HERE ARE SEVERAL reasons I think readers will cherish the following SATB Christmas piece, which is a breathtaking arrangement of Angels We Have Heard on High for unaccompanied SATB choir. Although it’s not a lengthy piece, it uses techniques singers relish. There’s a glorious pedal tone in the bass towards the end. There’s a ‘canonic’ section which is super fun. There are times when the voices come into unison—which helps volunteer singers stay on track. Finally, it uses familiar tunes, but the text is in Latin, so nobody in the congregation will try to sing along, which would spoil the effect of this particular arrangement by Moreau.*
* PDF Download • “Angels We Have Heard on High” (Latin Text)
—Re-typeset with assistance from the Corpus Christi Watershed staff.
Rehearsal Videos • The rehearsal videos for each individual voice (see link above) were recorded by my dear friend, CORRINNE MAY, and the results are phenomenal. I dearly miss singing with Corrinne, who has a home in Los Angeles, but frequently travels to different continents, as she’s in demand as a singer/songwriter. It was nice to hear her voice on those videos.
Origins Of This Composition • I’ve already spoken about our trip to Europe, and won’t repeat what I’ve said in the past (for instance, about meeting the pope). I’ve also written about the musical compositions I discovered, composed by Énemond Moreau (d. 1979), who studied with Oscar De Puydt at the LEMMENSINSTITUUT in Belgium. I found these precious unpublished manuscripts near Ars-sur-Formans in the summer of 2024. As you can see by the score above, the CCW staff provided assistance when it came to type-setting the manuscript. But I would like to say a word about France.
My Favorite Country • France is my favorite place, and I ardently hope to return someday. We didn’t limit ourselves to the ‘normal’ tourist places. Instead, we stayed in little towns and villages, then spent hours driving to different spots daily, returning to our ‘home base’ each night. By so doing, we experienced genuine French culture. France is my favorite place because her cities and towns—and even her streets!—are unique and sophisticated. It would take too long to describe fully what I find so wonderful about France, but allow me to point out that it’s the only country I know of which has crucifixes all throughout the countryside. It also has the most magnificent castles, roadside monument signs, red poppies, and the world’s best pastries!
* I’m all for ‘congregational singing’—and those familiar with my work at parishes here in West Covina (over the past two decades) know this beyond any doubt. But it’s not desirable for congregations to join with every song. Some pieces are designed for the congregation to hear, not sing: Fídes ex audítu.
