# Best Choral Music



## jlouden

I am a graduate Choral Conducting major at GA State University and I am doing research on the considerations of a composer (if any) when he/she is writing a piece of choral music. Does anyone have any input? Also, I am compiling a list of the top 100 best choral pieces. What are yours as a teacher/conductor? What are favorites of your students from a standpoint of being both entertaining and well-written? Thanks so much for your assistance.
JACK LOUDEN


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## Edmond-Dantes

My favorites would have to be...
Gregorio Allegri - Miserere (Psalm 51)
Gabriel Urbain Fauré - Requiem (Op. 48) - Pie Jesu
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem (K. 626) - Lacrimosa
Gabriel Urbain Fauré - Requiem (Op. 48) - In Paradisum

Miserere would be my favorite, but the 4 listed songs are in random order.


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## Bgroovy2

jlouden said:


> I am a graduate Choral Conducting major at GA State University and I am doing research on the considerations of a composer (if any) when he/she is writing a piece of choral music. Does anyone have any input? Thanks so much for your assistance.
> JACK LOUDEN


One thing that I have noticed in contemporary choral music, there are no real tenor parts! Most composers only right male parts up to a G on the treble clef. That is not tenor but rather baritone. This is doing a great dis-service to men everywhere! Most men will try to sing these notes in the passaggio by pushing their chest regestors up to high causing strain in the voice box. If people that call themselves tenors: as in singing the tenor part had to deal with A's and B's and an ocasional high C, this would force men to learn to develope their head registor. This would be a win\win. Men would learn better singing techniques and directors\composers would have a much stronger mens section with a fuller, richer sound.

Just the ramblings of a frustrated tenor.
Peace


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## Matthew

favourites: Stephen Chatman "Remember", Pseudo Yoik-NT, Stroope "Amor de mi Alma", Whitacre "A Boy and a Girl", "Water Night", Lauridsen "O Magnum Mysterium", Ola Gjeilo "Sanctus".

When I am composing, I generally worry about phrasing, is the song able to move forward and engage the audience. Some choral songs just sit there and don't do much, Lauridsen's O magnum is a great example of great writing, every part moves and pulls, each voice has good melodic phrases and is just; well a great modern score. On the more classical side, I would lean towards tallis "if ye love me"

hope this provides some insight.

once you have the list, post it here, or in a message, I would love to see how you rank the compositions!


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## Lisztfreak

Arvo Pärt's Beatitudes are certainly among my favourites, for shorter pieces. Also Howells' Salve regina.


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## Sid James

I'm not a big fan of choral, but I really like Guido Haazen's _*Missa Luba*_ & Ariel Ramirez' _*Misa Criolla*_. They are based on Congolese and Argentinian folklore, respectively. By the way, the latter has prominent tenor parts, the soloists are three tenors.


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## Guest

Lisztfreak said:


> Arvo Pärt's Beatitudes are certainly among my favourites, for shorter pieces. Also Howells' Salve regina.


It is great to find another admirer of A Part, I love all of his choral works and most of his latter instrumental works


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## s.s.pandey

Are there Indian classical musicians registered to your forum? Have you Indian classical music archives?


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## emiellucifuge

I agree with a previous poster regarding choral works not moving forward enough, it is common problem.
Some of my favorites however are:

Carmina Burana
Messiah
Mahlers 2nd Symphony, a lot of Mahlers symphonies use choirs and soloists but this one really stands out.
Brittens - War requiem
Rutter - War requiem (a lot of great english composers with choral pieces)
Listsz Faust Symphony has a fantastic chorus in the last movement.


I also remember an entirely Choral piece in Glass's soundtrack to Koyanisqatsi it was fantastic.


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## emiellucifuge

Ah, it was the second part named Vessels - not so well known i think but its great!

And how did i forget Mozart and Fauré requiems?


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## wolf

emiellucifuge said:


> Ah, it was the second part named Vessels - not so well known i think but its great!
> 
> And how did i forget Mozart and Fauré requiems?


Yes, at least Mozarts! And throw out Carmina Burana on the street where it belongs, and put in Verdis Req insted.


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## emiellucifuge

Whats wrong with the Carmina Burana?! :angry:


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## Bach

It's ********. Apart from 'In Trutina' which is delightful.


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## Herzeleide

emiellucifuge said:


> Whats wrong with the Carmina Burana?! :angry:


The redoubtable Arnold Whittall has called it 'Carmina *Mundana*'.

Here's what else he has to say about it:

'Orff's concerns, 'to create a spectacle' and 'to make the most immediate impression possible', are those of commercial art, and have more in common with the rituals of the Nuremberg Rallies than of the Bayreuth Festival.'

Ooo... burn!


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## bdelykleon

I saw my teacher playing the Catulli Carmina. At some point in the piece she played the same chord SIXTEEN times in a row (I counted). The lack of imagination and the repetitive nature of his music are nauseating, little ostinati which come and go without any development, also without any orchestral interest, any harmonic change, nothing at all. Plain music, it is horrible. And it shared the night with Les Noces, which is a completely different story, and even the uneducated public of my city cleary enjoyed much more Stravinsky.


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## Guest

Bach said:


> It's ********. Apart from 'In Trutina' which is delightful.


