Thank you all for your wisdom and suggestions for a work of 20-30 minutes
for Advent Choral Evensong!
Here is a compilation:

What about "A Little Advent Music" by Hugo Distler?
or
I think there is a setting of the "O Antiphons" by Marc Charpantier.


One of my very favorite pieces for this type of service is Marc Antoine
Charpentier's "Messe de Minuit pour Noel." It's a mass based on French
Christmas carols. Lots of fun for the singers and the congregation!

You might consider Daniel Pinkham's "Advent Cantata," which is published by
Robert King Music, I believe. I know very little about the work, although
am very familiar with his "Christmas Cantata" which we presented last year.
I would also be very interested, as I'm sure would the the list, on what
responses you get back. I myself am looking for a work to do during Advent
this year, and have already gone through several pieces including Bach's
"Magnificat," and "Nun komm den Heiden Heiland" as well as Rutter's
"Magnificat." There is so much Christmas music and so little known Advent
music. . .

You might want to look at Anders Ohrwall's "Gaudete", for choir and wind trio
(flute, oboe and bassoon, as I recall), about 25 minutes long, a suite of
pieces from the old Piae Cantiones, and very delightful - available in
English, although I don't remember the publisher.

"Christmas Oratorio" by Camille St. Saens, without a doubt!

John Rutter's Gloria is glorious, (pardon the pun)

This last Advent at Christ Episcopal, Ridgewood we did "A Ceremony of
Advent Carols" by NY composer Allison Sniffin for 4 part chorus +
congregation, string qt (or quintet), trumpet, organ and opt tympani. It is
a beautiful suite of the great Advent hymns---"Hark! A Thrilling Voice is
Sounding", "Wake, Awake", "Come, Thou Long Expected Jesus" (on Hyfrydol),
and "O Come, O Come, Emmanuel".
It's about 15 minutes long, and it made a BIG hit---people said they
really felt like they understood the significance of Advent through the
piece.

A Magnificat setting would be approprieate, such as Pergolesi's.

From: Karl Henning
Subject: Re: rep help for Advent
To: crozier(a)erols.com
MIME-Version: 1.0
I have written a seven-minute setting of "O Gracious
Light" (Phos Hilaron) for choir SATB, string orchestra
and harp; it is quite a flexible piece, though -- the
Cathedral Church of St Paul here in Boston will be
doing it on Mothers Day, with choir, piano & organ.

I conducted the premiere of the piece at the Jefferson
Ave Presbyterian Church in Detroit last November, and
it worked very well. The choral writing is lyrical,
long-breathed and "choir-friendly"; the piece is a
kind of "dancing largo," and creates an atmosphere
very much in the spirit of evensong.

The piece is published by Lux Nova Press in Atlanta.
Please let me know if I can send you a review score.


That is something I have been thinking of writing for years, but need
the impulse of someone wanting it. Could you consider a commission for
a new work? If you don't know my choral music, there are many examples
I would be happy to send to you.
William Copper
composer of Lovelife Dances
choral(a)hartenshield.com


I think that Concordia has an "English" edition of the Distler "Little
Advent Music"
which might fit your needs...

Thanks again to all,
Clair Rozier
Director of Music
St. David's Church
Wayne, PA
crozier(a)erols.com