Dear Listers,

Looking for an extended work to perform for Maundy Thursday/Good Friday with
a fairly decent church choir (Lutheran). If you have any extended works you
could recommend for Lent/Holy Week I would appreciate it. Anything other
than a requiem please. We have already done the Faure and Dubois. I have
seen the repertoire list on choralnet but nothing struck my fancy. Hoping
some of you have experience with some more modern literature. Please
include info on length, difficulty, instrumentation, appeal. Thanks for
your help!

Most Sincerely,

Douglas L. Jones
University of Houston
dljones(a)pdq.net


We (Augsburg Fortress) have just published ST. JOHN PASSION by John
Ferguson.
Code 11-10991
Have you considered "The Crucifixion" (John Stainer)?

I have a work that is entirely appropriate for Maundy Thursday/Good Friday
or Holy Week. It is for a double mixed chorus (4+8 singers minimum), 4 male
soloists, one female soloist, treble trio (SSA), and chamber orchestra or
keyboard. The work was done in Nagocdoches a few years ago and has been
performed 10 times since the 1996 premiere.

A downloadable libretto is available at the website listed below. I would be
happy to send a tape and supporting materials if you are interested in
considering the work. Best, Randall Davidson
Randall Davidson
composer-publisher
Visit our website -- http://www.boysartmusic.com

I did 'Tenebrae - A Service of Darkness' by Hal Hopson last year

You might try Dan Gawthrop's "Behold What Mystery"

I assume you have considered the various passions by Bach, Handel, etc. One
year I did the Bach St. John without the arias, just drama from cover to
cover, and it was incredibly effective. We used the Arthur Mendel
translation. I took a few cuts, but without the pauses in the action for
the arias it isn't that long. It's not mor modern, tho!


Check out the 177 classical major works in our catalog on our web site:
http://www.songtapes.com to see if anything strikes your fancy.

We'll be doing the Brahms Requiem (not really a requiem in the literal
sense)
this year - we're putting it on in conjunction with another excellent local
choir (Knox Presbyterian), so we'll probably total 75 - 80 voices, most of
whom
have never done it in German...it's gonna be a busy season between now and
then.
There are good arrangements available in English as well.

Would you consider Alexander Gretchaninoff's "Passion Week", opus 58 --
a major cycle from the Russian Orthodox choral repertoire. (It's not a
Requiem!) Perhaps the best place to start in evaluating this piece would
be the fine recording by the Russian State Symphonic Cappella (our cat.
no. A01), Valery Polyansky, dir. We publish all the music as 15 separate
numbers. Text is in phonetics and Cyrillic. Diction tapes are available
for all the texts.


My choir is going to do "Song of the Shadows" by Joseph Martin. It is a
service of darkness, or can be used as a Tenebrae service. Orchestrations
are
available, but Martin's works are very effective done with piano or organ.
We
will be doing it with orchestra on Good Friday night.Published by Shawnee
Press.


Seven Last Words H. Schutz
A Service of Shadows Lani Smith
A Service of Darkness Lani Smith

Faure's Requiem
Stainer's Crucifixion
Rutter's Requiem
Mozart's Requiem
Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ
















"When the best master's work is done, the people all say, 'we did it
ourselves.'"
17th verse of the Tao Te Ching

---

Short request:

1. work for church
2. lasts about 20 minutes and
3. have 6-7 different movements
4. along the lines of two Vivaldi works: Gloria (2004)and Magnificat
(2006).

Short answers from the community:

Bach: Passions
Buxtehude: Membra Jesu nostri
Caldara: Stabat Mater
Charpentier: Le reniement de St. Pierre
Dubois: Seven Last Words of Christ
Faure: Faure's Requiem
Gawthrop: Dan Gawthrop's "Behold What Mystery"
Gretchaninoff: Alexander Gretchaninoff's "Passion Week", opus 58
Handel: Passions
Haydn: Seven Last Words of Christ
Hopson: 'Tenebrae - A Service of Darkness' by Hal Hopson
Martin: "Song of the Shadows" by Joseph Martin
Mignemi: "MYSTERIUM INCARNATIONIS" Giuseppe Mignemi
(You can free download http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/index_english.htm or
direct http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/MYSTERIUM%20INCARNATIONIS.htm)
Mozart: Requiem
Rutter: Requiem
Schutz: Seven Last Words H. Schutz
Smith, Lani: A Service of Shadows Lani Smith
Stainer: "The Crucifixion" (John Stainer)

Full Original Question:

The big Christmas service is complete for this season. Our biggest
successes over the years have come with two Vivaldi works: Gloria (2004)
and Magnificat (2006).

