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Views from the Choir Loft

“Part 1 of 3” • Guerrero Kyrie for Our Lady

Jeff Ostrowski · May 23, 2021

OW THAT CHOIRS are beginning to return—since the government is starting to lift the harsh Covid-19 restrictions they imposed—many directors are looking for pieces to “start out with.” Many great composers wrote settings of the KYRIE ELEYSON in three movements, but did you know it’s not required to sing all three movements at first? We often learn the third movement first, adding a plainsong “Christe” in the middle until we learn the other parts. That makes it: (A) polyphonic Kyrie; (B) plainsong Christe; (C) repeat polyphonic Kyrie. Needless to say, as soon as possible we learn the missing movements.

Here’s section 1 of 3:

*  PDF Download • Part 1 of 3
—We sing the first section, then a plainsong “Christe,” then repeat the polyphonic section.

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #63627. Notice you have to scroll all the way to the bottom of that page. When I finish all three movements, it will be moved to the top.

Teach Your Choirs This :

This little movement is an excellent way to demonstrate how polyphonic composers based their settings on Gregorian chant. Here is “Kyrie IX” (a.k.a. In Festis Beatæ Mariæ Virginis). Notice the shape of the melody:

In his polyphonic setting of Missa De Beata Virgine II (composed in 1582AD), Guerrero masterfully uses that “motif” or “thema” or “subject”—whatever you want to call it:

Update:

My choir sang the first section very well — now they are eager to learn the other sections! Please stay tuned.

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

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Filed Under: Articles, PDF Download Tagged With: Easy Polyphony For Amateurs, Francisco Guerrero Composer, Missa De Beata Virgine II, Piecemeal 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

He stood firm against nepotism, rebuking his predecessor Pope Pius IV to his face when he wanted to make a 13-year-old member of his family a cardinal and subsidize a nephew from the papal treasury.

— Re: Pope Saint Pius V (d. 1572)

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