# Your Favorite English Language Sacred Music



## regenmusic

I enjoy the music but really appreciate it deeper when I can understand
the lyrics. What are some of your favorite English language sacred works?


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## SixFootScowl

My all time favorite English language sacred music is Handel's Messiah covering key verses for Christmas, Easter and Resurrection from the Bible. Then there is Handel's Chandos Anthems and Music of the Chapel Royal using verses from the Psalms. You can also get English language editions of Haydn's Creation and Mendelssohn's Elijah, both of which are also commonly sung in German.


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## Art Rock

I would check out the works by Finzi.


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## Balthazar

The English version of Allegri's Miserere sung by the Choir of King's College, featuring Roy Goodman.

Particularly poignant for fans of Peter Greenaway's _The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover._


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## regenmusic

I would just like to know of any. I really don't know who to search on. I could spend
time on google looking up all English and American born classical composers, but then
there wouldn't be much activity on forums if everyone took that route. What names
should I look for?


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## isorhythm

Tallis (Magnificat, anthems, Psalter for Archbiship Parker, etc).

It's not even close for me.


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## StlukesguildOhio

Handel- Messiah


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## quack

Probably Elgar's _The Dream of Gerontius_ but it was the last one I listened to, that often does become my favourite through familiarity. Other beautiful pieces:

Vaughan Williams - _The Pilgrim's Progress_
Adams - _The Gospel According to the Other Mary_

And a couple that are spiritual if not really religious:

Holst - _Savitri_, _The Cloud Messenger_
Tippett - _A Child of Our Time_


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## Barnaby

I love Purcell's Funeral Music for Queen Mary. Absolutely beautiful.

I also like the Miserere mentioned above


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## Il_Penseroso

Handel's Messiah


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## Il_Penseroso

quack said:


> And a couple that are spiritual if not really religious:
> 
> *Holst* - _*Savitri*_, _The Cloud Messenger_
> Tippett - _A Child of Our Time_


Well, I thought the thread aims only the Christian Sacred Music... if not necessarily, then you may enjoy also Holst 'Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda'. A very successful approach in setting the Indian sacred collections into the music. He even translated the text by himself from the original Sanskrit.

***

And nobody mentioned Walton's Belshazzar's Feast yet...


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## MoonlightSonata

Britten, _A Ceremony of Carols_.
_This Little Babe_ has a lovely canon at the end.


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## Mandryka

This Church by Michael Finnissy
Wagner Dream by Jonathan Harvey


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## cjvinthechair

Mmmm...half a dozen beautiful British requiems to stir up any interest - there are more, of course !

Bryars(Gavin) 



Burgon(Geoffrey) 



Delius(Frederick) 



 (link to part 1)
Foulds(John) 



Tavener(John) 



 (a short one of many)
Whitbourn(James) 




Happy to discuss such things for hours with anyone remotely interested (PM welcome).


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## JACE

I suppose my favorite would be Charles Ives' setting of Psalm 90.


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## cjvinthechair

Yep - no specification it had to be English, was there !

John Knowles Paine - Mass 



Lou Harrison - Mass 



Steve Dobrogosz - Mass 



 (link to Kyrie)
Robert Moran - Requiem 'Chant du Cygne' 



Jeff Manookian - Requiem 




Ah, just realised why nobody's interested in my posts; so sorry, stupid 'older person' !
Well, there's some lovely stuff posted anyway, so just in case, will leave it up !


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## spokanedaniel

Messiah.

I actually cannot think of another piece of sacred classical music in English that I listen to. I also love old-time Gospel, even though I am an atheist. I love the music in spite of the lyrics. But Messiah is definitely number 1 for me in English-language vocal music, whether sacred or profane. 

I prefer sacred music, however, when I cannot understand the words. So German and Latin are best.


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## hpowders

Actually it's a hybrid of spoken languages-Latin and English-Britten's War Requiem.


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## MoonlightSonata

Lots of Tallis, Vaughan Williams, Rutter and Handel.


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## science

There's one you're not supposed to like, but might manage to anyway: _The Crucifixion_ by John Stainer.

The old joke:

Q: What do you think of Stainer's Crucifixion?

A: I think it's a good idea.

Not nice at all. I die a little inside just repeating it. But I'm only telling you what you've got to know.


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## Selby

RVW - Dona nobis pacem, a lot of text from Whitman - wonderful, exuberant piece.


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## Baregrass

Handel's Messiah is # 1 for me.


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## regenmusic

cjvinthechair said:


> Yep - no specification it had to be English, was there !
> 
> John Knowles Paine - Mass
> 
> 
> 
> Lou Harrison - Mass
> 
> 
> 
> Steve Dobrogosz - Mass
> 
> 
> 
> (link to Kyrie)
> Robert Moran - Requiem 'Chant du Cygne'
> 
> 
> 
> Jeff Manookian - Requiem
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Ah, just realised why nobody's interested in my posts; so sorry, stupid 'older person' !
> Well, there's some lovely stuff posted anyway, so just in case, will leave it up !