I'd like to do something along those lines during Lent and I'm looking for
suggestions.

My ideal work for church lasts about 20 minutes and have 6-7 different
movements. Three or four would be accessible works for the choir and the
other 3-4 go to solos, duets, trios, etc.

I've already consulted the ChoralNet archives and I'm interested to see what
other recommendations there are out there. I'd be glad to do a compilation.

Previous suggestionshttp://choralnet.org/resources/viewResource.phtml?id48&lang=en&category=1
>from
this list include:

"The Crucifixion" (John Stainer)
'Tenebrae - A Service of Darkness' by Hal Hopson
Dan Gawthrop's "Behold What Mystery"
various passions by Bach, Handel
Alexander Gretchaninoff's "Passion Week", opus 58
"Song of the Shadows" by Joseph Martin
Seven Last Words H. Schutz
A Service of Shadows Lani Smith
A Service of Darkness Lani Smith
Faure's Requiem
Stainer's Crucifixion
Rutter's Requiem
Mozart's Requiem
Dubois Seven Last Words of Christ

Thanks to all who contribute.

Full answers from the community:

I have composed a suite of 5 pieces to chapel "MYSTERIUM INCARNATIONIS"
You can free download
http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/index_english.htm
or direct
http://www.giuseppemignemi.it/MYSTERIUM%20INCARNATIONIS.htm
Merry Christmas
Giuseppe Mignemi
Via G. Grasso, 20
95013 Fiumefreddo Sic. (CT) - Italy
www.giuseppemignemi.it

Scott Gillam to me
show details Dec 21 (18 hours ago)
Dear Philip,

How about Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ? This is probably an easier
setting to learn than the Schuetz setting of the same text, although I'm
personally not familiar with either work. We rent up to 42 copies of the
Haydn (G. Schirmer edition) (a) $1.50 per copy plus postage.

Another outstanding possibility is Charpentier's Le reniement de St. Pierre,
a haunting 11-minute work with solos and keyboard and basso continuo
accompaniment. We rent up to 76 copies of this piece (Presser edition) (a)
75
cents per copy plus postage.

We also rent both the Vivaldi Gloria and Magnificat that you mention in your
email.

Check out our on-line catalogue, which has added over 60 selections in
recent months, for more possibilities.

If you wish, I can put your name on our list to receive once-yearly advance
notices when the catalogue is revised.

Best wishes for the holidays,

Scott Gillam
NAS Choral Music Rental Library
www.nasingers.org

MLycanclef(a)aol.com to me
show details Dec 20 (2 days ago)
Buxtehude, Membra Jesu nostri

Best wishes,

Mary Lycan
mlycanclef(a)aol.com

Hi:
Instead of some 'work' - - put together a work (as long as you are not using
orchestra - - which would be then a nightmare!)

Do a movement that fits your group from different masses or works.

For instance:

Kyrie: chant
Gloria: Schubert
Credo: Haydn
Sanctus: Faure
Agnus Dei: Robert Ray (Gospel - slow)
Benedictus: (some Renaissance composer)

you could throw in:
Dies Irae: Mozart
Lacrimosa: Mozart
Dona Nobis Pacem: Bach b Minor

etc. etc.

This way, you could pick and choose those that are accessible to your choir
and they'd have the benefit of learning the music and styles of different
composers/eras.

Peace.
Happy Holidays.
Richard Garrin
www.richardgarrin.com

Just a brief comment. Requiem settings are to remember the deceased,
especially in the Fall, beginning with All Souls Day on Nov. 2. I would
suggest not doing them during Lent...
the theology just doesn't fit.



--
Dr. Philip L. Copeland
Director of Choral Activities
The University of Alabama at Birmingham
plc(a)uab.edu
http://uabchoirs.blogspot.com/