On Tue, 9 Apr 2002, emilytreen wrote:
> Dear Vocalisters,
> Having been asked by some dear friends to sing at their wedding, I am
> now stumped as to what to sing. It is to be the full Catholic Mass
> (which I have no experience of) and they have said that they'd like
> something like the Mozart Te Deum, but really they'd like something a
> bit more unusual........so, are there other settings of the Te Deum
> for a soprano solo, or can anyone suggest anything else that might be
> appropriate (and that isn't *too* challenging - Mozart, the easier
> Purcell and the like I can manage)??
> I'd be most grateful for any advice as I want to do my best for them,
I think you're going to have great difficulty finding any other solo Te
Deums. The vast majority are choral works, some with soloists, others
without).
You may achieve the same effect by using a "Laudamus Te" setting, such as:
J.S. Bach - Laudamus Te from Mass in B Minor, Gloria section
Mozart - Laudamus Te from Great Mass in c minor, K.427, and from his
earlier "Domenicus" Mass K.66 (the former is quite well known; the latter is
obscure)
Handel - Laudamus Te from his recently discovered Gloria for soprano and
string orchestra
Rossini - Laudamus Te, from his Messe di Gloria
Haydn - Laudamus Te, from his St. Cecilia Mass in C Major
Another text that might work well is the "Laudate Dominum" - which is the
Latin version of Psalm 150 (or, sometimes, Psalm 148). Some
solo soprano settings of this text:
Mozart - Laudate Dominum, from Solemn Vespers K.339
Monteverdi - Laudate Dominum in sanctis ejus, for soprano and continuo
Telemann - Laudate Dominum, for soprano, 2 violins, 2 oboes, and continuo
In a similar vein is the Buxtehude solo cantata #7, "Jubilate Domino,
omnis terra", a wonderful setting of the Latin version of Psalm 100, for
soprano (or mezzo), 2 strings (eg, viola and cello), and continuo (of
course, "do-able" with piano only). The same Psalm, in German, set by
Nicolaus Bruns, for high voice, 2 violins, and continuo. And set as
"Jubilate Deo" for soprano and continue by Andre Campra.
Vivaldi's "Laudate pueri Dominum" is another possibility, the Latin
version of Psalm 112, for soprano, flute, and other instruments. Zelenka
set the same text for tenor solo and various instruments (frankly, no
reason why a soprano can't sing it at a wedding). A third setting of the
same psalm text is by Johann Christian Bach, for soprano and orchestra.
Other sacred texts that are not actually part of the Mass itself are
usually sung during the Offertory procession or the Communion. The
following suggestions are based on my observations of texts sung most
often during sacred wedding services, and more specifically, during
Catholic wedding Masses.
The most popular are:
Cesar Franck - Panis angelicus
Franz Schubert - Ave Maria
Bach/Gounod - Ave Maria
Albert Hay Malotte - The Lord's Prayer
Now that we've got those out of the way, here are some possibilities that
might be considered "a bit more unusual" than the above:
OTHER AVE MARIA SETTINGS:
Giulio Caccini - the 3rd most famous Ave Maria
Pietro Mascagni - Mascagni did not actually compose an Ave Maria. What
happened is that someone arranged the Intermezzo from his opera CAVALLERIA
RUSTICANA as a vocal solo and set the Ave Maria text to it. This is
probably the fourth most-performed Ave Maria out there, regardless of its
strange provenance.
Luigi Cherubini (scored for soprano, piano, and B flat clarinet or flute,
but quite do-able with piano alone)
Ruggero Leoncavallo (scored for tenor, harp, and organ, but easily
adaptable to soprano and piano, or soprano, piano, and organ)
Joaquin Turina - for high voice and piano
Giuseppe Verdi (the text is an Italian translation of the "Ave Maria" done
by Dante; the sheet music - published by Altoetting - also includes the
Latin; originally scored for soprano and string orchestra; do-able with
piano)
Marcel Dupre - his Ave Maria, op. 9 is scored for soprano and organ (of
course!)
----
OTHER LORD'S PRAYER SETTINGS
Peter Cornelius, from his Neun geistliche Lieder, op. 2. The text is in
German.
Flor Peeters - the "other Lord's Prayer" - is to the Malotte what the
Bach/Gounod Ave Maria is to the Schubert
Ned Rorem - for voice and piano or organ
Sir Granville Bantock
Ernest Chausson - the text set in Latin and French
----
SETTINGS OF RUTH 1:16
Charles Gounod - from his oratorio RUTH, published as a solo song by
Schirmer
Douglas Moore - a paraphrase of the text, in his lovely song "Now may
there be a blessing"
Heinrich Schutz - originally for alto, 2 descant instruments, and
continuo, but also available now in a high voiced version with figured
bass realized for piano (text adapted from Ruth 1:16)
Petr Eben - for voice and organ, with text in German, but also an English
singing translation, as published by Universal Edition
-----
ALLELUIA
In addition to the very popular Mozart Alleluia, from his Exsultate
Jubilate:
J.S. Bach - Alleluja, Alleluja, from Cantata 51
Dietrich Buxtehude - from his Cantata 5 (Also hat Gott die Welt geliebet)
G.F. Handel - several solo anthems for soprano setting the "Alleluja,
Amen" text (and, alternately, the "Amen, Alleluja" text - look at HWV
271-276
Britten's realization of Purcell's Alleluia
Thomas Pasatieri - Alleluia for voice and piano
Ned Rorem - Alleluia for high voice and piano
----
ECCLESIASTES 9:7-9
Heinrich Schutz's Symphonia Sacra SWV 358 sets the "Eat thy bread with
joy" text
----
1 CORINTHIANS 13
Johannes Brahms - tthe last of his Vier ernste Gesange (Four
Serious Songs). Brahms, of course, set the text in German, but I imagine
you should be able to find a good singing translation in English.
----
MISCELLANEOUS
Some other texts that might be appropriate:
"This is the day that the Lord hath made" - notable soprano solo setting
by Buxtehude - his soprano solo cantata 16, "Dies ist der Tag"
"O love divine, how sweet thou art" - the text is by Charles Wesley, so
may or may not be approved by your Catholics; but the setting by Handel -
as his HWV285, "Desiring to Love" - is nice.
No doubt many other possibilities, but these are a start.
Karen Mercedes
http://www.radix.net/~dalila/index.html
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In all thy ways acknowledge him,
and he shall direct thy paths.
- Proverbs 3:6
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