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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
 
#2 ·
My favorites would have to be...
Gregorio Allegri - Miserere (Psalm 51)
Gabriel Urbain Fauré - Requiem (Op. 48) - Pie Jesu
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart - Requiem (K. 626) - Lacrimosa
Gabriel Urbain Fauré - Requiem (Op. 48) - In Paradisum

Miserere would be my favorite, but the 4 listed songs are in random order. ;)
 
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#3 ·
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? Thanks so much for your assistance.
JACK LOUDEN
One thing that I have noticed in contemporary choral music, there are no real tenor parts! Most composers only right male parts up to a G on the treble clef. That is not tenor but rather baritone. This is doing a great dis-service to men everywhere! Most men will try to sing these notes in the passaggio by pushing their chest regestors up to high causing strain in the voice box. If people that call themselves tenors: as in singing the tenor part had to deal with A's and B's and an ocasional high C, this would force men to learn to develope their head registor. This would be a win\win. Men would learn better singing techniques and directors\composers would have a much stronger mens section with a fuller, richer sound.

Just the ramblings of a frustrated tenor.
Peace
 
#4 ·
favourites: Stephen Chatman "Remember", Pseudo Yoik-NT, Stroope "Amor de mi Alma", Whitacre "A Boy and a Girl", "Water Night", Lauridsen "O Magnum Mysterium", Ola Gjeilo "Sanctus".

When I am composing, I generally worry about phrasing, is the song able to move forward and engage the audience. Some choral songs just sit there and don't do much, Lauridsen's O magnum is a great example of great writing, every part moves and pulls, each voice has good melodic phrases and is just; well a great modern score. On the more classical side, I would lean towards tallis "if ye love me"

hope this provides some insight.

once you have the list, post it here, or in a message, I would love to see how you rank the compositions!
 
#9 ·
I agree with a previous poster regarding choral works not moving forward enough, it is common problem.
Some of my favorites however are:

Carmina Burana
Messiah
Mahlers 2nd Symphony, a lot of Mahlers symphonies use choirs and soloists but this one really stands out.
Brittens - War requiem
Rutter - War requiem (a lot of great english composers with choral pieces)
Listsz Faust Symphony has a fantastic chorus in the last movement.


I also remember an entirely Choral piece in Glass's soundtrack to Koyanisqatsi it was fantastic.
 
#10 ·
Ah, it was the second part named Vessels - not so well known i think but its great!

And how did i forget Mozart and Fauré requiems?
 
#14 ·
The redoubtable Arnold Whittall has called it 'Carmina Mundana'.

Here's what else he has to say about it:

'Orff's concerns, 'to create a spectacle' and 'to make the most immediate impression possible', are those of commercial art, and have more in common with the rituals of the Nuremberg Rallies than of the Bayreuth Festival.'

Ooo... burn! :D
 
#15 ·
I saw my teacher playing the Catulli Carmina. At some point in the piece she played the same chord SIXTEEN times in a row (I counted). The lack of imagination and the repetitive nature of his music are nauseating, little ostinati which come and go without any development, also without any orchestral interest, any harmonic change, nothing at all. Plain music, it is horrible. And it shared the night with Les Noces, which is a completely different story, and even the uneducated public of my city cleary enjoyed much more Stravinsky.
 
#18 ·
Lotti - Crucifixus
Allegri - Miserere Mei
Whitacre - Sleep
Whitacre - Lux Aurumque
Pearsall - Lay a Garland
Byrd - Mass for 4 voices (if I absolutely HAD to choose one mvt, it would be the Agnus Dei (just))
Gesualdo - O Vos Omnes
Poulenc - Seigneur, je vous en prie from the 4 Petites prieres de Saint Francois d'Assise.
Bairstow - Lamentations of Jeremiah
Bairstow - Blessed City Heavenly Salem
Balfour Gardiner - Evening Hymn
Howells - Evening Service in G
Howells - Chichester
Howells - St. Pauls
Howells - Here is the Little door
Howells - Take him earth, for Cherishing


I could go on forever, and I've no doubt left out some of the more significant gems, but that's just a brief few of my personal favourites.
 
#21 ·
Don't listen to it then ! :) I can see how the musical purists would dislike it, especially as O Fortuna has become so mainstream - I just find it in the most part riotous fun, nowt wrong with that. But you're right about one thing - In Trutina is the best bit, along with In Taberna Quando Sumus.
 