I quite agree, vastly overrated


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## emiellucifuge

wow..

never knew this was the common opinion


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## HerrSchnaufer

Lotti - Crucifixus
Allegri - Miserere Mei
Whitacre - Sleep
Whitacre - Lux Aurumque
Pearsall - Lay a Garland
Byrd - Mass for 4 voices (if I absolutely HAD to choose one mvt, it would be the Agnus Dei (just))
Gesualdo - O Vos Omnes
Poulenc - Seigneur, je vous en prie from the 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise.
Bairstow - Lamentations of Jeremiah
Bairstow - Blessed City Heavenly Salem
Balfour Gardiner - Evening Hymn
Howells - Evening Service in G
Howells - Chichester
Howells - St. Pauls
Howells - Here is the Little door
Howells - Take him earth, for Cherishing


I could go on forever, and I've no doubt left out some of the more significant gems, but that's just a brief few of my personal favourites.


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## bassClef

emiellucifuge said:


> wow..
> 
> never knew this was the common opinion


No no plenty of us love Carmina Burana (if we are talking about Orff's work). I suppose we are ill-educated oafs ! But I don't care  Personally I think the people who say that hate it are just classical snobs ....


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## Bach

But it sounds so awful, tacky and tasteless.. That's not snobbery - that's using sensitive judgement!


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## bassClef

Don't listen to it then !  I can see how the musical purists would dislike it, especially as O Fortuna has become so mainstream - I just find it in the most part riotous fun, nowt wrong with that. But you're right about one thing - In Trutina is the best bit, along with In Taberna Quando Sumus.


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## Guest

I must admit I still prefer a cappella or even a good choir with strong Sopranos, and at the risk of being shot down I consider Operatic singing to be at the bottom of my list


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## StlukesguildOhio

*J.S. Bach*- _St. Matthew Passion_, _Cantata 140, 147_ (and endless others)
*Handel*- _The Messiah, Solomon_
*Monteverdi*- _The Venetian Vespers (Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610)_
*Josquin Desprez*- _Magnificat, Missa: L'ami baudechon, Stabat mater_
*anon.* 12th c. - _Sibila Galaica_ 
*Haydn*- _The Creation, St. Cecilia Mass, Lord Nelson Mass_
*Mozart*- _The Great Mass in C-minor, Requiem_
*Rossini*- _Stabat mater_
*Vivaldi*- _Magnificat, Gloria_
*Beethoven*- _Missa solemnis, Mass in C_
*Brahms*- _Ein Deutsches Requiem_
*Verdi*- _Requiem_
*Schubert*- _Mass in E-flat Major, Mass in A-flat_
*Berlioz*- _Requiem_
*Faure*- _Requiem_
*Szymanowski*- _Stabat mater_
*Bruckner*- _Masses, Te deum_
*Arvo Part*- _De Profundis, Te deum, Tabula Rasa_
*Herbert Howells*- _Missa Sabrinensis, Hymnus paradisi_
*Zemlinsky*- _Psalms 13, 23, 83_
*John Rutter*- _Requiem_
*Rachmaninoff*- _Vespers_
*Elgar*- _The Dream of Gerontius, The Kingdom, The Apostles_
*Tarik O'Regan*- _Threshold of Night_
*Grechaninov*- _Passion Week_
*Daniel Lentz*- _Missa Umbrarum_
*Kodaly*-_ Missa Brevis_
*James MacMillian*- _Tenebrae, Mass, for 2 basses, chorus & organ, etc..._
*Saint-Saens*- _Requiem_
*Orff*- _Carmina Burana_
*Gounod*- _Mors et Vita, Messe solenelle de Sainte Cecile_

Just a few glancing at my shelves. Obviously I'm a bit of a choral fanatic.


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## Sid James

Just a few I'd like to add:

*Puccini* - Messa di Gloria
*Martin* - Mass for Double Choir
*Durufle* - Requiem
*Stravinsky *- Zvezdolikiy ('The Star-Faced One')


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## Mirror Image

I have a lot of favorite choral pieces as I listed previously, but I've really be impressed for the past few days with Delius' choral works. Being a big fan of his orchestral music, I never really checked out his choral music. I forgot that I owned a recording of "Sea Drift," "Songs of Farewell," and "Songs of Sunset" with Richard Hickox and the Bournemouth Symphony Orch. I was completely blown away by this recording, so I ordered Delius' "Mass of Life" with Hickox/Bournemouth Sym. and I'm eagerly awaited it's arrival in my mailbox.

Edit: I never gave a list of my favorite choral works in this thread...lol, so here's a list of my favorites:

In no particular order:

1. Berlioz - Requiem
2. Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 2 - Hymn of Praise
3. Mozart - Requiem
4. Poulenc - Gloria
5. Poulenc - Stabat Mater
6. Faure - Requiem
7. Szymanowski - Stabat Mater
8. Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky
9. Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
10. Durufle - Requiem
11. Delius - Sea Drift
12. Brahms - German Requiem
13. Orff - Carmina Burana
14. Bartok - Cantata Profana
15. Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony
16. Elgar - The Music Makers


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## Guest

So you don't like Handel, Bach, Vivaldi,Ockeghem,Tallis,Victoria,Palestrina,Byrd,Josquin,Taverner,Mundy just to mention a few, you are missing the best


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## Mirror Image

Andante said:


> So you don't like Handel, Bach, Vivaldi,Ockeghem,Tallis,Victoria,Palestrina,Byrd,Josquin,Taverner,Mundy just to mention a few, you are missing the best


Nah....my list is the best. Thanks anyway.


