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Your Favorite English Language Sacred Music

8K views 47 replies 28 participants last post by  regenmusic 
#1 ·
I enjoy the music but really appreciate it deeper when I can understand
the lyrics. What are some of your favorite English language sacred works?
 
#2 · (Edited)
My all time favorite English language sacred music is Handel's Messiah covering key verses for Christmas, Easter and Resurrection from the Bible. Then there is Handel's Chandos Anthems and Music of the Chapel Royal using verses from the Psalms. You can also get English language editions of Haydn's Creation and Mendelssohn's Elijah, both of which are also commonly sung in German.
 
#4 ·
The English version of Allegri's Miserere sung by the Choir of King's College, featuring Roy Goodman.

Particularly poignant for fans of Peter Greenaway's The Cook, The Thief, His Wife, and Her Lover.

Font Candle Art Poster Suit
 
#5 ·
I would just like to know of any. I really don't know who to search on. I could spend
time on google looking up all English and American born classical composers, but then
there wouldn't be much activity on forums if everyone took that route. What names
should I look for?
 
#8 ·
Probably Elgar's The Dream of Gerontius but it was the last one I listened to, that often does become my favourite through familiarity. Other beautiful pieces:

Vaughan Williams - The Pilgrim's Progress
Adams - The Gospel According to the Other Mary

And a couple that are spiritual if not really religious:

Holst - Savitri, The Cloud Messenger
Tippett - A Child of Our Time
 
#11 · (Edited)
And a couple that are spiritual if not really religious:

Holst - Savitri, The Cloud Messenger
Tippett - A Child of Our Time
Well, I thought the thread aims only the Christian Sacred Music... if not necessarily, then you may enjoy also Holst 'Choral Hymns from the Rig Veda'. A very successful approach in setting the Indian sacred collections into the music. He even translated the text by himself from the original Sanskrit.

***

And nobody mentioned Walton's Belshazzar's Feast yet...
 
#16 · (Edited)
Yep - no specification it had to be English, was there !

John Knowles Paine - Mass
Lou Harrison - Mass
Steve Dobrogosz - Mass (link to Kyrie)
Robert Moran - Requiem 'Chant du Cygne'
Jeff Manookian - Requiem

Ah, just realised why nobody's interested in my posts; so sorry, stupid 'older person' !
Well, there's some lovely stuff posted anyway, so just in case, will leave it up !
 
#17 ·
Messiah.

I actually cannot think of another piece of sacred classical music in English that I listen to. I also love old-time Gospel, even though I am an atheist. I love the music in spite of the lyrics. But Messiah is definitely number 1 for me in English-language vocal music, whether sacred or profane.

I prefer sacred music, however, when I cannot understand the words. So German and Latin are best.
 
#20 ·
There's one you're not supposed to like, but might manage to anyway: The Crucifixion by John Stainer.

The old joke:

Q: What do you think of Stainer's Crucifixion?

A: I think it's a good idea.

Not nice at all. I die a little inside just repeating it. But I'm only telling you what you've got to know.
 
#25 · (Edited)
William Cornysh - Woefully Arrayed

Please read the words as you listen: The polyphonic texture and unfamiliar pronunciation can make them hard to make out by just listening.



Lyrics

"Woefully arrayed
My blood, man for thee ran, it may not be nayed;
My body, blo and wan;
Woefully arrayed.

"Behold me, I pray thee
with all thy whole reason
and be not hard-hearted,
and for this encheason,
sith I for thy soul sake
was slain in good season,
Beguiled and betrayed
by Judas' false treason,
unkindly entreated,

"with sharp cord sore freted,
the Jews me threated,
they mowed, they grinned,
they scorned me,
condem'd to death as thou may'st see;
Woefully arrayed.

"Thus naked am I nailed.
O man, for thy sake;
I love thee, then love me,
why sleepst thou, awake,
remember my tender heartroot for thee brake;
with pains my veins constrained to crake;
thus tugged to and fro,
thus wrapped all in woe,
whereas never man was so entreated,
thus in most cruel wise
was like a lamb offer'd in sacrifice;
Woefully arrayed.

"Of sharp thorn I have worn
a crown on my head.
So pained, so strained, so rueful, so red,
thus bobbed, thus robbed,
thus for thy love dead;
unfeigned, not deigned,
my blood for to shed,
my feet and handes sore
the sturdy nailes bore;
what might I suffer more,
than I have done, O man, for thee?
Come when thou list, welcome to me!
Woefully arrayed."

I love this piece on so many levels. Heard The Tallis Scholars recording first when I was 14 years old in the late eighties and have been smitten by Renaissance choral music ever since. I hope it captures your heart too.
 
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