Lesser-known choral pieces for a wedding
Some couples want their wedding to sound like no other wedding. If you have heard Schubert’s Ave Maria at the last four ceremonies you’ve been to, you already know why. This guide covers choral pieces our singers perform at weddings for couples who want something distinctive — Renaissance motets, English cathedral anthems, Romantic-era works, and modern pieces that have joined the choral canon in the last fifty years. None of these pieces are obscure to the singers; most guests will hear them for the first time at your wedding, which is part of the point. For the most-requested pieces, see our guide to the best choral pieces for a wedding.
Renaissance motets
The great vocal music of the sixteenth century was written for the acoustic of stone buildings, which is exactly where most church weddings take place. A Renaissance motet in a resonant church is one of the loveliest sounds in all music — and because most guests have never heard these pieces before, their effect is completely fresh.
Sicut Cervus (Palestrina, c. 1581)
“As the hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for you.” Palestrina’s setting is the calmest music ever written for four voices. The entries weave in and out of one another, and the piece creates an atmosphere of settled, devotional stillness. Four voices suffice; eight are ideal. Best as a prelude piece or during the signing of the register.
O Quam Gloriosum (Victoria, 1572)
A Spanish Renaissance motet, warmer and more full-throated than Palestrina’s Roman style. The text celebrates saints in glory, which makes it curiously fitting for a wedding — you are marking a passage into something luminous. The final “Alleluia” is radiant. Suits either the prelude or the moments after the vows.
Ave Verum Corpus (Byrd, 1605)
Distinct from the Mozart setting that has become more famous. Byrd wrote his version under Catholic persecution in Protestant England, and the music has a quiet seriousness that lives somewhere between grief and hope. Four voices, four minutes, and one of the most affecting pieces in the whole repertoire. The register signing is its natural home.
If Ye Love Me (Tallis, 1565)
The shortest piece on this list and one of the most beloved by choirs. The text, from John’s Gospel, is a promise about love and the Holy Spirit, and Tallis’s four-part setting is effortlessly tender. Any four singers who can hold their parts can sing this. It is a perfect prelude piece.
English cathedral repertoire
The English choral tradition of the last hundred and fifty years has produced some of the most distinctive sacred music ever written. Many of these pieces are performed every day in cathedrals and college chapels across the country, but they are almost never heard at weddings — which is why they are so striking when they appear in one.
Faire Is the Heaven (William Harris, 1925)
A double-choir anthem — two choirs of four voices each singing antiphonally — setting Edmund Spenser’s poem about angelic light. The sound of eight voices moving in and out of one another in a resonant acoustic is breathtaking. You need a choir of at least eight. It works either as a prelude showpiece or as a moment after the vows. Expensive in voices; worth every one.
I Was Glad (Parry, 1902)
Written for the coronation of Edward VII and performed at every coronation since. It is unapologetically grand, jubilant, and hymn-like in its opening. Most guests will recognise it from royal ceremonies, which lends your wedding an unusual weight of occasion. Best as a recessional if you have a choir of eight or more and a big organ.
Beati Quorum Via (Stanford, 1905)
Six-part unaccompanied setting of Psalm 119. One of the most perfect short pieces in the English tradition — the writing is elegant, the harmonies are rich, and the piece builds to a full climax and retreats again in three minutes. If your choir has six good voices, this is a near-ideal register-signing piece.
Like as the Hart (Howells, 1941)
Herbert Howells wrote this during the early years of the Second World War. The result is a setting of Psalm 42 that feels like longing given sound — yearning, intimate, finally consolatory. It is more emotionally demanding than anything else on this list, and in the right hands it is unforgettable. A small choir of six to twelve, with organ accompaniment, suits it best. Register signing or post-vows.
Any of these pieces can be sung at your wedding by a choir of four to sixteen, depending on the specific work. We can recommend what will suit your church and your choir size. Ask for a repertoire plan
Or call us on 07356 042468.
Romantic and late-Romantic
The choral music of the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is more harmonically rich than the Renaissance repertoire — more chromatic, warmer, often more overtly emotional. Perfect for couples who want something beautiful rather than austere.
Geistliches Lied (Brahms, Op. 30, 1856)
An early Brahms motet, and a technical tour de force — the soprano and tenor sing the same music a bar apart, and the alto and bass do the same. The result sounds straightforward to the listener and is immensely demanding to sing. The piece ends with one of the most serene “Amens” in music. Four to eight voices with organ accompaniment. Register signing.
Ave Verum Corpus (Elgar, 1902)
Elgar’s less-famous setting of the same Eucharistic text Mozart set. Where Mozart is serene, Elgar is warm and English-pastoral. A short piece (three minutes) that a small choir can sing from memory and that lives naturally during the signing of the register.