Thanks much for this post. One of the most important in the thread. Really glad you 
told me about Dobrogosz.


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## regenmusic

Are there any good sites that have texts of classical works so it's easier to understand them?


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## MoatsArt

*William Cornysh - Woefully Arrayed*

Please read the words as you listen: The polyphonic texture and unfamiliar pronunciation can make them hard to make out by just listening.






Lyrics

"Woefully arrayed
My blood, man for thee ran, it may not be nayed;
My body, blo and wan;
Woefully arrayed.

"Behold me, I pray thee
with all thy whole reason
and be not hard-hearted,
and for this encheason,
sith I for thy soul sake
was slain in good season,
Beguiled and betrayed
by Judas' false treason,
unkindly entreated,

"with sharp cord sore freted,
the Jews me threated,
they mowed, they grinned,
they scorned me,
condem'd to death as thou may'st see;
Woefully arrayed.

"Thus naked am I nailed.
O man, for thy sake;
I love thee, then love me,
why sleepst thou, awake,
remember my tender heartroot for thee brake;
with pains my veins constrained to crake;
thus tugged to and fro,
thus wrapped all in woe,
whereas never man was so entreated,
thus in most cruel wise
was like a lamb offer'd in sacrifice;
Woefully arrayed.

"Of sharp thorn I have worn
a crown on my head.
So pained, so strained, so rueful, so red,
thus bobbed, thus robbed,
thus for thy love dead;
unfeigned, not deigned,
my blood for to shed,
my feet and handes sore
the sturdy nailes bore;
what might I suffer more,
than I have done, O man, for thee?
Come when thou list, welcome to me!
Woefully arrayed."

I love this piece on so many levels. Heard The Tallis Scholars recording first when I was 14 years old in the late eighties and have been smitten by Renaissance choral music ever since. I hope it captures your heart too.


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## Baregrass

MoatsArt said:


> Please read the words as you listen: The polyphonic texture and unfamiliar pronunciation can make them hard to make out by just listening.


Middle English, if pronounced correctly, is truly a foreign language for us today.


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## breakup

I like this one,


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## breakup

Here's another one that I think is good,


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## pmsummer

Many mentioned above fit the bill for me.

Arvo Pärt's 'LITANY, Prayers of St John Chrysostom for each hour of the day and night' is climbing my charts.

And of course (courtesy of RVW via Bourgeois)...


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## MoatsArt

Thanks for your PM, pmsummer. I don't have the requisite five posts to respond, so I will respond here: Thank you.

I haven't listened to Avo Part since Uni days (20 years ago) so it's nice to have his name mentioned and go searching. Just found a recording of "I Am the Vine". Nice, accessible contemporary music with meaning. Thank you again!

By the way, how do you type the umlauts in his name?


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## pmsummer

MoatsArt said:


> Thanks for your PM, pmsummer. I don't have the requisite five posts to respond, so I will respond here: Thank you.
> 
> I haven't listened to Avo Part since Uni days (20 years ago) so it's nice to have his name mentioned and go searching. Just found a recording of "I Am the Vine". Nice, accessible contemporary music with meaning. Thank you again!
> 
> By the way, *how do you type the umlauts in his name?*


Keyboard option locations vary by OS, but in the Apple world I inhabit the options are under the EDIT tab. I've forgotten where Windows hides them, but it's similar.

P.S. I ordered a copy of the Tallis Scholars version of 'Woefully Arrayed' last night from Zoverstock. Thanks again!


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## cjvinthechair

regenmusic said:


> Thanks much for this post. One of the most important in the thread. Really glad you
> told me about Dobrogosz.


So sorry - have been working away from home ! Imagine you've, by now, found out more about Dobrogosz on the Web than I could ever tell you !
Do, perhaps, have other less well known ideas for sacred music if you/anyone is at all interested.


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## MoatsArt

Apologies for my bad language recently, if you had the misfortune to read it. I had a meltdown (I have autism and bipolar) but am feeling much better now.


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## pmsummer

MoatsArt said:


> Apologies for my bad language recently, if you had the misfortune to read it. I had a meltdown (I have autism and bipolar) but am feeling much better now.


I thought you were either:

A) Reading my mind, or...

B) Microsoft Spell-fux did you in.

Glad you made it.

P.S. Listened to two different versions of Cornysh's 'Woefully Arrayed' today (The Hilliard Ensemble and the Tallis Scholars). Thanks again for the recommendation.


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## MoatsArt

Yeah - a bit of a fux pas. 

Sorry, I meant to say "faux pas". Typo :angel:

Haven't heard the Hilliard Ensemble recording. Will have to check it out. Have a recording of some Josquin motets of theirs that I really enjoy.


