EPTWhatever you think about the church's views on the controversial topics of the day - homosexuality, contraception, evolution/the role of science, the existence of a god, etc. - there is, at least one incontrovertible positive fact about Christianity.
People have created really good music because of it.
My knowledge is far from comprehensive, so the pieces I've picked are ones I've heard only in the past couple of years. I also tried to avoid common knowledge works, like Mozart's Requiem, Handel's Messiah, etc.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Y_ztEW1NE
Allegri - Miserere mei, Deus
Allegri - Miserere mei, Deus
From the Renaissance era. I had the pleasure of listening to this live recently. Written for two choirs, one of five and one of four voices. The second choir is separated by a distance from the first and consists of only four people, one for each of their respective parts. This produces quite an astounding effect when listened to live, especially if the acoustics allow the soprano's voice to be carried throughout the space (first instance begins at 1:13).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oBJ3cQ5uyE4
Bach - St. John Passion, BWV 245
Bach - St. John Passion, BWV 245
For most of my life, I haven't really been a fan of Bach. I attribute my attitude to the cheesiness of the overly-used Toccata and Fugue in D minor on your Halloween Saturday morning cartoon specials, and the mind-numbing activity that can be classical piano training. The images of the dilettante nobility in their absurd wigs and flouncy clothing that I associated with certain preludes, minuets and sonatas dissipated quickly as soon as I heard the opening chorus. Here was tragedy and grief, raw emotion and passion.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqW7QzsT9jI
Duruflé - Requiem, Op. 9 (I. Introit - II. Kyrie)
Duruflé - Requiem, Op. 9 (I. Introit - II. Kyrie)
A more modern Requiem that not many have heard. Well, given that this is TL, I imagine people wouldn't have heard many Requiems, but Duruflé only finished this piece in 1947, giving it only some 65 years to propagate through common-knowledge-space. Duruflé has been commonly referred to as an impressionist in the vein of Debussy and Ravel, and to this date I know of no better way to describe this work than as a brilliant fusion of impressionism and Gregorian chant.
+ Show Spoiler [BONUS TRACK] +
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oAlztMvvNkk
Taku Iwasaki - 'Libera Me' From Hell
, from Tengen Toppa Gurren LagannTaku Iwasaki - 'Libera Me' From Hell
AKA ROW ROW FIGHT THE POWER. Imagine my surprise when I first learned that the operatic parts were from the Requiem Mass. Alas, it isn't actually from the Libera Me sections.
That's all for now. There's a wealth of more good, lesser-known choral music, but I figured it might be kind of redundant to keep listing Requiems in one list. Enjoy listening for now~
