A.M.D.G. (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam) Cover Image

A.M.D.G. (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam): SATB, <i>a cappella</i> Choral Book

$10.99 USD
$10.99 USD
Skip to product information
A.M.D.G. (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam) Cover Image
A.M.D.G. (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam): SATB, a cappella Choral Book

A.M.D.G. (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam): SATB, a cappella Choral Book

Seven Settings of Gerard Manley Hopkins for Unaccompanied SATB

By Benjamin Britten

Item: 12-0571508162
$10.99
Shipped

One moment…

Description
These settings of poems by Gerard Manley Hopkins, the Jesuit poet, were written while Britten was resident in America. The title is a shorthand form of a pious inscription, Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam, often placed at the head of a piece of work.

A.M.D.G. (Ad Majoram Dei Gloriam): SATB, a cappella Choral Book isn't in MakeMusic Cloud just yet...but it could be. Let us know you'd like to see it, and you'll help shape what comes next. In the meantime, start a free trial and dive into thousands of interactive titles your students can play along with today.

Request This Title

Tell us you want it.

Start Your Free Trial

Explore everything that's ready to play right now.
Sample Pages

Sample Audio
No sample audio found.
Sample Video
No sample videos found.
Additional Details
Series: Faber Edition
Publisher: Faber Music
ISBN10: 0-571-50816-2
ISBN13: 978-0-571-50816-7
UPC: 9780571508167
SKU: 12-0571508162

More about this title

About the Composer: Benjamin Britten

Benjamin Britten (1913-1976) was a British composer whose sacred choral works bridged modernist harmonic language with deep spiritual conviction. His settings of Gerard Manley Hopkins's poetry demonstrate his gift for matching musical texture to poetic density, creating works that feel both intellectually rigorous and emotionally urgent.

Why we love this

Britten's Hopkins settings demand serious musicianship from singers while remaining fundamentally vocal. The a cappella texture means every voice counts, and the harmonic language rewards choirs willing to sit with dissonance and find the lyricism within it. Programming this work signals artistic ambition without resorting to familiar canon pieces.

What to expect

Introspective and architecturally precise, these settings balance liturgical solemnity with modern complexity. Britten's use of silence, unexpected harmonic turns, and carefully placed dissonance creates an atmosphere of contemplation that feels both ancient and urgent.

Who it's for

Experienced SATB choirs with secure musicianship and willingness to engage with twentieth-century harmonic language. This work belongs with choirs that have developed strong ear training and can handle music where the harmonic ground shifts beneath familiar tonal anchors.

How to get the most out of it

  • Prioritize clarity of text projection. Hopkins's compressed language and unusual syntax need singers who understand what they're singing and can shape phrases to illuminate meaning.
  • Balance vertical accuracy with forward momentum. Britten's harmonies can feel static if chords aren't centered with purpose; rehearse with attention to which voice carries the melodic weight in each moment.
  • Plan intonation work around the harmonic vocabulary. Whole-tone clusters and extended tertian harmony require singers to hear intervals contextually rather than in isolation.

How to use it

Position this as a centerpiece of a sacred music concert or as part of a twentieth-century choral retrospective. The Hopkins texts and Britten's treatment invite programming alongside other modernist sacred works; alternatively, program it to close a concert where its introspective power can linger.

Skills your students will build

  • Reading twentieth-century harmonic language (whole-tone writing, quartal harmony, extended tertian chords)
  • Text projection and poetic interpretation in contemporary settings
  • Intonation in non-functional harmonic contexts
  • Ensemble blend and balance in a cappella writing
  • Sustained vocal line and phrasing without instrumental support

You May Also Like