#23 ·
J.S. Bach- St. Matthew Passion, Cantata 140, 147 (and endless others)
Handel- The Messiah, Solomon
Monteverdi- The Venetian Vespers (Vespro della Beata Vergine 1610)
Josquin Desprez- Magnificat, Missa: L'ami baudechon, Stabat mater
anon. 12th c. - Sibila Galaica
Haydn- The Creation, St. Cecilia Mass, Lord Nelson Mass
Mozart- The Great Mass in C-minor, Requiem
Rossini- Stabat mater
Vivaldi- Magnificat, Gloria
Beethoven- Missa solemnis, Mass in C
Brahms- Ein Deutsches Requiem
Verdi- Requiem
Schubert- Mass in E-flat Major, Mass in A-flat
Berlioz- Requiem
Faure- Requiem
Szymanowski- Stabat mater
Bruckner- Masses, Te deum
Arvo Part- De Profundis, Te deum, Tabula Rasa
Herbert Howells- Missa Sabrinensis, Hymnus paradisi
Zemlinsky- Psalms 13, 23, 83
John Rutter- Requiem
Rachmaninoff- Vespers
Elgar- The Dream of Gerontius, The Kingdom, The Apostles
Tarik O'Regan- Threshold of Night
Grechaninov- Passion Week
Daniel Lentz- Missa Umbrarum
Kodaly- Missa Brevis
James MacMillian- Tenebrae, Mass, for 2 basses, chorus & organ, etc...
Saint-Saens- Requiem
Orff- Carmina Burana
Gounod- Mors et Vita, Messe solenelle de Sainte Cecile

Just a few glancing at my shelves. Obviously I'm a bit of a choral fanatic.:eek:
 
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#25 · (Edited)
I have a lot of favorite choral pieces as I listed previously, but I've really be impressed for the past few days with Delius' choral works. Being a big fan of his orchestral music, I never really checked out his choral music. I forgot that I owned a recording of "Sea Drift," "Songs of Farewell," and "Songs of Sunset" with Richard Hickox and the Bournemouth Symphony Orch. I was completely blown away by this recording, so I ordered Delius' "Mass of Life" with Hickox/Bournemouth Sym. and I'm eagerly awaited it's arrival in my mailbox.

Edit: I never gave a list of my favorite choral works in this thread...lol, so here's a list of my favorites:

In no particular order:

1. Berlioz - Requiem
2. Mendelssohn - Symphony No. 2 - Hymn of Praise
3. Mozart - Requiem
4. Poulenc - Gloria
5. Poulenc - Stabat Mater
6. Faure - Requiem
7. Szymanowski - Stabat Mater
8. Prokofiev - Alexander Nevsky
9. Stravinsky - Symphony of Psalms
10. Durufle - Requiem
11. Delius - Sea Drift
12. Brahms - German Requiem
13. Orff - Carmina Burana
14. Bartok - Cantata Profana
15. Vaughan Williams - A Sea Symphony
16. Elgar - The Music Makers
 
#37 ·
Oh Andre you must checkout more choral music. Depending on the composer, of course, it's such beautiful music and what I enjoy hearing is how the composer wrote accompanying orchestral parts. Like Poulenc has some great, almost playfulness in "Gloria" going on throughout the piece. I've really come to enjoy choral works these past few weeks.
 
#38 ·
Yeah, I've heard Poulenc's Gloria, but I think I prefer his orchestral. I really like the Domine Deus part, though. Some really quirky orchestral writing there. That's the part that really sticks out in my mind.

Actually, I didn't even know that Stockhausen composed choral pieces. Would be interesting to check those out...
 
#40 ·
No, I haven't heard Poulenc's Stabat Mater yet...

I also forgot to mention, for those people who like some more out-there & intense choral like myself, here's a few good suggestions:

Penderecki - Dies Irae (written for the dedication of Auschwitz as a museum & memorial, also called the Auschwitz Oratorio. Stuff that chills me to the bone every time I hear it...)

Varese - Equatorial (primitive & earthy sounds, coming from both chorus & orchestra); Nocturnal (lyrics based on poetry of Anais Nin, which are about incest, amongst all things - some very wierd lyrics, like "I kissed his shadow." Sung in English)
 
#41 ·
Listened to several choral works over the past few days.

Yesterday, I heard Delius' "Requiem" and "Mass of Life" for the first time and I was very impressed. Great works that should delight choral fans.

Today, I listened to Walton's "In Honour of the City of London" and it's simply fantastic. It's about a 16 minute piece full of such vigor and power.
 
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