Credo (4th movement from Folk Mass) (Upper Voices): Upper Voices (SSSAAA)

Jekabsone's "Credo" pulses with infectious rhythmic energy and vivid textural writing that keeps upper voices engaged across a full seven minutes. The piece sits at an ideal difficulty level for choirs looking to explore contemporary sacred music without overwhelming their vocal lines, and it opens doors to the broader world of Baltic choral composition.

Bright, rhythmically alive, and propulsive. The vocal writing sparkles from the opening, with Jekabsone layering the three voice pairs to create a sense of forward motion and textural color. There is freshness and immediacy here, a quality that comes from composing for the voice with clarity and purpose.

Upper-voice choirs and soprano/alto ensembles looking for contemporary sacred literature that combines accessibility with genuine artistic substance. This piece works well for choirs at the intermediate level and above who want to expand beyond traditional choral repertoire without stepping into advanced difficulty.

• Establish the rhythmic drive in rehearsal with body percussion or conducted patterns before focusing on pitch details; the propulsive character depends on rhythmic precision across all three voice pairs.
• Layer the voices one pair at a time during early rehearsals, then build combinations. With SSSAAA voicing, clarity of each pair's independent line prevents the texture from becoming muddled.
• Pay attention to dynamic shape within phrases rather than holding steady volume. The freshness Jekabsone writes into this movement relies on responsive, articulate singing that follows the text's natural stress patterns.
• Balance the two soprano parts with care; ensure the first sopranos don't dominate simply because they often carry primary melodic material.

Program this as a centerpiece of a choral concert exploring Baltic or contemporary sacred music. It works equally well as a liturgical motet for a church service or as a showcase for what your upper-voice ensemble can accomplish when given music written specifically for their combination and with real compositional ambition.

• Rhythmic independence across simultaneous overlapping figures
• Sustaining ensemble blend and balance within a three-part upper-voice texture
• Singing contemporary tonal language with confidence
• Responding to text-driven phrasing and dynamic shaping
• Reading and performing works by living female composers