# Music for Holy Week



## Guest (Apr 3, 2012)

I think I (or someone else) started a similar thread last year, or the year before.

With Easter nearly upon us, I thought it might be interesting to see what those of you, who are so inclinced, listen to in anticipation. Here is what will be on my playlist:

Bach - St. Matthew and St. John Passions, both conducted by Masaaki Suzuki on BIS
Haydn - 7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross, Jordi Savall recording
Handel - Messiah, the Higginbottom recording on Naxos
Beethoven - Christus am Oelberge, the Nagano recording on Harmonia Mundi
Victoria - Lamentations of Jeremiah, the Tallis Scholars on Gimmell

I may mix in some of Bach's relevant cantatas, but I think this list will keep me busy.

Does anybody else have anything in particular that they like to listen to leading up to Easter?


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

Bach's Easter Oratorio!


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Bach's Easter Oratorio and the Missa brevis in F major and maybe the vocal version of Haydn's Seven Last Words. Although I'm fond of epics like St. Matthew Passion, Messiah &c I'm not currently in the mood for listening to any choral work lasting beyond an hour or so.


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## emiellucifuge (May 26, 2009)

Good Friday Music: Parsifal.


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## Guest (Apr 3, 2012)

Good one - I forgot that I had Herreweghe's recording on HM. I've also been considering picking up the combination Easter and Ascension Oratorios recently released on the Linn label - either that, or Suzuki has also a recording with the two together on BIS.


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## Guest (Apr 3, 2012)

elgars ghost said:


> Bach's Easter Oratorio and the Missa brevis in F major and maybe the vocal version of Haydn's Seven Last Words. Although I'm fond of epics like St. Matthew Passion, Messiah &c I'm not currently in the mood for listening to any choral work lasting beyond an hour or so.


I have a 2-disc recording of Bach's Missae brevis, but don't know as much about them. Does the F major Missa have significance for Holy Week?


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## SiegendesLicht (Mar 4, 2012)

ALL of Parsifal. And probably several times!


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## sah (Feb 28, 2012)

Victoria: _Tenebrae Responsories_. I like specially the motet "O vos omnes".

Probably I will look for Victoria - Lamentations of Jeremiah.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Well, I'm not very original, I guess; right now I'm listening to Haydn's Seven Last Words. Wow, what a piece; it puts you there front and center. 

My classical station has been playing the St. Matthew Passion, which I really appreciate. 

I'm planning on listening to the third part of Lizst's Christus dealing with the crucifiction and resurrection, also Pergolesi's Stabat Mater and James MacMillan's Seven Last Words from the Cross.


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## Guest (Apr 3, 2012)

I keep meaning to pick up a recording of Frank Martin's Golgotha. There is a recent release on Harmonia Mundi - anybody have a comment on it?


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## LordBlackudder (Nov 13, 2010)




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## Lunasong (Mar 15, 2011)

My son is playing this contemporary _a capella_ piece for Good Friday at our church.





My favorite Holy Week preparation is to watch this version of _Jesus Christ Superstar._


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

DrMike said:


> I have a 2-disc recording of Bach's Missae brevis, but don't know as much about them. Does the F major Missa have significance for Holy Week?


DrMike - it was composed for Easter 1730-something and, like his other smaller mass settings, it rehashes - sorry...ahem - makes use of material from his cantatas (in this case no. 102, I think). I have the Hickox on Decca (c/w a couple of cantatas conducted by Ansermet) but I can't refer to the sleevenotes at this time to confirm the above.


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## Cnote11 (Jul 17, 2010)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missa_(Bach)#Missa_in_F_major

This page has more information about what cantatas were reused, as well as some other information.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Lunasong said:


> My son is playing this contemporary _a capella_ piece for Good Friday at our church.


Nice! He must be quite a musician. I'm glad it's not me playing a french horn a capella.


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

I have the *Haydn* _Seven Last Words _ string quartet on my to-listen list this week, as well as *Charles Wood's *_St. Mark Passion_, which I reviewed last year HERE. *Gubaidulina's* _Seven Words _is like a modern descendent of the Haydn work.

& I've also been listening to Nielsen's _Three Motets _for unaccompanied choir, but I don't know if it's related to Holy Week. Also, Claudio Merulo's _Missa Apostolorum_, an organ mass with Gregorian chant.

Another thing is Milhaud's _Service Sacre_, of course it's Jewish liturgy, but spoken in English, and it gives the same universal messages - eg. respect for fellow man & humanity, etc. - that the Christian masses do. In any case, I love it's optimism and element of deep reflection in some of it's parts.


