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Views from the Choir Loft

“Easy Polyphonic Agnus Dei” • Part 3 of 3

Jeff Ostrowski · September 24, 2021

HERE ARE, OF COURSE, numerous reasons authentic Catholic music has not been universally embraced (yet). One reason is difficult for some to accept: polyphony is frequently sung badly—with unbalanced voices, improper vowels, poor tuning, and so forth. The ability to sight-read music instantly does not guarantee a good performance. Choirs must sing polyphony multiple times before the harmonies “click.” Often, a performance can be greatly improved by simply shuffling your singers around. 1

Piecemeal Polyphony: Here in Los Angeles, we take advantage of a solution called “piecemeal polyphony.” I’ve spoken of this before; it means when we sing a polyphonic KYRIE ELEYSON, we begin by singing the third section (which is usually the hardest), mixing with plainsong in an ABA structure. Then we add the “Christe” section. Finally, we add the first section—and the piece is complete.

Bookmark This Link: Today, I am thrilled to release “Part 3 of 3” for a simple polyphonic setting of the AGNUS DEI. You will want to bookmark this URL, where you can easily access all three sections.

If you want to see a “Piecemeal Kyrie,” you can click here.

Here’s the final section:

*  PDF Download • AGNUS DEI (“Part 3 of 3”)
—The 2nd and 3rd sections are by Father Guerrero, the 1st by Nanino.

Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #59013.

Deep Sadness: My soul is sad because most readers will not click on that 59013 link. As a result, they will miss out on the rehearsal videos for each individual voice; and those are very helpful for volunteer choirs! Mark my words: most readers will not explore that link—which fills me with gloom.


NOTES FROM THIS ARTICLE:

1   This is often called “Doctor James Daugherty’s Solution.” It consists of spending hours shuffling your singers, finding out which voices sound good standing next to one another. Shifting “John Doe” from the left side of someone to his right side can instantly make a tremendous difference—but, of course, this requires time and effort.

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, Simple 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

    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
    Don’t You Agree About These?
    If you want to make Jeff Ostrowski really happy, send him an email with effusive praise about the individual voice recordings for hymn #296. [Soprano, Alto, Tenor, Bass] They came out dazzlingly sensational, don't you agree?
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    Choral Vowels? Yes? No?
    Here's a live recording of one of the choral “warm-up” exercises my choir enjoys. It was taken during our rehearsal on 27 January 2023. It’s good to make sure each chord is perfectly in tune and balanced before moving to the next one. That only happens when each singer has the correct vowel. If you like, you can freely download that vocal exercise.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

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“The Catholic Church has a dignity far surpassing that of every merely human society, for it was founded by Christ the Lord. It is altogether fitting, therefore, that the language it uses should be noble, majestic, and non-vernacular.”

— Blessed John XXIII (22 February 1962)

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