Customer Reviews

Oxford Choral Classics: European Sacred Music

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is an excellent book of some of the better choral classics. I have sung some of them for years (Mozart's Ave verum) but others are not so familiar (Viadiana's Exaultate justi) to some old friends in a different arrangement (Franck's Panis Angelicus in SATB). Difficulty ranges from fairly easy to difficult, with something for everyone. A good collection for any serious classical chorus or church choir.

This compilation of choral gems is one of my prized possessions! It has some tried and true classics like the Cantique de Jean Racine (Gabriel Fauré) and some less mainstream but equally gorgeous pieces, like the Salve Regina (Francis Poulenc). There are some historical and performance notes included. To a teacher, a conductor, student: this is a book you will use and use; there is something for everyone!

A usual Oxford Press is top rate! From the clean voice leading to the acurate translations - you simply can't beat it. For my madrigal choir this is a required book.

If you only ever purchase one volume of sacred choral music, this should be the one. Oxford + Rutter = 54 "Standards" of European choral music in an edition that is well researched, edited and engraved. Some notes from the preface:

The period covered in this volume is from about 1500 up to the twentieth century...
Sacred music from Britain appears in a separate volume.
With only one or two exceptions, only complete, self-standing compositions are included, not extracts from larger works such as masses, cantatas and oratorios.
With few exceptions, pieces wiith orchestra accompaniment (...) appear in the Sacred Choruses volume.
With one exception, choral arrangements of music not original for choir or vocal ensemble are excluded, as is music in less than four voice parts.
Advent, Christmas and Epiphany motets appear in a separate volume and are excluded. (From page iv of the preface)

Now that we've listed what isn't included... well... what IS included is simply fantastic. I can't think of a more useful volume for concert or high-church choirs. The efficiency of purchasing a collection over individual octavos should not be overlooked. The average price of choral octavos these days is about $2.00. With a volume like this, you couldn't even copy (from a legal source, of course) these pieces so cheaply.

This volume makes a lovely gift for choral singers, too.

The only reason I ordered this book is because I am a member of a local choir and ordered it as it is in the choir's repertoire and contains a wide spread of Church Choral Music for SATB voices. I prefer to have my own copy rather than a library one.