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Views from the Choir Loft

SATB “Agnus Dei” by Verdelot with Rehearsal Videos

Jeff Ostrowski · June 17, 2015

ANY YEARS AGO, a professor of music history emerged in a state of agitation. Having just returned from a conference, she exclaimed: “I am so tired of being around these J. S. Bach specialists. All day long they argue about which type of pen Bach used to write his music. When it comes to my area—the Renaissance—we’re lucky to even know when a composer was born with any degree of certainty!”

Not much is known about the life of Philippe Verdelot, but one thing is certain: he was a master.

    * *  PDF Download • VERDELOT AGNUS DEI (SATB)

This piece opens with a 13th-century chant, then launches into polyphony:


Rehearsal videos:

SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Audio

ALTO : YouTube   •   Audio

TENOR : YouTube   •   Audio

BASS : YouTube   •   Audio

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Audio

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Philippe Verdelot Composer Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

23 May 2022 • FEEDBACK

From a reader: “I wasn’t looking for it. But, I stumbled across your hand-dandy arrangement of Pachelbel’s Canon. Jeff, this is the greatest thing since sliced bread! I had to play a wedding on Saturday. The bride requested the Canon. There were 11 bridesmaids! The organ loft is a football field away from the communion rail. It’s so difficult to play and keep checking the mirror. Your arrangement is absolutely genius. One can skip and choose which variations to use. The chord names are handy so that when my eyes are off the music, I always know where I am at. A thousand times thank you for sharing this arrangement!”

—Jeff Ostrowski
19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”

I’m still trying to decide how to visually present the “pure” Editio Vaticana scores, using what is (technically) the official rhythm of the Church. You can download my latest attempt, for this coming Sunday. Notice the “trochee trouble” as well as the old issue of neumes before the quilisma.

—Jeff Ostrowski
16 May 2022 • Harmonized Chant?

This year’s upcoming Sacred Music Symposium will demonstrate several ways to sing the CREDO at Mass. This is because—for many parishes—to sing a full-length polyphonic CREDO by Victoria or Palestrina is out of the question. Therefore, we show options that are halfway between plainsong and polyphony. You can hear my choir rehearsing a section that sounds like harmonized plainsong.

—Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

The Sanctus and Benedictus are one text and should be sung through without a break. The practice—once common—of waiting till after the Consecration and then singing: “Benedictus qui venit…” is not allowed by the Vatican Gradual.

— Father Fortescue, writing in 1912

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  • 19 May 2022 • “Trochee Trouble”
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