Unsung Mass or Other Religious Works?

[monafam]

I'm just curious if there are any good Mass/religious setting pieces that are unsung?  Edit: I just noticed that it sounds a little like I'm looking for instrumental only pieces!  LOL 

Thanks as always in advance!

[Steve B]

monofam, try Puccini's mesmerising and very tuneful and very camp and very beautiful Messa di Gloria; sung composer, unsung piece!

Steve

[Alan Howe]

Kiel's Missa Solemnis and Hamerik's Requiem come to mind.

[John H White]

Might I suggest Cherubini's Requiem in C minor, much admired by his pupil Berlioz and available on a naxos CD? Going back a bit, Michael Haydn wrote some good church music including various mass settings.

[Mark Thomas]

Stanford's Requiem. Stunning.

[peter_conole]

Hi

I will chime in with a loud cheer for Kiel's lovely Mass. Thanks for mentioning that one!

Other prime 'unsung favourites for me are Soderman's Catholic Mass ( on Sterling label - sincerity high drama, big orchestral effects) and Pembauer's Festival Mass. All three of theses works reveal fine melodic gifts on the part of tthe composers.

regards
Peter 

[Pengelli]

I like Pizzetti's 'Messa di Requiem'. No orchestra,just voices. The Hyperion cd got the most praise,but the all Pizzetti Chandos cd sounds fine to me.Beautiful!

[monafam]

Thanks for all the suggestions up to this point!  I'm looking forward to checking these out.

[Syrelius]

Theodore Gouvy's Requiem is a fine work, too. I would also like to second the recommedation of Söderman's Mass.

[Peter1953]

The Flemish Peter Benoit (1843-1901) composed a marvellous "Hoogmis", which I've mentioned before in another thread. The organ in the Benedictus does it. Unforgettable.

[Amphissa]

 
Not quite on the same scale as a Mass or Requiem, but Taneyev's St. John of Damascus is surely one of the most beautiful choral pieces ever written.

[Lew]

One of my favourite 'unsung' pieces by an otherwise very well 'sung' composer is the C major Te Deum of 1872 by Sir Arthur Sullivan. It combines memorable tunes with appropriately classical counterpoint and gravity and has some 'big' moments too. The orchestration (which includes organ) and the handling of the voices are typical of this master craftsman who, I have come to feel, is the greatest English composer.
 
    Lew Lewis

[mbhaub]

Here are some of my favorite unsung religious works:

1) Mass by Franz von Suppe
2) Mass in D by John Knowles Payne
3) The Masses by Moniuszko -- a new cd from Dux is just beautiful
4) Rossini's Petit Messe -- maybe more familiar, but not many people know it.
5) Franz Schmidt's Das Buch mit sieben Siegeln. One of the glories in the entire music literature, in my humble opinion.

[Pengelli]

You like the Franz Schmidt? Phew! I must admit that one stays in the box. And I
say that as an admirer (of Schmidt!).

[Pengelli]

For a really fantastic,'undiscovered' choral 'blockbuster', I would go for Charles
Tournemire's stupendous 6th symphony! (Auvidis Valois).