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Views from the Choir Loft

“Credo for Two Voices” • Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965)

Jeff Ostrowski · February 15, 2016

HE SOUND OF A MELODY sung in unison an octave apart was not admired by the ancients. Personally, I don’t care for it, so whenever my choir sings plainsong, either all the men sing or all the women sing—or they alternate. I’m sure others will disagree. (After all, we musicians disagree constantly; and we do so with passion!) For the record, I can tolerate that sonority under certain circumstances. 1

The following setting of the Nicene Creed adds a simple men’s countermelody:

    * *  PDF Download • CREDO IV FOR TWO VOICES — Gustaaf Nees (d. 1965)


We usually have a soloist sing the odd verses (starting with “Patrem omnipotentem”) and full choir sing the even verses (starting with “Et in unum Dominum”).

REHEARSAL VIDEOS :

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Audio

WOMEN : YouTube   •   Audio

MEN : YouTube   •   Audio




NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   For example, my ears can tolerate men & women singing plainsong an octave apart when a nice organ accompaniment is employed.

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

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Gustaaf Nees 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

But the revisers did not leave them altogether untouched. Saint Ambrose had to be “corrected.” The Iste confessor was greatly altered and the hymn for the Dedication of a Church, which no one ought to have touched, was in fact completely recast in a new meter.

— Father Joseph Connelly

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