Historical: 20th-century Sacred music
20TH-CENTURY SACRED WORKS
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Kenneth Leighton
God's Grandeur is one of the finer a cappella anthems from
the 20th century english school. (Text by Gerard Manley
Hopkins). For a choir, it takes you through a series of
sections requiring different approaches -- declamatory,
insistent, wondering (?) (I can't find the right word).
Crucifixus pro Nobis is a great piece for Tenor Solo, Organ,
and Choir. The soloist part is hard, but the choir parts
aren't too hard or long. The last movement, a setting of
'Drop, Drop, Slow Tears', is a cappella, a luminous setting
of the text, and stands well by itself. (I like it better
than the Walton).
The anthem 'Lord, thou hast been our refuge' I recall as
being quite spectacular, though I haven't sung it for a
number of years. Double choir for the last section as I
remember, one choir singing block-chord, loud, high 'Amen's
and the other the text 'and the glorious majesty of the Lord
be upon us' in E major/Cmajor.
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RE: Kenneth Leighton, I second the motion on "Crucifixus pro
nobis" and add one of my favorite anthems "Solus ad
victimam"(spelling?) published by OUP, also may be found in
the Anthems for Choirs 2. Happy Singing! Kathryn Smith,
Webster University, St. Louis MO
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Distler's Singet dem Herrn with modern printing for the text?
Distler, Hugo, 1908-1942.
Singet dem Herrn ein neues Lied = Sing, ye, the Lord a new-made song:
(from Psalm 98) : op. 12, no. 1 :
for four-part chorus of mixed voices a cappella
Hugo Distler ; edited by Clifford G. Richter ; English version...
Kassel : Barenreiter ; [Hackensack, N. J.] : Joseph Boonin, c1975.
Arista Publishing (sp?) in Brooklyn, NY has reprinted a lot of Distler pieces
with English translations. Concordia Music Press (in St. Louis?) has a
number as well. There might be editions of this piece from them, or you
might find other Distler works you like.
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