Justorum Animae (Stanford, 1905)
“The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment shall touch them.” Stanford’s setting is calm, stately, and deeply reassuring. A less obvious wedding choice than Beati Quorum Via but equally affecting, and often more appropriate for couples wanting something substantial and mature in tone.
Modern choral works
The last fifty years of choral writing have produced a handful of pieces that have already entered the permanent repertoire. These are the modern classics — recent enough that most guests will not know them, established enough that choirs sing them with real familiarity.
O Magnum Mysterium (Lauridsen, 1994)
Morten Lauridsen wrote this for the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and it has become one of the most-performed choral works of the late twentieth century. The harmonic language is lush and consonant, the atmosphere is rapt and still, and the effect in a church is extraordinary. Six to twelve voices. Best during the signing of the register.
Sleep (Eric Whitacre, 2000)
Originally set to a Robert Frost poem, later re-set to a new text when the Frost estate withdrew permission. The harmonic vocabulary is Whitacre’s signature — suspended chords that resolve slowly and sweetly. Eight voices minimum. Works during the signing of the register or at the end of the prelude, as the last thing guests hear before the ceremony begins.
The Lamb (Tavener, 1982)
A short (three-minute) setting of William Blake’s poem, composed in a single afternoon as a birthday gift for Tavener’s three-year-old nephew. The music has a Christmas quality — a simplicity and tenderness that suits weddings at which children are present. Four voices. Register signing or after the vows.
A New Song (James MacMillan, 1997)
A setting of Psalm 96, written for St Paul’s Cathedral. Energetic, modern, tonally grounded, and ending with an exultant organ postlude that leads straight into a recessional. If your church has the choir and organ for it, this is a thrilling alternative to a traditional hymn-plus-voluntary closing.
Where each piece sits in the ceremony
The prelude — the time as guests arrive — suits the quieter Renaissance motets and shorter modern pieces (If Ye Love Me, The Lamb, Sicut Cervus). Guests settle into their seats accompanied by music that does not demand their attention but rewards it.
The signing of the register, which typically runs five to eight minutes, is the slot where larger pieces fit. This is where Beati Quorum Via, Like as the Hart, O Magnum Mysterium, and Sleep all live comfortably. A choir can sing one long piece or two shorter ones.
Moments after the vows or during communion suit contemplative pieces with strong texts — Ave Verum Corpus, The Lamb, O Quam Gloriosum. These are chances to let the weight of what has just happened settle.
The recessional, where almost all couples choose an organ voluntary, can instead be a choral piece with energy: I Was Glad, A New Song, or the final “Alleluia” of O Quam Gloriosum. For the full picture of the ceremony, see our guide to wedding ceremony music.
What to consider when choosing
How many singers do you have? Renaissance motets in four parts need four voices; most English cathedral pieces and modern works want six to twelve. Faire Is the Heaven and A New Song want sixteen to do them justice. Our guide to hiring a wedding choir covers the practical side of sizes.
What is the acoustic of your church? Dry acoustics flatten Renaissance motets; resonant stone buildings make them bloom. If your church has a short decay, lean toward modern harmonic writing (Lauridsen, Whitacre) rather than the Renaissance material.
Do you want the choir accompanied or unaccompanied? Most Renaissance and early modern pieces are unaccompanied (a cappella). Most Romantic and English cathedral repertoire is accompanied by organ. Unaccompanied singing feels more intimate; organ-accompanied singing feels larger.
If you’re matching these pieces with readings, our guide to readings and music has pairings.
Frequently asked questions
Are lesser-known choral pieces too obscure for wedding guests?
Most guests do not need to recognise a piece to be moved by it. Pieces by Palestrina, Tallis, Lauridsen, or Whitacre are unfamiliar to many guests but their emotional effect is immediate. Familiar music helps guests feel at home; less familiar music creates a sense of occasion.
How many singers do you need for Renaissance or cathedral-style choral pieces?
Most Renaissance motets and English cathedral pieces work with a minimum of four voices (one per part). Eight voices give a richer sound. Some pieces, such as Tallis’s Spem in Alium, require forty singers, but the repertoire listed in this guide is designed for smaller ensembles.
Can less-common choral pieces be included alongside traditional wedding hymns?
Yes. A common structure is to keep congregational hymns (Jerusalem, Love Divine) for the full room to sing, and reserve lesser-known pieces for moments where the choir performs alone, such as the signing of the register or the prelude.
Plan a distinctive ceremony
Tell us what kind of atmosphere you want, how big your church is, and how many guests are coming. Luca will send you a repertoire plan built around pieces that will suit your ceremony and your space. You can hear any of the pieces above on our recordings page, and we’re happy to send further samples of anything that catches your ear.
Or call us on 07356 042468.