# Recommendations for acapella choral music?



## Tristan

I know this is a broad request, but I'm looking for more music along the lines of Messiaen's "O Sacrum Convivium", Duruflé's "Ubi Caritas", Poulenc's "Salve Regina", Raminsh's "Ave Verum", Palestrina's "Sicut Cervus", etc. 

Specifically looking for unaccompanied choral music with religious lyrics that are at least somewhat similar to the ones I listed (doesn't have to be Latin, however). I have a special interest in 20th century choral works, but it doesn't have to be from the 20th century. 

Any recommendations? What are your favorite acapella choral works?


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## MagneticGhost

The most obvious one is Rachmaninov's All Night Vigil (Vespers). It simply doesn't get any better.
Then there are a whole host of Liturgy of St. John Chrysostum settings from Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Ippolitov-Ivanov and Gretchaninov. 
The majority of these works are turn of the century - owing more to the 19th Century tradition than the 20th.

Beautiful though!


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## Chordalrock

You should check out the rest of the big name Renaissance composers - Dufay, Ockeghem, Obrecht, Josquin, Gombert, Mouton, de La Rue, de Rore, Lassus, Victoria and maybe a few others (I'm personally not particularly fond of late Renaissance nor very familiar with it so probably left out a few names from that period).

This stuff isn't as well represented on youtube as you might think, but you can check out a lot of it on spotify.

Some good ones on youtube:

Gombert: Salve regina (Henry's Eight)






Gombert: Media vita (Huelgas Ensemble)





Obrecht: Missa Malheur me bat: Sanctus (Clerks Group)





Ockeghem: Missa Mi-mi: Credo (Cappella Pratensis)





Dufay: Missa L'homme arme: Credo (Oxford Camerata)





Dufay: Ecclesiae militantis (Huelgas Ensemble ... this interpretation uses instruments as well as voices but it's the best one around)


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## GioCar

I'd recommend Schnittke's Concerto for Choir.

Although the text is not religious in the strictest sense, the work somehow recalls the music of the Russian Orthodox Church.

it's a very moving and deeply spiritual work.


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## Mahlerian

Stravinsky's "The Dove Descending", Webern's op. 2, Frank Martin's Mass for double choir, Vaughan Williams's Mass in G minor, Schoenberg's op. 50a and b (c is a fragment that also includes orchestra) as well as his 6 pieces for male chorus and "Friede auf Erden", and Britten's A Boy was Born come to mind immediately. The 20th century was a great time for choral music.


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## Alypius

Morten Lauridsen, "O Magnum Mysterium"










A performance on YouTube:





Eric Whitaker, "I thank you god for most this amazing day" from
_Cloudburst_ (Hyperion, 2006)















Arvo Pärt, "Da pacem," from
_Da pacem_, Paul Hillier / Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir (Harmonia mundi, 2006)
(I'm doing this from memory. I believe this work is a capella)


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## Andreas

Maybe you'd enjoy some of Bortniansky's works.


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## quack

A lot of 20th century composers seem to have a small body of almost unknown choral works. Not sure how many are like your examples, sorry if some are not strictly a cappella

Max Reger - 



Iannis Xenakis - 



Einojuhani Rautavaara - 



Geoffrey Burgon - 



John Tavener - 



Aaron Copland - 



Wolfgang Rihm - 



Ernst Krenek - 



Jonathan Harvey - 



Georgy Sviridov - 



Veljo Tormis - 



Henryk Górecki - 



Karlheinz Stockhausen - 



György Kurtág - 



Rodion Shchedrin - 



 - too good to let "must be a cappella" stop me
Herbert Howells - 



Arnold Schoenberg - 



Alexander Knaifel - Amicta Sole
Kurt Schwaen
Michael Finnissy - none of his excellent choral works on the tube ;~(


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## Blancrocher

I've enjoyed this album, "Messages to Myself: New Music for Chorus _A Cappella_," which includes short pieces by various contemporary composers.

http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/album.jsp?album_id=808359

*p.s.* Not all of the works on the album have religious lyrics, so it may not be what you're looking for.


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## Guest

Poulenc is certainly worth to explore.:angel:


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## Animato

Did anyone mention John Rutter? Listen to his Requiem. It is a special style but interesting non the less.


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## hannahsage

Benjamin Britten's a capella choral works are some of my favorite contemporary works. They can be lively, serious, beautiful and chaotic all at once. My favorites are A Hymn to the Virgin and Hymn to St. Cecilia.






Also, this isn't current, but Veni, Dilecte Mi by Sebastian de Vivanco is gorgeous as well:


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## Roi N

Brahms! He has the greatest understanding of vocal music in the romantic period (and that says a lot). The fact that he had a female choir at his disposal didn't hurt his understanding of the human voice 
Of his better works for an a capella choir are the Five Songs for male voices Op. 41; the Drei Gesange (Three songs) Op. 42; the Sieben Lieder (Seven songs) for mixed chorus Op. 62; the Six songs and romances OP. 93a; the Fest und Gedenksprüche Op. 109 and the thirteen canons for female choir Op. 113.
His greatest achievement though, by far, is the Funf Gesange (Five songs) Op. 104 for mixed chorus. It is phenomenal. The final song is regarded as the greatest of them (it is truly fantastic), but you will soon understand that all the songs in this set are extraordinary.
Hope you enjoy!


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## clavichorder

Thomas Weelkes, "When David Heard" made me cry when I heard it live. So beautiful and sad.


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## starthrower

This is on the new Hanssler CD, Russian Choral Works.
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/w/247730


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