I sang seven choir anthems today--ask me anything.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

But don't make me sing the answer.

[Rabrrrrrr]

1. Which ones?

What part do you sing?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

2. I'm a second soprano, and we sang

"O Sacrum Convivium" by Tallis
"Rorate Coeli" by Palestrina
" Today the Virgin" by Tavener
"Laetentur Caeli" by Byrd
"O Nata Lux de Lumine" by Tallis
"A Tender Shoot" by Goldschmidt
"Canite Tuba" by Guerrero

[Rabrrrrrr]

3. Ah, a good collection of advent songs!

By the way, your advent candles have three lit candles - should only be one for this week. :-)

I love Palestrina - our choir did one today, but I can't remember the name of it. Beautiful piece. I also like Tavener and Tallis. And Byrd. Not familiar with Goldschmidt or Guerrero.

Second soprano, eh? Nice! Big choir? Catholic church?

[Lydia Leftcoast]

4. Episcopal

with about 40 people in the choir, eight of whom are paid section leaders.

[Rabrrrrrr]

7. Wow! good sized choir!

You can do some seriously fun stuff then.

If not Catholic, Episcopal would have been my second guess. :-)

[ironflange]

15. Nice stuff

Our choir sings mostly drab stuff by such folk as Don Besig, but my wife is the choir director and I have to hold down the bass section. I prefer to sing tenor, though.

[ulysses]

18. I'm envious

In college, eight of us got together and learned "Sicut Cervus". I love Palestrina. :)

[Lydia Leftcoast]

19. That's another good one

The Portland State University Faculty-Staff Chorus learned it.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

5. Hmm nobody has asked WHY

there were seven anthems.

[Rabrrrrrr]

8. Why did you sing seven anthems?

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

9. yeah...what he asked

[Lydia Leftcoast]

10. Well, this Sunday is the First Sunday in Advent

(hence the new illustration in my sig) and in addition to our regular quota of two anthems at the main Sunday service, we sang an additional five at the special Advent Carol Service this afternoon.

It's the beginning of the second busiest season of the year for a church choir (Easter is busier).

[Rabrrrrrr]

12. Ah, you did the advent carols today!

We do them later in Advent.

Also, another reminder, your advent wreath has three burning candles. This week is just the first candle... Unless the Episcopal tradition is different.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

13. Yeah, I know it's only supposed to have one candle

We light one candle per Sunday, just like the Catholics and Lutherans. :-)

Unfortunately, the Advent wreath from the Plauder Smiley site comes only in a three-candle model.

I'm just happy to have found an Advent wreath, never mind the number of lit candles.

[Rabrrrrrr]

14. Okey dokey! Just wanted to make sure.

:hi:

[Norbert]

6. How tough is it to find...

Palestrina, Travener and Byrd in a branch public library? I've studied them in High School Music Appreciation. Sadly this was so long ago I can't remember their music very well.

BTW sincere congrats on this. I love choral music and it brings back some great memories of my high school glee club days.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

11. I don't know about branch public libraries

My church has literally a whole room full of files of sheet music.

However, if you go to any college or university that has a music program, you're likely to find copies of all the major works.

[Lydia Leftcoast]

16. By the way, our anthem this afternoon

was by John Tavener (eccentric contemporary English composer who converted to Greek Orthodoxy), not John Taverner (Tudor-era English composer).

[ChoralScholar]

17. What great music to get to sing.

It's a shame we don't get to hear more of it during the year.
I believe at some point I have probably sung every Palestrina motet ever written. My director when I was at UCA was one of the foremost authorities on Palestrina's music. In 1994, we were invited to go sing in Palestrina Italy for the 400th anniversary of his death. What a master of vocal counterpoint and voice leading.
I said all that to say this: growing up Free Will Baptist, I've never attended a church where that kind of music was performed. You are very fortunate to be able to perform such great literature in your church.

EDIT: bad grammar and punctuation

[Lydia Leftcoast]

20. The secret to getting to sing this repertoire

is joining a choir in an Episcopal cathedral. :-)

Either that, or joining some sort of unaffiliated classical choir.