I’m a full-time musician at Westminster Presbyterian Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I’ve been at the church for 6 ½ years, but I’ve been in church music pretty much all of my life. Here are some of my favorite Lenten pieces for a mixed choir.
“O Vos Omnes”– Pablo Casals
This is my favorite Lenten piece, ever. The harmonies are warm and beautiful. This piece is a real pleasure for the singers and for the congregation. It is not too difficult, but it does require enough people to sing SSAATTBB. It is also a cappella and in Latin. There are exposed 4-part men’s sections, so an adequate number of tenors is essential. The first soprano part goes up to a high B-flat, so be sure you have sopranos who can realistically (and not just optimistically) sing that note.
“Solus ad Victimam” – Kenneth Leighton
A wonderful piece for Maundy Thursday. Even though the title is in Latin, the piece itself is in English. It is a marvelous text by Peter Abelard (1079-1142), and the music reflects the text throughout. “Alone thou goest forth” is depicted by dark and dissonant chords in the accompaniment while the voices sing in unison. The dissonances continue through the mournful text, and the piece ends big as the choir sings about the “laughter of the Easter Day!” This is not an easy piece, but is well worth the effort. The organ accompaniment is difficult and should be played by someone who really understands how to register the instrument.
“From the End of the Earth” – Alan Hovhannes
This anthem is not as difficult as the previous two. It has sweeping lines in all of the sections and some beautiful melismas on the word “cry.” It also has organ accompaniment, but the accompaniment is not difficult.
“Out of the Depths” — Jeremy Young
This piece is much less complex than the previous pieces and is a newer publication. It is based on the chorale “Aus Tiefer Not” (Out of the Depths–Psalm 130). There is an ostinato of parallel 5ths in the tenors and basses for much of the piece. The score calls for finger cymbal and hand drum. We just used the finger cymbal, which was a nice addition.
“I Have Longed for Thy Saving Health” –William Byrd
If you would like to do Renaissance music, but don’t want to tackle anything terribly difficult, this piece works well. The choir likes singing it. It’s 4-part a cappella.
Movements from any Requiem would also be appropriate. My choir likes to sing anything from the Faure, or from Mack Wilberg’s Requiem. If you don’t know the Wilberg, it is worth a look. We did the entire work at Westminster a few years ago, and the choir loved it. Creative and fresh, yet accessible and not terribly difficult.
There are many more pieces of music which are appropriate for Lent, of course. This list consists of anthems which I have found to be rewarding and successful over the years, and in more than one church. I hope you will find something which fits your situation!
