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Best Choral Music

46K views 85 replies 49 participants last post by  meelis 
#1 ·
I am a graduate Choral Conducting major at GA State University and I am doing research on the considerations of a composer (if any) when he/she is writing a piece of choral music. Does anyone have any input? Also, I am compiling a list of the top 100 best choral pieces. What are yours as a teacher/conductor? What are favorites of your students from a standpoint of being both entertaining and well-written? Thanks so much for your assistance.
JACK LOUDEN
 
#73 ·
The best choral work that I've heard yet is the Requiem of Berlioz. It's just gripping and intense, while still remaining interesting and complex. Another one that I like very much is the C minor mass by Mozart.
 
#80 ·
I of course greatly enjoy choral music by the renaissance, baroque, classical, and romantic era composers, but personally, I REALLY like the 20th and 21st century a capella choral music.

Eric Whitacre is a big name currently, but I'm sorry to say that he doesn't do much for me at all. Some of my current favorite composers for choral music are Per Norgard, Eriks Esenvalds, Ola Gjielo, Vytautas Miskinis, and Petera Vaska.

Check out Vaska's "Ziles Zines", Esenvalds "A Drop in the Ocean", Gjielo's "Tota Pulchra Es", Norgard's "Wie Ein Kind," or Miskinis' "At This Time of my Parting".

Also, I have one more that is very dear to my heart: "Salve Regina" by Herbert Howells. The soprano solo at the end gets me every time!! (This is my choir singing it: )
 
#84 ·
Best choral music for YOUNGER choirs

Interesting thread, this. If anyone is dealing with younger choirs (children or youth choirs) there are some really good suggestions for repertoire in David Bramhall's fine book Training Your Young Choir. It's available on Amazon, but doesn't seem to be very well known over here - he's a British author.
 
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