB]

(Eric Whitacre) [sATB]

O Magnum Mysterium (Morten Lauridson) [sATB w/ divisi]

Shenandoah (arr. James Erb) [sATB w/ divisi]

Jesu Meine Freude (J.S. Bach) [sSATB]

(arr. Moses Hogan) [don't remember. Probably something epic.]

Soar Away (shapenote) [sATB I think]

Yes, I got a tad carried away. Yes, I like choral music. Yes, I want people to post here and give me ideas of what to being to my choral directors for next semester's rep. Cheers!

These are some of my favorite pieces of mine we used to sing in HS choir:

Battle of Jericho - arr. Moses Hogan

Rachmaninoff Vespers (I think the one you posted is it though)

Chichester Psalms - L. Bernstein (my favorite mvmt is the 2nd)

Battle Hymn of the Republic (can't think of the arranger, we did this piece each year)

I really like Laurisen's "Chansons des Roses" cycle.

Also "E'en so, Lord Jesus, Quickly Come" by Paul Manz.

Also, anything by Herbert Howells. And the Faure Requiem, especially the Sanctus. And the Durufle Requiem, especially the Sanctus.

I love the Requiem of Mozart.. and also his C minor Mass.

All pretty darn good choices, guys. In addition to many of the foregoing, a few faves of my own, both to sing and hear:

Samuel Barber:

(Yes, this is also a marvelous solo song)

Samuel Barber:

(one of the sexiest choral songs ever - the seduction plays itself out in the music as much as the text)

J. S. Bach: Motet - "Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied, BWV 225 (in a performance Bach himself would have soiled himself over - one voice on each of the 8 parts, in perfect period style)

Part 1

Part 2

Joseph Rheinberger: "Abendlied" (a supreme masterpiece of Romantic counterpoint - I cannot recommend this work enough)

Johannes Brahms:

(another masterpiece of late-19th-Century counterpoint - a triple canon [including the organ part] at the 7th degree of the scale no less...yet more importantly, a gorgeous piece of music)

Gyorgy Ligeti: "Lux Aeterna" (not my usual cup of tea, but singing it was a wonderful challenge, and it's spellbinding to hear)

I may add a few more as I think of them.

Brahm's German Requiem

Another great masterwork.

Invocation and Dance (David Conte) (SATB or TTBB)

I just sang this piece in the Ohio All-State choir and it was the most amazing piece I have ever sang...

Aside from most of the pieces listed above, I really enjoy Frank Ticheli's

. Just absolutely gorgeous.

~Christian

My choral repertoire consists mostly of drinking songs. Heck, isn't that what the choral rep basically is?

You just have a thing against singers, don't you? I promise you, I'm an alto, me n' violists are in the same boat.

Moses Hogan's: Elijiah Rock

Bengiam Britten's: The Evening Prim Rose

Brahms: Requiem, and Nachtens.

Schumann: Death Chorals (Not sure If I have correct composer)

Eric Whitacre: Sleep, and When David Heard

Bruckner: Almost all his Motets, and his masses are amazing!

ANY Whitacre song!!! hahah.

Aside from most of the pieces listed above, I really enjoy Frank Ticheli's

. Just absolutely gorgeous.

~Christian

You know, it's been a while since I heard a new (for me) choral piece that made me feel like I was a better person for having heard it. Thanks for sharing that. Hard to believe I've never had the opportunity to perform it, nor had I ever heard of it...and Ticheli is on staff at USC with Lauridsen! Wonders abound. Thanks again!

This may not be strict choral style but i love some of the things Meredith Monk does with her vocal ensemble. Stuff I heard from Book of Days is especially good - neo-middle age meets 20th century

This may not be strict choral style but i love some of the things Meredith Monk does with her vocal ensemble. Stuff I heard from Book of Days is especially good - neo-middle age meets 20th century

Oh my...that's one of her calmer ones.

A couple of years ago, I performed Monk's Panda Chant II with the John Alexander Singers. It is certainly an effective piece, though not my cup of tea. The damned polyrhythmic choreography of foot-stamping and hand-clapping - integral to the piece - was more trouble than it was worth; not only was it deceptively difficult, but it meant we had to memorise the piece, and I certainly had better things to do with my time.

Still, pretty interesting stuff, I must admit, and it blows the audience away:

Gorecki's Totus Tuus

Stockhausen's Stimmung - don't be put off by the composer, the effects he gets are amazing

Jonathan Dove - The Passing of the Year

Mozart masses and motets

Almost anything by Kodaly - mostly Hungarian folk songs in gorgeous arrangements

Gesualdo - he wrote incredibly advanced music for his time

Vaughan Williams - Fantasia on Christmas Carols, Into the Unknown Region and A Sea Symphony

Walton - Belshazzar's Feast

Nobody here's sung Berio's Sequenza III? It's a great song!

qmw - berios Sequenze is not mentioned because it is favorite CHORAL literature.

Graham - you always surprise me with your musical experiences --- you MUST sing with great choirs just to do Monk. Now I really blush at your compliments about my very modest Kyrie (which still remains the head of an incomplete Mass ... just have not been 'moved' to complete it after a few sketches of the Agnus Dei)

Oh, fine. Technicalities. Some should've arranged Sequenza III for choir by now.

Qm - LOL. Hey why don't you do the arrangement? At worst if it flops you will learn alot from an excellent composer. Hey wait that may be another project for myself (CO mentally adds this project to his "future projects pile" now numbering 3,450,007)

qmw - berios Sequenze is not mentioned because it is favorite CHORAL literature.

Graham - you always surprise me with your musical experiences --- you MUST sing with great choirs just to do Monk. Now I really blush at your compliments about my very modest Kyrie (which still remains the head of an incomplete Mass ... just have not been 'moved' to complete it after a few sketches of the Agnus Dei)

I'm a lot older, and I've had more time to collect experiences. :) I've also worked very hard to get where I am, and I've been very blessed indeed.

Amor de mi alma by Z. Randall Stroope is one of my favorites. The part writing is brilliant, and as a whole the setting is very moving.

Man, anything by Whitacre is golden, I love Os justi by Bruckner too! Also anything by Veljo Tormis, is great to.