I'm two days late blogging about All Souls - so what you are going to do, give me an F?
We sang the Stanford "Justorum Animae" and in spite of some pitch problems did a great job. We're having a heat wave here on the east coast, but that doesn't mean that the central heat gets turned off. Humans who are experiencing discomfort often have pitch problems, among other things.
The piece is part of the great British choral school of the 19th/20th century. It builds on the best of Tallis in terms of form but contains the harmonic drama of the best of Elgar or Vaughan Williams. In that respect it communicates a great deal to our modern sensibilities while still expressing the sacredness of the text and it's place in the liturgy.
The translation is as follows - it's take from the first reading on All Soul's:
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God;
there shall no torment or malice touch them.
In the sight of the unwise they seem to die,
but they are in peace.
Next week we do the Bruckner "Locus Iste" - which is coming together nicely and is perfect for the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica.
where do you go to purchase the sheet music for these pieces? I am seriously tempted to but 20 copies of something as a Christmas gift to the choir my husband and I belong to - anything to get away from Haugen and Haas discorporated.
I am also looking to find sheet music for a SATB (ar SSA) of Ralph Vaughn Williams "For All the Saints (sine nomine) and Randall Thompson's Alleluia - any ideas?
sheetmusicplus.com is one place.
Or support your local music store. I'm sure they could order it. Oxford is the publisher I believe.
Another beautiful piece for All Souls is Selig sind die Toten, die in Christi sterben by Heinrich Schütz. Unfortunately you have to have six parts (SSATBB), but the "middle" parts are flexible enough you can rob from the surrounding voices to fill the ranks.
We sang that years ago with a short-lived Bach Choir. It never failed to bring tears to the eyes.
I personally recommend buying your music director a copy (or five) of the "Oxford Easy Anthem Book" and pleading with him/her to use it!
I actually have more musical theory/knowledge than the director, but I don't play a keyboard instrument terribly well. She is the back-up organist and we have another lady who plays the organ acceptably (but often tends to get into playing chord arpeggios rather than the written accompaniment).
A few years ago, I gave her the Oxford 100 carols for Christmas book - which she liked OK but without a CD or tape I don't think she will try many of the more difficult pieces. Too bad, because we have some excellent voices and people who would love to stretch.
I miss my oregon parish choir.....
I will look for the anthem book.
thanks, all