Repertoire Project Piece 8: Crucifixus

"Crucifixus" is a great way for a beginning women's group to gain experience singing the Latin mass text. It's two-part texture offers a wide yet accessible range for both the soprano part and the alto part. The piano accompaniment could probably be played by someone with little piano experience with some practice, making this piece a good choice for a program that does not necessarily have a daily accompanist in its budget. Working with the Latin language allows for focus on good vowel shape and tone production, since there are a very limited amount of vowels in the language. The vocal parts are independent from each other for the most part, and only move in parallel motion with each other twice. There is some voice crossing that could be tricky but also a cool concept, as altos will find it really fun to sing above the sopranos, although if in a middle school, hopefully the groups aren't labeled by voice part.