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## Gangsta Tweety Bird

Andante said:


> So you don't like Handel, Bach, Vivaldi,Ockeghem,Tallis,Victoria,Palestrina,Byrd,Josquin,Taverner,Mundy just to mention a few, you are missing the best


did these composers write any late romantic orchestral works


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## Guest

Gangsta Tweety-Bird said:


> did these composers write any late romantic orchestral works


Are you serious, or taking the psis?


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## Mirror Image

Andante said:


> Are you serious, or taking the psis?


He's taking the psis.


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## Gangsta Tweety Bird

Andante said:


> Are you serious, or taking the psis?


i'm taking the psis


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## Mirror Image

Gangsta Tweety-Bird said:


> i'm taking the psis


How about listing your favorite choral pieces, Gangsta Tweety-Bird?


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## Sid James

He's been mentioned above, but I agree that *Arvo Part* has written some excellent choral music most of which I am yet to hear...


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## Gangsta Tweety Bird

Mirror Image said:


> How about listing your favorite choral pieces, Gangsta Tweety-Bird?


sure,

gombert - missa media vita in morte sumus
messiaen - cinq rechants
messiaen - o sacrum convivium
morales - lamentations
palestrina - lamentations
pärt - da pacem domine
poulenc - quatre motets pour le temps de noël
poulenc - stabat mater
schnittke - psalms of repentance
stockhausen - stimmung
tallis - spem in alium
victoria - o vos omnes


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## Mirror Image

Gangsta Tweety-Bird said:


> sure,
> 
> gombert - missa media vita in morte sumus
> messiaen - cinq rechants
> messiaen - o sacrum convivium
> morales - lamentations
> palestrina - lamentations
> pärt - da pacem domine
> poulenc - quatre motets pour le temps de noël
> poulenc - stabat mater
> schnittke - psalms of repentance
> stockhausen - stimmung
> tallis - spem in alium
> victoria - o vos omnes


Good to see Poulenc on that list. I love Poulenc.....words simply can't describe how great I think he is.


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## Sid James

I must admit, I haven't heard any of the music on Gangsta Tweety-Bird's list. Most of the choral repertoire is still undiscovered territory to me...


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## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> I must admit, I haven't heard any of the music on Gangsta Tweety-Bird's list. Most of the choral repertoire is still undiscovered territory to me...


Oh Andre you must checkout more choral music. Depending on the composer, of course, it's such beautiful music and what I enjoy hearing is how the composer wrote accompanying orchestral parts. Like Poulenc has some great, almost playfulness in "Gloria" going on throughout the piece. I've really come to enjoy choral works these past few weeks.


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## Sid James

Yeah, I've heard Poulenc's _Gloria_, but I think I prefer his orchestral. I really like the _Domine Deus_ part, though. Some really quirky orchestral writing there. That's the part that really sticks out in my mind.

Actually, I didn't even know that Stockhausen composed choral pieces. Would be interesting to check those out...


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## Mirror Image

Andre said:


> Yeah, I've heard Poulenc's _Gloria_, but I think I prefer his orchestral. I really like the _Domine Deus_ part, though. Some really quirky orchestral writing there. That's the part that really sticks out in my mind.
> 
> Actually, I didn't even know that Stockhausen composed choral pieces. Would be interesting to check those out...


Have you heard Poulenc's "Stabat Mater"? This is also a beautiful piece of music.


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## Sid James

No, I haven't heard Poulenc's_ Stabat Mater_ yet...

I also forgot to mention, for those people who like some more out-there & intense choral like myself, here's a few good suggestions:

*Penderecki* - _Dies Irae_ (written for the dedication of Auschwitz as a museum & memorial, also called the _Auschwitz Oratorio_. Stuff that chills me to the bone every time I hear it...)

*Varese* - _Equatorial_ (primitive & earthy sounds, coming from both chorus & orchestra); _Nocturnal_ (lyrics based on poetry of Anais Nin, which are about incest, amongst all things - some very wierd lyrics, like "I kissed his shadow." Sung in English)


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## Mirror Image

Listened to several choral works over the past few days.

Yesterday, I heard Delius' "Requiem" and "Mass of Life" for the first time and I was very impressed. Great works that should delight choral fans.

Today, I listened to Walton's "In Honour of the City of London" and it's simply fantastic. It's about a 16 minute piece full of such vigor and power.


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## Mirror Image

Grechaninov composed a lot of great choral work some with orchestra and some without. There is a series on Chandos that I would like have very much. Each recording contains a symphony and a choral work.

From what I've read, Grechaninov was one of the great composers of choral music during his time.


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## dmg

Mozart - Vesperae solennes de confessore.
Saint-Saens - Oratorio de Noel

My two favorites. I also enjoy Mozart's Coronation Mass and Requiem.


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## tenor02

oh god where to start?