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## Guest (Apr 4, 2012)

elgars ghost said:


> DrMike - it was composed for Easter 1730-something and, like his other smaller mass settings, it rehashes - sorry...ahem - makes use of material from his cantatas (in this case no. 102, I think). I have the Hickox on Decca (c/w a couple of cantatas conducted by Ansermet) but I can't refer to the sleevenotes at this time to confirm the above.


Good to know. Mine is the complete Missae breves, conducted by Konrad Junghaenel on Harmonia Mundi. I had read good reviews of them all, but have to confess I haven't listened to them that much as of yet. I'll have to add the F major to my playlist. Thanks for the info.


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## science (Oct 14, 2010)

Marie Keyrouz: Chant Byzantin.


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## Ukko (Jun 4, 2010)

The first movement of Also Sprach Zarathustra is as religious as I get.


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## sah (Feb 28, 2012)

Hilltroll72 said:


> The first movement of Also Sprach Zarathustra is as religious as I get.


That won´t make Friedrich happy.


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2013)

I thought I would resurrect my own old thread, rather than start a new one. 

We are in the midst of Holy Week, and I like to pull out the Easter-themed music for this time. For me, a big chunk is Bach.

St. Matthew Passion - Gardiner's recording
St. John Passion - Suzuki's recording
Easter and Ascension Oratorios - Suzuki's recording
Biber - Rosary Sonatas - Manze and Egarr
Handel - Messiah - Stephen Layton with Polyphony
Haydn - The 7 Last Words of Christ on the Cross - Savall

Any other favorites out there?


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

I was looking into this Arvo Part concert, but unfortunately can't go:

http://journalofmusic.com/listing/04-03-13/arvo-part-passio-national-chamber-choir-ireland-1


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## Art Rock (Nov 28, 2009)

For me it is Bach's St Matthew's Passion like every year. Possibly the St John's as well.


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## quack (Oct 13, 2011)

Grechaninov's Passion Week is a beautiful work worth hearing


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## Stargazer (Nov 9, 2011)

Handel - Saul oratorio
Monteverdi - Vespers
Arvo Part - Stabat Mater
And the Easter oratorio...like duh!


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## HarpsichordConcerto (Jan 1, 2010)

*George Frideric Handel*, _Samson_, English oratorio in three acts (1741), composed immediately after he finished composing _The Messiah_. The great genius composing two masterpieces one after another.

The English Concert (on period instruments) under Harry Bicket.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Oldies but goodies
















Plain chant versions of these are also good.


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## Guest (Mar 26, 2013)

sah said:


> Victoria: _Tenebrae Responsories_. I like specially the motet "O vos omnes".
> 
> Probably I will look for Victoria - Lamentations of Jeremiah.


Excellent choice!! Victoria's music is just glorious!! Biber and his 'Rosary Sonatas' would make great listening too. These are still quite modal and you can hear the emergence of the violin virtuoso (he was a violinist himself) and the Italian influence in this work:






The organ is used as a Basso continuo and it is effectively a drone in this fine example I've attached.

I include a Wiki entry on Biber and reading about his use of Scorditura is very interesting. Scorditura is a feature of the "Rosary Sonatas".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Ignaz_Franz_Biber

Heinrich Schutz and his 'Sacred Symphonies' would be great Easter music. Schutz was considered the greatest composer after Josquin and before JS Bach, BTW. (He composed before Biber.)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinrich_Schütz


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## augustine (Mar 27, 2013)

Don't forget about Allegri's Miserere. Just an incredible musical experience- especially if you follow the Latin, which is simply Psalm 51 set to beautiful music. The music was so unearthly that it was restricted by the Holy See and could only be performed during Holy Week at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. According to popular folklore, a young Mozart attended one of the services of the Divine Office at the Sistine Chapel where this was performed. He apparently committed the entire piece to memory and then wrote it out himself. It was eventually published and when this was recognized, he was called to Rome by the Pope, expecting to be chastised. Instead, the Pope marveled at his musical genius.

Do yourself a favor and listen to this before Sunday.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miserere_(Allegri)


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

For me, I listen to liturgical music only within the mass or church setting. We have a wonderful choir in a church smack in the middle of town, in St Theresa's in Clarendon Street, and on Sunday they'll sing at the concelebrated mass. I don't know what they'll sing, but it's usually something which is prayer by proxy, an otherworldly beauty of a thing, suitably solemn and yet uplifting.