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## Ingélou

The earlier the better. Playford psalm settings are nice.


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## jenspen

Don't think these have been mentioned:

Handel's Dettingen Te Deum 



Handel My Heart is Inditing 



Purcell's My Heart is Inditing 



 (for a different king!)
Handel Zadok the Priest 



Purcell Ode for St Cecilia's Day 




My favourite period of English music is the Renaissance/early Jacobean but most of the English composers of religious music in that era seem to have been Catholics who were busy composing to Latin texts. However, there is the wonderful "When David Heard that Absolom was Slain" by Thomas Tomkins 



. The same text was set by Weelkes.

I particularly second a previous poster's recommendation of Purcell's "Music for the Funeral of Queen Mary".

And Benjamin Britten's religious music has been mentioned. I like Rejoice in the Lamb and Jubilate Deo ... and a Ceremony of Carols.

There is a heavy load of nineteenth to mid twentienth century large scale choral religious music in English (including Mendelsohnn in English), Elgar's "Dream of Gerontius", "Belshazzar's Feast" (Walton) but I wouldn't actually listen to them myself.


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## Leiermann

Try these:

Gibbons: "Great Lord of Lords"





Purcell: "Rejoice in the Lord Alway" (The Bell Anthem)


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## Steatopygous

I have to agree with those who posted the Messiah. To my mind, it is the greatest religious musical work ever written (if you exclude J.S. Bach, and even if you don't it's in the top 3). Jennens' arrangement of the texts is flawless, and Handel rose to the utmost peak of his considerable genius. Wonderfully memorable arias, ensembles and choruses follow each other in regal procession. In my city, there are two professional presentations each December, and I try to go to both. 
Quite wonderful, whether one is a worshipper or not. Kathleen Ferrier's account of He was despised when she had received good (but wrong) news about the cancer that was soon to kill her is one of the great recordings of all time. 
I have gone into extreme panegyric mode here, but not unjustifiably.


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## breakup




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## breakup

There are numerous renditions of this song, and I like them all,


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## regenmusic

cjvinthechair said:


> So sorry - have been working away from home ! Imagine you've, by now, found out more about Dobrogosz on the Web than I could ever tell you !
> Do, perhaps, have other less well known ideas for sacred music if you/anyone is at all interested.


Sure, if it fits in this thread that would be great. Sorry for the late reply, a lot of ground to cover.


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## Woodduck

Steatopygous said:


> I have to agree with those who posted the Messiah. To my mind, it is the greatest religious musical work ever written (if you exclude J.S. Bach, and even if you don't it's in the top 3). Jennens' arrangement of the texts is flawless, and Handel rose to the utmost peak of his considerable genius. Wonderfully memorable arias, ensembles and choruses follow each other in regal procession. In my city, there are two professional presentations each December, and I try to go to both.
> Quite wonderful, whether one is a worshipper or not. Kathleen Ferrier's account of He was despised when she had received good (but wrong) news about the cancer that was soon to kill her is one of the great recordings of all time.
> I have gone into extreme panegyric mode here, but not unjustifiably.


Hard not to agree with this, especially as I have fond memories of singing _Messiah_ during my college years. Glorious music.


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## regenmusic

The long intro passage to this, Rejoice in the Lord alway - Purcell, is outstanding:


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## regenmusic

Blessed be the God and Father - Wesley This one is really up in the clouds.


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## Alfacharger

St. Peter by John Knowles Paine.


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## Asterix77

Let's ignore the English translation of the St Matthew Passion...that leaves Händel for me, or Purcell.
I would choose the Messiah then.


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## regenmusic

Horatio Parker: Light's Glittering Morn Bedecks the Sky

Light's glittering morn bedecks the sky; 
Heav'n thunders forth its victor cry; 
The glad earth shouts her triumph high,
And groaning hell makes wild reply, 
While He the King, the mighty King, 
Despoiling death of all its sting, 
And trampling down the powers of might, 
Brings forth His ransomed Saints to light. 
Light's glittering morn bedecks the sky; 
Heav'n thunders forth its victor cry.

That Eastertide with joy was bright, 
The sun shone out with fairer light, 
When to their longing eyes restor'd 
Th'Apostles saw their risen Lord: 
He bade them see His hands, His side, 
Where yet the glorious wounds abide; 
These tokens true which made it plain 
Their Lord indeed was risen again.

O Jesu, King of gentleness 
Do Thou Thyself our hearts possess; 
That we may give Thee all our days, 
The tribute of our grateful praise.

The strife is o'er, the battle done, 
The victory of life is won, 
The song of triumph has begun. 
O Lord of all with us abide, 
In this our joyful Eastertide; 
From ev'ry weapon death can wield, 
Thine own redeemed for ever shield.
Alleluia. Amen.


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