*Moses Hogan:* 
Battle of Jericho
Elijah Rock
Ev'ry Time I Feel the Spirit
I Can Tell the World

*Bernstein:*
Chichester Psalms
Make our Garden Grow

*Lauridsen:*
Dirait-on
O Magnum

*Randall Thompson:*
The Last Words of David

*Whitacre:*
5 Hebrew Love Songs
Sleep
Lux Aquarum
October
This Marriage

*Randall Z. Stroope:*
Amore de mi Alma
Homeland

*John Rutter:*
For the Beauty of the Earth
The Lord Bless you and keep you
Requiem
Gloria
A Gaelic Blessing

*Rachmaninoff:*
Vespers 1-15

*David Fanshawe:*
African Sanctus

*Paul Caldwell*
John the Revelator

*Mozart*
Requiem
Ave Verum
Notturno: Ecco Quel Fiero Istante, K. 436
Notturno: Se Lontan, K. 438
Canzonetta: Luci Care, K. 346

*Carl Orff*
Carmina Burana

*Dickau*
If music be the food of love 
Set me as a seal

*Dello Joio*
A Jubilant Song

*Faure*
Requiem
Cantique De Jean Raccine

*Pavel Chesnokov*
Salvation is Created
-------------------------------------------------

ill update as i think of more.


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## furthyrius

hey people don t forget the cavalleria rusticana s regina coelli...pietro mascagni!


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## Jeremy Marchant

Andre said:


> Actually, I didn't even know that Stockhausen composed choral pieces. Would be interesting to check those out...


_Chöre für Doris_ and _Chorale _(both 1950) - student works, showing no hint of the direction his music was to take so soon: slightly earnest Germanic mid C20 choral writing.

_Momente _(1963-64 later revised) has four small choral groups in addition to orchestra and soprano, but the choruses certainly aren't the centre of attention (however much accompanied, as in, say, _A sea symphony_) - it's more of a huge, glorious extravaganza (90 mins).

_Atmen gibt das Leben_ (_Breathing gives life_) (1974/77) for a very good chamber choir (it's acted on stage from memory). The first section (1974) can be perfomed by itself; the lengthy extension (1977) adds a backing tape of an orchestra.

_Unsichtbare Chöre_ (_Invisible choirs_) (1979) is a lengthy work (50 mins) which is used as the backing track to act I of _Donnerstag aus Licht_ (_Thursday_ from _Light_) or can be performed in its own right. If I remember rightly, it has its own orchestral backing track.

_Hoch-Zeiten_ (literally, _High times_, also _Weddings_) (2001-02) for chorus and orchestra forms scene 5 of _Sonntag aus Licht _(_Sunday _from _Light_) in which the chorus is in one auditorium, performing simultaneously with the orchestra which is in another. The audiences swap over after one complete performance (35 min) for a second performance, there being snapshots of the choral music broadcast into the orchestral venue in performance and vice versa.

I omitted _Stimmung _ (1968 - inevitably) because it's really for six singers, each of whom has a distinct identity, whereas a choral work is for one entity (the chorus), even if it is many parts. But I'm not being dogmatic about it!


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## Jeremy Marchant

jlouden said:


> I am a graduate Choral Conducting major at GA State University and I am doing research on the considerations of a composer (if any) when he/she is writing a piece of choral music. ...


This is an important question. In the UK, at least, there is a huge tradition of amateur choral singing and the standard varies immensely. Some technically below average choirs can still pull off an enjoyable concert by judicious choice of repertoire and, maybe, relying on a few strong voices around whom the rest congregate. I once heard a below average choir attempt Bernstein's _Chichester psalms_. Now, I've sung this in a good choir, and I know it can be tricky. However well this choir did in rehearsal, come the night and it was excruciatingly embarrassing. Nothing wrong with the choral writing, as you would expect from Bernstein, but a stupid choice by the conductor.

With the small amount of choral works I have written, my first consideration was that it should be singable; my second, though, was that it should be singable by a choir with a certain level of ability, ie the one I used to sing with, Crouch End Festival Chorus, in N London. CEFC, in my day, was incredibly ambitious in its programming - we did John Adams's _Harmonium_, Gerhard's _The plague_, Honegger's _Jeanne d'Arc_ (think of the orchestras needed apart form anything else!) - and the choir was pretty good. After I left, it got better.

Not only do choirs vary hugely in the UK in terms of ability, within many of them there is considerable variation of ability. It really helps if the composer makes it easy for the singers. For example, finding the first note of an entry. Britten's_ Spring symphony_ starts with three bars of pp timpani and rustlings - very hard to hear any pitch. There is then a chord on vibraphone, from the bottom up: B E F B. This actually gives the chord the choir then immediately comes in on (down to the doubled B in both soprano and bass). But the vibraphone is full of what Stockhausen called Klangfarbe, ie a lot of 'impure' overtones. It's difficult, to say the least, for an amateur to find the E in that chord, and I see that my copy is clearly marked to find the E from the previous timpani (which are all but inaudible in the LP I've just played to check!).

Singability is also about stamina. The composer should be thinking of the ability of the singers to keep going. When we did Michael Nyman's wonderful _Out of the ruins_, the conductor split each part into X and Y, so that at any one time only the Xs or the Ys sang - which made the climaxes good, when we did all sing. This was just to ensure we all reached the end! There were enough singers for this to work and I daresay the best got to be in both X and Y camp.