They're quite a useful choir...


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2013)

augustine said:


> Don't forget about Allegri's Miserere. Just an incredible musical experience- especially if you follow the Latin, which is simply Psalm 51 set to beautiful music. The music was so unearthly that it was restricted by the Holy See and could only be performed during Holy Week at the Vatican's Sistine Chapel. According to popular folklore, a young Mozart attended one of the services of the Divine Office at the Sistine Chapel where this was performed. He apparently committed the entire piece to memory and then wrote it out himself. It was eventually published and when this was recognized, he was called to Rome by the Pope, expecting to be chastised. Instead, the Pope marveled at his musical genius.
> 
> Do yourself a favor and listen to this before Sunday.
> 
> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miserere_(Allegri)


This work, along with Tallis' Spem in alium, are among my favorite choral works. I particularly love the Tallis Scholars' recordings of both works. Actually, I prefer them for most Renaissance religious choral works.


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## Taggart (Feb 14, 2013)

Kieran said:


> For me, I listen to liturgical music only within the mass or church setting. We have a wonderful choir in a church smack in the middle of town, in St Theresa's in Clarendon Street, and on Sunday they'll sing at the concelebrated mass. I don't know what they'll sing, but it's usually something which is prayer by proxy, an otherworldly beauty of a thing, suitably solemn and yet uplifting.
> 
> They're quite a useful choir...


Certainly look like it. St. Augustine said it, "Singing is praying twice".

That's OK if you have a nice church, a good choir and a sympathetic PP. Otherwise, to hear the good stuff, you end up on You Tube.


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## Kieran (Aug 24, 2010)

Taggart said:


> Certainly look like it. St. Augustine said it, "Singing is praying twice".
> 
> That's OK if you have a nice church, a good choir and a sympathetic PP. Otherwise, to hear the good stuff, you end up on You Tube.


Exactly! Or a good CD. I prefer to hear this type of music in the setting its intended for (likewise opera), but we can bring that setting with us and listen elsewhere too...


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2013)

DrMike said:


> This work, along with Tallis' Spem in alium, are among my favorite choral works. I particularly love the Tallis Scholars' recordings of both works. Actually, I prefer them for most Renaissance religious choral works.


Ditto. This genre of renaissance music has an ethereal, transcendental quality like no other. IMO.


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2013)

CountenanceAnglaise said:


> Ditto. This genre of renaissance music has an ethereal, transcendental quality like no other. IMO.


I concur. My first exposure to anything pre-Baroque was a chance CD I picked up from the library - a recording of Hildegard von Bingen recorded by the Anonymous 4. I then studied up on Medieval and Renaissance music, and was directed to Spem in alium, Miserere, and Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcella. I was hooked.


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## augustine (Mar 27, 2013)

I am addicted to Palestrina. While I love the Tallis Scholars, I find myself listening to the Westminster Cathedral Choir more than anyone else for this sort of music. James O'Donnell does a fantastic job with them and if you want to move beyond Missa Papae Marcella, I would suggest looking into some of their work. 

My very favorite album of theirs is “Palestrina: Missa Aeterna Christi Munera” (you can find the CD on Amazon. Hyperion Records and itunes have the mp3's and I think it's on You Tube as well). Besides the Mass, which is incredible, this particular album includes both movements of the motet Sicut Cervus (I’ve never seen the second movement anywhere else). Kind of like Spem in Alium in that you will feel as if you’re floating. Pure musical genius. I’ve always felt that this genre of music doesn’t get near the attention that it deserves.


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## Guest (Mar 27, 2013)

DrMike said:


> I concur. My first exposure to anything pre-Baroque was a chance CD I picked up from the library - a recording of Hildegard von Bingen recorded by the Anonymous 4. I then studied up on Medieval and Renaissance music, and was directed to Spem in alium, Miserere, and Palestrina's Missa Papae Marcella. I was hooked.


The Pope Marcellus Mass by Palestrina is a beautiful classic. If you're interested, here's an excellent book on the period. Though it was written in 1950 it's still considered a benchmark in this area of study. It is lucid, intelligent and very readable:

"Studies in Medieval and Renaissance Music", Manfred F. Bukofzer


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## Sid James (Feb 7, 2009)

Another one is *Stainer's Crucifixion*, I plan to hear my copy this Easter weekend. Its been such a long time, I don't remember a thing about it (except that the late Robert Tear's solo part on the EMI cd made an impression on me).


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