Tui Sunt Coeli [Aus dem Danklied zu Gott, Hob. XXVc: 8]: Mixed Chorus, Orchestra Accompaniment, Score and Parts (EDWIN F KALMUS)

This Haydn offering gives your choir direct access to an authentic Sacred Classical work without requiring soloists or reduced forces. Hoeglauer's orchestration preserves the dignity of Haydn's harmonic language while making the piece practical for ensembles with strings and keyboard, and the optional organ part means you can adapt the accompaniment to what your institution can provide.

The music carries a quiet reverence mixed with the harmonic warmth of late-eighteenth-century Catholicism. Haydn's setting unfolds without drama, instead accumulating dignity through clear voice leading and gentle orchestral support. The text "Tui sunt coeli" (Thine are the heavens) generates a sense of spacious affirmation rather than ecstatic proclamation.

Mixed choirs with access to a string section or at minimum a keyboard player. This work suits amateur and professional ensembles preparing liturgical or concert programming that requires authentic Haydn-era sacred music without the scale of a full oratorio.

• Bring the organ or keyboard continuo into the mix gradually during rehearsals. It provides harmonic support that anchors the choir's ensemble, but doesn't need to dominate the texture.
• Attend to the phrase architecture in the choral writing. Haydn's periods are clear and purposeful; shape each line so the text arrives with meaning rather than dissolving into sustained notes.
• Balance the string writing so it supports rather than overwhelms the voices. This arrangement sits the orchestra as an accompaniment, not as equal protagonists.
• Work the SATB parts independently at first, particularly where the inner voices carry harmonic material that supports intonation.

Program this as part of a holiday concert pairing (the subtitle notes its suitability for Christmas and New Year services), or include it in a concert devoted to choral music of the Classical era. It works well alongside other Haydn sacred works or as a centerpiece in a concert exploring the intersection of liturgical and secular vocal music in the 1790s.

• Singing in authentic Classical style with clear articulation and phrase shape
• Blending SATB voices in extended harmonic progressions typical of Haydn
• Coordinating with string accompaniment and following a keyboard continuo
• Performing texts in Latin with proper pronunciation and textual emphasis