There's nothing wrong in a composer writing for a market (after all Haydn did it in his own way). In fact, it's desirable. All this post has been about what I think composers should consider, rather than what they actually consider, when they are writing for a market. I'm sure there are more things to consider. For example, it's said that you can hear that Walton wrote _Belshazzar's feast_ at the piano: the tenor tessitura is just slightly uncomfortably high all the way through. The general experience after we had performed _A child of our time _the first time was that the music was hard to learn, hard to get around easily. Yet, after we had done it a number of times, it all clicked in place much more profoundly than would be just experienced through repetition.


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## Mordacis

Arvo Pärt is the modern king of chorals
among older stuff i admire both Palestrina and Tomas luis de victoria


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## Jeremy Marchant

Mordacis said:


> ...among older stuff i admire both Palestrina and Tomas luis de victoria


why these composers in particular?


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## Delela

Hello...........

I am looking for the top music ed colleges in the U.S., specifically for choral education. I would also like to major or minor in vocal performance.

Jumping a few centuries, Benjamin Britten's famous Ceremony of Carols and his War Requiem are worthy; the War Requiem now considered a choral masterpiece, was generally reviewed when premiered (with British restraint) as being "beyond criticism."

Stravinsky's Anthem "The dove descending" from a T.S. Elliott text, is supposed to be amazing, though I have not yet heard it and look forward to it sometime.

Paul Hindemith: "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom 'd." from the Walt Whitman text, is another piece considered a monument of choral music.


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## Chris

*Stanford* - *Songs of the Sea* and *Songs of the Fleet*


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## KingsSinger9006

Hello! I'm new to these forums. I am a tenor currently matriculating in the US and hopefully will be transferring to a music conservatory so that I can work on voice and composition. 

Anyways, my favorite choral works are: 

Bartok-Cantata Profana
Whitacre-Water Night, Sleep and I Will Wade Out from his Three Songs Of Praise 
Lauridsen-O Magnum Mysterium
Mozart-Requiem
Bernstein-Chichester Psalms, Sanctus and Agnus Dei from his Mass
Part-Berliner Messe, Summa (Credo) and the Seven Magnificent Antiphons
Faure-Requiem, Cantique de Jean Racine
Durufle-Requiem
Poulenc-Quatre petites prieres de Saint Francis d'Assise
Rachmaninoff-Vespers
Z. Randall Stroope-The Cloths Of Heaven, Amor de mi Alma
Barber-Agnus Dei (otherwise known as the Adagio For Strings), The Coolin
Handel-Judas Maccabeus, Messiah, Solomon
Gounod-Messe Solennelle de Sainte Cecile 
MacMillan-A New Song
Holst-Nunc Dimittis
Brahms-Abedlind
Beethoven-Missa Solemnis In D Major, Mass In C 
Vaughan-Williams-Full Fathom Five, The Call
Hogan-Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, Ev'ry Time I Feel The Spirit, Elijah Rock, The Battle Of Jericho
Vivaldi-Gloria in D Major


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## PsIloveU

My favourites list:
1. Lauridsen: Northwest Journey
2. A Robert Shaw Christmas - Angels on High 
3. O Magnum Mysterium
4. The Power & The Majesty: Essential Choral Classics 
5. Agnus Dei: Music of Inner Harmony: The Choir of New College Oxford 
6. Faure: Requiem and other choral music
7. Gloria: The Sacred Music of John Rutter


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## TWhite

jack:

I've taught and accompanied choral music at several high schools during my career, and some of the works that seem to have caught on with men's, women's and mixed choirs include:

Aaron Copland: The choral arrangements of his Old American Songs, particularly At The River, Zion's Walls and Ching-a-Ring Chaw. They're very effective in TTBB arrangements, and the young men like the harmonies and infectuous rhythms. 

A lof of Palestrina works very well for high school and college level A-Capella choirs--his blend of late Reniassance Homophony and pre-Baroque poliphony makes for fascinating choral textures. I'd also add deVictoria, though with care--some of his music is incredibly difficult even for professional choirs--but extremely rewarding.

For Romantic Era choral music, I'd definitely recommend the Brahms "Liebesleider Waltzes" for SATB choir and piano duet. Delightful choral writing--not easy, but definitely worth learning. And it will give your accompanists a piano part that is absolutely infectuous. 

Laureitzen's "O Magnum Mysterium" is an absolute stunner of a modern a-Capella American choral work--it's available in several choral arrangements, both SSAA, SATB and TTBB. Any of them are definitely worth learing. In fact, most of his choral writing is absolutely superb. 

And sorry to go against the grain here, but any high school or college choir would have a lot of fun with Orff's "Carmina Burana". The choral parts are relatively easy--the only trick is getting the Medieval Latin and German down--and if you don't have an orchestra handy, it can be accompanied by either one or two pianos. Our men's choir at my current high school has almost adopted "In Taberna Quando Sumus" as our school song, LOL! "Carmina" is a very easy way to get them interested in singing more complex and 'serious' classical vocal literature. Hey, if it works, DO it!

