Mass in C
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With the sudden death of Finale, I’ve been going back through all my music, opening all the files and updating them so that I can transfer them to something new and alive (eventually). Some of the pieces have caught my ear and I’ve been listening to them a lot.
I figure they’re worth a blog post or two, and who knows? Maybe someone will like them enough to perform them.
Speaking of which, let me say up front that while Finale’s playback engine is really pretty good — you can even choose playback styles (classical, swing, 21st century, Romantic) — it’s no match for an actual human. As an example, here’s one piece that has been performed by a human, “Prelude No. 2” of Six preludes (no fugues).
First, Finale’s version:
Now, here is the premiere performance by Maila Springfield, goddess, for whom the Six Preludes were written.
I mean to say, wot? I was blown away — who knew that’s what that little waltz actually sounded like? Certainly not me, and I wrote it.
So with that in mind, let’s turn to my Mass in C.
I am not a religious man, but back in the 80s (that’s the 1900s, dude) when I was still involved with a church choir, I thought I should try my hand at a Latin mass. You know, just like Mozart. I can’t imagine I had delusions that it would ever be performed, especially not by the Sanctuary Choir of First Baptist, and in fact I never got around to finalizing a definitive orchestration. Hence the Sanctus is a full-throated organ extravaganza, while the other movements are still in piano mode.
You will also note the absence of the Gloria and Credo sections. I never wrote the Credo (I am not a religious man), and while I haven’t gone back to look under the hood, I don’t think the sections of the Gloria are worth revisiting.
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Fragments of a Mass in C
Kyrie | score [pdf]
Soundcloud: Kyrie, in case dalelyles.com is not responding.
A slight, graceful theme from the soprano, repeated by the chorus. Shift to the “Christe eleison” with a sterner, more menacing air for the alto solo, repeated in a more comforting mode. Da capo back to the “Kyrie” theme, with that what-was-I-thinking high C for the soprano. Apologies. Unexpected key shift for the Amen, and then back to C major.
Sanctus/Hosanna | score [pdf]
Soundcloud: Sanctus/Hosanna, in case dalelyles.com is not responding.
And we’re off! The organ bursts out of the gate with a whirlwind of sound that does not let up. The Sanctus is followed by the equally wild and joyous Hosanna.
Benedictus/Hosanna | score [pdf]
Soundcloud: Benedictus/Hosanna, in case dalelyles.com is not responding.
Traditionally, the Benedictus is set for soloists, usually a quartet. I settled for the soprano/alto duo you hear here. This is a lovely piece. My friends Will Johnson (cello) and his wife Audra Boyd (violin) surprised me with a performance of this that they had arranged, at Alchemy 2022 in my camp, 3 Old Men, as an encore to their usual concert of baroque pieces.
The Hosanna makes a return. I think if I were to keep working on this piece, I’d deliberately score it for piano and organ, and after the quiet piano accompaniment of the Benedictus, the crash of the organ for the Hosanna would be effective.
Agnus Dei/Dona nobis pacem | score [pdf]
Soundcloud: Agnus Dei/Dona nobis, in case dalelyles.com is not responding.
The first half of the Agnus Dei may be hard to hear; I know I have to turn the volume up to hear the pianissimo chorus. The chorus floats, untethered to any definitive key, with their gentle phrasing interrupted by the sterner “Miserere nobis,” ending in that crushingly dissonant note held for eternity — before dissolving into the peaceful Dona nobis, a recapitulation of the Kyrie theme. It soon begins to swell beyond the bounds of the original until it is a full-throated plea for peace. The effect at mm. 53-55 gets me every time. The amens fade away to a serene close.
(Note: With Finale recently pulling the plug on its own life support, I’ve been trying to update all my music files before moving to another app. Finale has never updated its own files with any kind of reliability, so some of the mp3s are pretty clunky. The final Agnus Dei/Dona nobis in particular refused to add an organ to the score without ruining the dynamics, so I have not provided that mp3 update, but a live performance of the piece with organ should be glorious. The score includes the organ.)
And there is my Fragments of a Mass in C. Feel free to ask me to finish orchestrating it for your choir to perform.
