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Views from the Choir Loft

“Easy Polyphonic Agnus Dei” • Part 2 of 3

Jeff Ostrowski · May 14, 2021

HE OTHER DAY, I was speaking to my colleague, Keven Smith, a Curtis graduate who currently serves as choirmaster at the FSSP parish in Sacramento, California. I had decided not to record any more rehearsal videos because I’m “self conscious” when it comes to my singing voice. My feelings of inadequacy may have come from studying piano—since pianists are taught from a young age they are never good enough. 1 In any event, Keven basically told me that rehearsal videos don’t have to be perfect. He said they are valuable and I should continue making them—even though I am not pleased with my voice in the Soprano range.

I therefore offer you this rehearsal video and score. (It begins with Soprano and Alto, but at the 0:58 marker, it switches to Tenor and Bass.)

*  PDF Download • “AGNUS DEI FOR TWO VOICES”
—Based on a piece by Father Francisco Guerrero (d. 1599).

That piece is an excellent way to get your people singing when choirs return—because it’s only two voices, the range is not excessive, the Solfège is already added, and it just “clicks” in real life because Guerrero was a master of counterpoint.

Working with Volunteer Choirs:

The worst thing you can do during a choir rehearsal is talk a lot. The people are coming there to sing. And by singing together over and over, they will learn to blend. We have recently (2 weeks ago) been allowed to have choir rehearsals after a year of rehearsals being forbidden. In some ways, it is like starting over for me as a director. I need these choirs to sing together for a long time—and the issues with tuning, breathing, and relaxation will begin to be resolved. Below I am being venturesome. I’m releasing this live recording from our rehearsal in which we begin in unison then attempt to add parts:

Variety is the Spice of Life:

As choirmasters, we can learn from the great artists, who knew that variety was important to concert programs. These days, that notion seems lost. For instance, I once attended a concert by András Schiff in Kansas City, and the entire first half was Scarlatti Sonatas. Now, I love Scarlatti—but this was not an appropriate choice and most of the audience soon began to snore. Therefore, in our rehearsals, we do hard work—such as singing the above Agnus Dei in Solfège—but not for the entire rehearsal. We mix it up! We also sing “fun” songs, such as Brébeuf # 704 Hymn for the Ascension:

We also sing contemporary pieces. Here is an excerpt from last night’s rehearsal:

*  Mp3 Download • Richard Rice Kyrie
—“Mass of the Angels” by Richard Rice is #4781.

I also toss in other types of music, such as medieval plainson with an Ison added:

*  Mp3 Download • Gregorian Chant With Drone
—Listen carefully, and you hear one of the Bass singers hit a low D.

Update (8 June 2021):

You can hear a live recording of our first attempt at singing the Guerrero 2-voice “Agnus Dei.”


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   Piano students know their octaves will never be as fast as Josef Hofmann, their thirds will never be as clean as Josef Lhevinne, their repeated notes will never be as crisp as Horowitz, their legato will never be as sumptuous as Ignaz Tiegerman, and so forth.

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

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Filed Under: Articles, Featured, PDF Download Tagged With: Francisco Guerrero Composer, Piecemeal Agnus Dei, Piecemeal Polyphony, Two Voice Polyphony Last Updated: February 26, 2022

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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

    Introit • Candlemas (2 February)
    “Candlemas” • Our choir sang on February 2nd, and here's a live recording of the beautiful INTROIT: Suscépimus Deus. We had very little time to rehearse, but I think it has some very nice moments. I promise that by the 8th Sunday after Pentecost it will be perfect! (That Introit is repeated on the 8th Sunday after Pentecost.) We still need to improve, but we're definitely on the right track!
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Simplified Antiphons • “Candlemas”
    Anyone who desires simplified antiphons (“psalm tone versions”) for 2 February, the Feast of the Purification—which is also known as “Candlemas” or the Feast of the Presentation—may freely download them. The texts of the antiphons are quite beautiful. From “Lumen Ad Revelatiónem Géntium” you can hear a live excerpt (Mp3).
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Tempo?? • 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘺 𝘎𝘰𝘥, 𝘞𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘛𝘩𝘺 𝘕𝘢𝘮𝘦
    Once, after Mass, my pastor said he really loved the hymn we did. I said: “Father, that's Holy God, We Praise Thy Name—you never heard it before?” He replied: “But the way you did it was terrific. For once, it didn't sound like a funeral dirge!” Last Sunday, our volunteer choir sang that hymn. I think the tempo was just about right … but what do you think?
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Yet, with all its advantages, the new Missal was published as if it were a work put together by professors, not a phase in a continual growth process. Such a thing never happened before. It is absolutely contrary to the laws of liturgical growth, and it has resulted in the nonsensical notion that Trent and Pius V had “produced” a Missal four hundred years ago.

— Josef Cardinal Ratzinger (1986)

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