Tom


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## Redheaded Soprano

*A singer my entire life....*

I'm 57 years old and I have been singing since 3. I currently perform with the Colorado Symphony Orchestra and I am a founding member of the chorus, directed by Duain Wolfe (also choral director of Chicago Symphony Chorus, but he was OURS first....). So, I can only give you the opinion of one who has sung everything and the ones that touch me more than others.

My favorite large choral works?

1. *Messiah* fun to sing because Duain loves it, too, and conducts it so well
2. *Bach B Minor Mass* particularly the Sanctus, Hosanna, Sanctus
3. *Verdi Requiem*....we took this one to Europe...Dies Irae is TOO fun
4. *Mahler's 2nd*.....at what we call the GREAT PAGE TURN, as the chorus had sung the rest of the piece sitting, we stood to perform the last portion. Magnificent! Especially at Red Rocks and the Aspen Music Festival. I always cry at the page turn, every time. 
5. *Beethoven's Missa Solemnis* The GLORIA gets me everytime, so fun to perform. 
6. *Brahm's Requiem* the Wie Lieblich, of course, the most beautiful. 
7. *Durufle Requiem* Sanctus....unreal to perform....so gorgeous

I've sung every large major work. I can say I'm not as enthralled with Faure Requiem as others are. Rather boring when compared to, say, Verdi Requiem. Nor is it as quietly beautiful as the Brahm's. And as you can tell by my list, I like to be excited about the piece I am singing. I do love the Mozart, but again, not as much as the others mentioned. It, also, is considered one of the "War Horses" that we must sing every few years, just so that the people of Denver can hear something more 'recognizable'. Not performed as often as the Beethoven 9th, though. Something I could probably go without performing again for quite a few years, we do it so often. The Carmina Burana, as well. Fun to sing, especially when accompanied by the dance choreographed by the Cleo Parker Robinson Dance Ensemble. But there are so many pieces we just don't do often enough. Money, I think, is always the reason. Some do well here, others do not. Sad, but true.


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## HarpsichordConcerto

Handel's _Israel in Egypt_, the most choral of all of his oratorios. (Libretto likely by Charles Jennens).


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## Lyricsop

jlouden said:


> I am a graduate Choral Conducting major at GA State University and I am doing research on the considerations of a composer (if any) when he/she is writing a piece of choral music. Does anyone have any input? Also, I am compiling a list of the top 100 best choral pieces. What are yours as a teacher/conductor? What are favorites of your students from a standpoint of being both entertaining and well-written? Thanks so much for your assistance.
> JACK LOUDEN


My favorite Chorale Oratorio is St. Matthew's Passion 
because among the unpublished scores listed in the catalogue of Bach's works, and included in his 1754 obituary, are "five Passions, of which one is for double chorus." This work, presumably the St. Matthew Passion - referred to as "the great Passion" in the Bach family circle - was composed in 1727, between the more modestly scored St. John Passion of 1724 and the St. Mark Passion of 1731. The differences between these three Leipzig Passions (the other two are presumably lost) are seen in their overall form, layout, scoring and conception. Of the three works, the St. John Passion lacks textual unity because of madrigal lyrics that were compiled from various poetic sources. Bach thus began to look for a different kind of text and eventually came into contact with Picander (Christian Friedrich Henrici), a poet responsible for a large number of occasional sacred texts, many of which Bach used in his cantatas. With its mixture of Gospel text and complex madrigal-style poetry, Picander's St. Matthew Passion libretto constituted, from a literary point of view, a unified Passion oratorio which enabled Bach to compose a wholly original work in a single sweep.

A long history

The Passion as a genre has a long history, dating back to medieval times, but from the beginning of the sixteenth century onwards three types may be distinguished according to text: those setting the complete text according to one Evangelist; the so-called summa Passionis (Passion harmony), made up of sections taken from all four Gospels, including all seven words of Christ on the cross; and the setting of a shortened version of the text of one Gospel (found only in Protestant Germany). In its desire to encourage liturgical singing in the vernacular, the Lutheran church made a considerable contribution to the growth and dissemination of this genre. In Leipzig, for example, there had been a tradition, dating back to 1669, of reciting the texts of the Passion choraliter (a style of singing derived from Gregorian chant) on Palm Sunday, when St. Matthew's Gospel was used, and on Good Friday, when St. John's Gospel was preferred. From 1717 onwards, the polyphonic style (figuraliter) was authorized for the performance of both Passions; and from Good Friday 1721 it became traditional to perform a polyphonic Passion either at St. Thomas's Church, where Bach had been kapellmeister since 1723, or at St. Nicolas's.

After its first performance on April 11, 1727, Bach revised the St. Matthew Passion only once, extending and refocusing its musical dimensions while leaving the overall design and libretto intact. In 1736, on the occasion of its third performance, Bach replaced the simple chorale, Jesum lass ich nicht von mir, which originally concluded part I, with the massive chorale fantasia, O Mensch, bewein dein Sünde groß, taken from the second version of the St. John Passion. He also made a more decisive division of the entire ensemble into two vocal-instrumental bodies by assigning separate continuo groups to choirs I and II. In addition, he used the swallow's nest organ and choir loft at St. Thomas's in the performance by assigning the cantus firmus lines of the two choruses that framed part I (nos. 1 and 29) to a third choir made up of sopranos with organ support (marked Soprano in ripieno in the score). The definitive character of the 1736 revisions is expressed by the calligraphic autograph copy that he completed with great scrupulousness. It is clear that Bach considered this score as his most significant work up to that point.

