Laudamus Te: SSA Choral Octavo

Farnell's command of contrasting textures gives your singers real musical substance to sink their teeth into. The mixed-meter writing feels organic rather than imposed, and the architecture around those opening and closing fanfares creates a satisfying sense of arrival that audiences recognize immediately.

Bright and assured, with the ceremonial weight of a fanfare but none of its stuffiness. The piece pivots gracefully into intimate, lyrical writing before swinging back to that opening energy, creating emotional momentum that keeps audiences engaged.

SSA choirs at the middle school through early high school level seeking substantive festival or concert repertoire with musical depth beyond their typical reading level. Schools and churches wanting sacred music that feels celebratory without sacrificing compositional integrity.

• Anchor the opening fanfare with rhythmic precision in the SSA section; slight flexing of tempo here sets up the contrast with the legato middle beautifully.
• Shape the legato passage with clear phrase breathing and line independence so the inner voices don't blur into sustained harmony.
• Balance text clarity across the English and Latin sections by rehearsing diction separately; the bilingual setting requires intentional vowel unity.

This works beautifully as a closing piece on a mixed concert or as an opener for a sacred music program where you want to establish energy and sophistication. The festival designation makes it appropriate for competition, but the structural clarity and emotional directness also serve well in spring or holiday concerts.

• Reading and performing mixed meters with conviction
• Sustaining legato line quality while maintaining metric precision
• Executing rapid rhythmic figures in unison and homophonic textures
• Singing English and Latin diction with appropriate articulation in the same piece
• Balancing inner voice independence within a full SSA texture