# Is there any choral music with just voices?



## level82rat (Jun 20, 2019)

I'm not talking a about modern Acapella arrangements, but works which originally meant to be performed with just SATB. And if there are examples of such, do you think the composer did well within the limitations?


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## feierlich (3 mo ago)

_8 geistliche Gesänge_, Op. 138 by Max Reger immediately came to mind. From which the _Nachtlied_, No. 3 is more frequently performed. If you ask me this is definitely a gem within the literature of choral music.




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## level82rat (Jun 20, 2019)

feierlich said:


> _8 geistliche Gesänge_, Op. 138 by Max Reger immediately came to mind. From which the _Nachtlied_, No. 3 is more frequently performed. If you ask me this is definitely a gem within the literature of choral music.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Pleasant stuff! I had this preconception that Reger would be more modern and difficult to listen to


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## Bernamej (Feb 24, 2014)

I mean you have inumerable Renaissance and Baroque works, but even Schubert, Schumann and Brahms composed choral works for just voices.
Any Renaissance composer offers sublime choral music, Tallis, Lassus, Palestrina, Monteverdi (the madrigals), Gesualdo and so many others.
Bach’s Motets are masterpieces, etc etc…
This is so obvious I’m thinking maybe i didn’t understand the question right.


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## Rogerx (Apr 27, 2018)

Two groups are making such recording: The Sound and the Fury and Beauty Farm it's fantastic .


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## level82rat (Jun 20, 2019)

Bernamej said:


> This is so obvious I’m thinking maybe i didn’t understand the question right.


In my listening journey, unaccompanied choral music has been exceedingly rare. I did not know it was such a common form


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

Bach's motets are not a cappella, they have colla parte instruments. As I understand it there seems also some debate nowadays if most medieval and renaissance music did not have some doubling by instruments. But it has been usually performed a cappella in modern times in any case. So there is lots of choral repertoire without instruments, mostly from renaissance and since the 19th century.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

This might not be what you are thinking of, but Barber did a setting for voices of his own _Adagio_, using the Latin words from the _Agnus dei_.


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## Manxfeeder (Oct 19, 2010)

Knut Nystedt did an amazing job with one of Bach's chorales; their voices are both singing and instruments.


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## level82rat (Jun 20, 2019)

Kreisler jr said:


> and since the 19th century.


Can you throw me an example or two?


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## Kreisler jr (Apr 21, 2021)

E.g the Reger piece linked above, or here Brahms.






This has optional piano but this seems only doubling choral parts and the effect is much better without piano, I think.

Mendelssohn (A "Nunc dimittis" in German)






All three composers have a considerable body of choral works, both with and without accompaniment.

I guess, many choral works still have (sometimes optional) piano or organ support, but many are truly a cappella


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## hammeredklavier (Feb 18, 2018)

CD review: Bruckner & M. Haydn: Motets - Pentatone


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