Based on a reprint of the text in volume ii of Picander's collected works published in 1729, the biblical Passion narrative may be divided into fifteen scenes and two introductions, to which both the lyrical meditations and the interspersing of hymn stanzas relate. All of the lyrics are introduced by biblical references so that the function of every single poem and musical setting becomes clear.

All musical means

A distinctive feature of the St. Matthew Passion is Bach's optimal use of all musical means available to him, including widely diverse singing voices and instrumental sonorities (exclusive of brass). He also drew on the complete repertoire of forms in sacred and secular music.

The "great Passion" begins with a large-scale chorale fantasia for double chorus, each choir with its own orchestral support, with a seamless integration of freely conceived verse and chorale text and melody. At bar 30 this chorale, O Lamm Gottes, unschuldig (O innocent lamb of God), which serves as the cantus firmus, soars above the choral and orchestral texture and immediately responds to the dialogue Seht ihn! Wie? Als wie ein Lamm! (See him! How? Just as a lamb!). The text of the chorale is the metrical paraphrase of the Agnus Dei which would have been sung at the end of the morning service on Good Friday. The opening chorus thus provides a summation of what the entire Passion oratorio aims to achieve in theological content, literary structure, and musical expression.

The progression through the details of the Passion story is frequently presented in a repeated pattern of biblical narrative, comment, and prayer. The biblical narrative is sung mainly by the Evangelist, but with various dramatic roles represented by other voices, and groups of people by choir I or II (or both) of the choruses. Next, before the narrative is continued, a recitative comments on the biblical narrative just heard, and the substance of the comment is transformed into a prayer in an aria that follows. A final element in the varied texture of the Passion lies in the chorales that punctuate the narrative.

Individual styles

Each character also has his or her particular musical style and function in the Passion. The Evangelist carries the actions forward in the form of recitativo secco, accompanied by continuo alone, merely recounting events. Jesus speaks to his disciples and to Pilate in the form of an arioso halfway between recitative and aria. Except at the very end, he is accompanied by strings in addition to the continuo, which create a symbolic "halo" around his words. Only in the passage preceding his death (no. 61: Eli, lama asabthani) is this effect abandoned and recitativo secco restored.

The St. Matthew Passion is symmetrically structured around a central point which occurs between the two turba choruses, nos. 45a and 50a, Laß ihn kreuzigen (Crucify Him) while Christ appears before Pilate. It is during the soprano aria (no. 49), Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben (For love my Saviour now is dying), that the whole meaning behind Christ's Passion is revealed.

In terms of harmonic texture and colour, Bach employs the widest possible range of musical expression. The St. Matthew Passion strides moves through a variety of keys while drawing on an extraordinary array of colours in the instrumental obbligato accompaniments of the arias. Bach takes the harmony to its furtherest extreme in no. 59, Ach Golgotha (which uses all twelve chromatic pitches), and on Jesus's last words Eli, lama asabthani which appears in b-flat minor and moves to e-flat minor in the subsequent translation. His key choices for the "Passion chorale" - the melody of Herzlich tut mich verlangen - which appears five times in nos. 15, 17, 44, 54, and 62, follow a reverse tonal descent through the successive key signatures

( 4 sharps / 3 flats / 2 sharps / 1 flat / natural),

and illustrates the path of inevitability as the Passion progresses.

The St. Matthew Passion represents the culmination of not only the Lutheran tradition of liturgical Passions, but of the entire genre as well. It is a work of majesty which demonstrates the height of Bach's compositional mastery as well as the profundity of his musical expression and his understanding of the liturgical and spiritual elements of his faith. After some 275 years since its first performance, the St. Matthew Passion remains the summit of the choral art alongside the Mass in B minor.


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## emiellucifuge

PsIloveU said:


> My favourites list:
> 1. Lauridsen: Northwest Journey


I cant stand this mans music much. It is superficially religious.


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## Vaneyes

Best choral music...the ones not done yet.


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## charismajc

Why have so few of the responses included Messiah? I know it's ridiculously overplayed, but its a rare piece that is so transcedent and appeals to both casual classical fans as well as the cognescneti. Or have serious fans just had enough? Seriously, I like john rutter and faure ok, but where's the love for handel and perhaps the most consistenly great choral work I can think of.


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## jurianbai

i like Mendelssohn's Elijah, Haydn Creation, Vivaldi's Gloria. and of course the Messiah...


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## German6th

Brahms- German Requiem 
Verdi- Requiem 
Mozart- Requiem 
Beethoven- 9th symphony 
Bruckner- Mass No.1 D minor (extremely under-rated)
Mahler- Symphony No.2, No.8
Rachmaninov- Vespers


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## Guest

charismajc said:


> Why have so few of the responses included Messiah? I know it's ridiculously overplayed, but its a rare piece that is so transcedent and appeals to both casual classical fans as well as the cognescneti. Or have serious fans just had enough? Seriously, I like john rutter and faure ok, but where's the love for handel and perhaps the most consistenly great choral work I can think of.


