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Sacred Music - Easter edition

online assignment for MUS 112 replacing the Sacred Music concert attendance

I would like to share some music that I admire. Please listen to each selection and do minimal research to briefly answer each question. Short answers that show you are paying attention is all I need. Please transcribe the questions onto a document, answer them, and post them on the Sacred Concert Attendance module. Please ignore any directions about attending a live concert. Replace with this assignment.

Please put on a pair of good, over the ear headphones to listen to this pristine music. It will have a great affect on you!

Ave Maria - Franz Biebl

The impeccable British vocal octet, Voces8, sings this arrangement to the heavens. You may have heard the more well-known arrangement of this piece by Schubert, but I want to introduce this lovely version for double choir (or double quartet in the instance of Voces8).

Question: What is the theme of the Ave Maria text? Look up a translation, don’t copy it, just in one or two sentences express what it is about.

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2. Regina Caeli Laetare - Tomás Luis de Victoria

Sticking with Voces8, we will listen to another double choir piece (again, with 8 singers it is a double-quartet). Listen to how the groups sing back and forth and overlap - it is very joyful. I think this second piece makes an excellent pairing with Ave Maria. The Ave Maria focuses on Mary. The Regina Caeli moves Mary to the joy of the Resurrection:

Queen of heaven, rejoice, alleluia.

The Son you merited to bear, alleluia,

Has risen as he said, alleluia.

Pray to God for us, alleluia.

Question: Do some minimal research and put this music into context. It is similar to some of the church music you learned about. What country is Victoria from? When did he live and what music era does that line up with? Is he pre-Bach or post-Bach?

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3. Praise the Lord with Drums and Cymbals - Sigfrid Karg-Elert

The Easter season is usually filled with triumphant music for brass and organ. Here is one well-known work by German composer Sigfrid Karg-Elert. This piece could be considered neo-baroque - definitely influenced by the style of Bach.

Question: When did Karg-Elert write music?

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4. Amazing Grace, sung by Andrea Bocelli

On Easter this year, we had a very moving performance shared to the world by the popular opera star, Andrea Bocelli. He sung Amazing Grace to the empty streets of Milan, Italy on the steps of the cathedral.

Please pause and watch this moving video. No question to answer:

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This link can't be embedded.⁠

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5. Miserere Mei - Allegri

I'd like to close with one more choral pairing.

The first is a very important work for the church, and has been sung for centuries. Read the

wikipedia article⁠

Questions: When was this piece written? What was it exclusively used for - where and what church service? Finally, retell in your words the very interesting story about Mozart as a child prodigy and this piece of music.

Here is a video sung by a traditional cathedral choir - using grown males for the medium and low parts, and boys for the high parts. This is one of the most stunning pieces you will hear. There is no replacement for the sonic clarity of boys voices.

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6. Exsultate - Brian Edward Galante

To finish, we turn to the Concordia Choir singing a modern setting of a Latin hymn of praise. This was recorded last year - you probably have some friends singing. They are singing a lot of harmony. Most choral music has four parts - soprano, alto, tenor, bass (SATB). This is written for 8 - SSAATTBB (No question to answer this time)

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Remember, transcribe the questions and answer them, then submit in the Sacred concert attendance module in Blackboard.

Happy Easter!

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(We planted a small Christmas tree gifted to us 2 Christmases ago, and it is growing up in our front yard. Last week, thanks to the rain - an Easter lily joined it. Like some of the music selected above, I think this is a very fitting pairing!)

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