100% correct, all Handles oratorio are top line choral works, why are they not rated more? perhaps they could be tooooo popular which makes the so called classical fan scorn them as they do with Beethoven's 5th, Dvorak's 9th etc etc. stick up for what you like :tiphat:


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## emiellucifuge

I used to not get the hype, but I have fallen in love with Faure's requiem recently.


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## Saul_Dzorelashvili

I consider Mendelssohn's Elijah one of the best in this Genre...


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## pjang23

My single most favorite piece of music:
Brahms' Nänie Op.82 http://www.mediafire.com/?pzq61cnryokcbgx


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## Head_case

Still no listeners of Taneyev's epic 'At the reading of a psalm'?


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## petercheck

They are a bit reminiscent of Morissey for his knack for blending seemingly a seemingly happy sound with cynical lyrics, but they have a far more humorous quality that really shines in concert.This sort of textual mush also brings with it or leads to slack rhythm, but the Chorale more often than not comes across as rhythmically incisive. You just have trouble making out the words. They give some lovely accounts in this interesting collection, particularly "One thing I desire" and the great canticle settings, those huge monuments in the landscape of 20th-century sacred music.


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## pjang23

Brahms' Schicksalslied Op.54


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## Sovr'gnChancellor£

Taking into account that I have not listened to many vocal works - Bach's "Jesu, Man's desire", perhaps?


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## Il_Penseroso

*Just 3 of my favorites !*

Handel: *Messiah*

Berlioz: Grande Messe des mortes (*Requiem*)

Prokofiev: *Alexander Nevsky Cantata*


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## myaskovsky2002

*Interesting*

Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:lol:


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## Xaltotun

The best choral work that I've heard yet is the Requiem of Berlioz. It's just gripping and intense, while still remaining interesting and complex. Another one that I like very much is the C minor mass by Mozart.


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## Il_Penseroso

myaskovsky2002 said:


> Nice!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
> 
> :lol:


:tiphat:

---

Mozart: *Pslam 110 "Dixit Dominus" *
especially the Robert Shaw Chorale Recording for RCA Victor !


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## Vaneyes

For a change in pace...


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## pjang23

A more accessible link to Brahms Nänie Op.82.


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## Duke

pjang23 said:


> Brahms' Schicksalslied Op.54


Such a beautiful piece. I have never heard it before!

Thank you for posting in youtube. Else I probably would have missed it!


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## Sebastien Melmoth

Favourite choral discs--*Bach's 6 motets*:
http://www.amazon.com/Bach-6-Motets...1058639?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1300149061&sr=1-2

*Brahms: Lieder & Romanzen*
http://www.amazon.com/Brahms-Lieder...6490614?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1300149212&sr=1-1

*Schubert's secular choral works*:
http://www.amazon.com/Schubert-Comp...8751364?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1300149263&sr=1-1

and believe it or not: *Schönberg's choral works* !
http://www.amazon.com/Schönberg-Das...3168108?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1300149335&sr=1-3


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## pjang23

Duke said:


> Such a beautiful piece. I have never heard it before!
> 
> Thank you for posting in youtube. Else I probably would have missed it!


Haha, you're welcome! His choral/orchestral lieder (Schicksalslied, Nänie, Alto Rhapsody, etc.) are amongst my favorite works of music, yet they have very little exposure due to their uneconomical performing forces and from being overshadowed by the symphonies and concertos.


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## Orange Soda King

I of course greatly enjoy choral music by the renaissance, baroque, classical, and romantic era composers, but personally, I REALLY like the 20th and 21st century a capella choral music.

Eric Whitacre is a big name currently, but I'm sorry to say that he doesn't do much for me at all. Some of my current favorite composers for choral music are Per Norgard, Eriks Esenvalds, Ola Gjielo, Vytautas Miskinis, and Petera Vaska.

Check out Vaska's "Ziles Zines", Esenvalds "A Drop in the Ocean", Gjielo's "Tota Pulchra Es", Norgard's "Wie Ein Kind," or Miskinis' "At This Time of my Parting".

Also, I have one more that is very dear to my heart: "Salve Regina" by Herbert Howells. The soprano solo at the end gets me every time!! (This is my choir singing it: 



)


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## pjang23

Finally, a youtube version I like:


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## Guest

Orange Soda King said:


> Also, I have one more that is very dear to my heart: "Salve Regina" by Herbert Howells. The soprano solo at the end gets me every time!! (This is my choir singing it:
> 
> 
> 
> )


That was beautiful I share you love of a capella the ultimate in choral IMO of course


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## LordBlackudder

i made my favourites in a playlist:

http://8tracks.com/lordblackudder/epic-choral


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## Alfhay

*Best choral music for YOUNGER choirs*

Interesting thread, this. If anyone is dealing with younger choirs (children or youth choirs) there are some really good suggestions for repertoire in David Bramhall's fine book Training Your Young Choir. It's available on Amazon, but doesn't seem to be very well known over here - he's a British author.


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## Noak

I recently heard Schnittke's Choir Concerto and was pretty blown away. Really beautiful.


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## meelis

Ok, it's not perfect, it's not too classical, but it' so emotional, so special ... and so important for us, Estonians...


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