Mass for St Cecilia's Day

Date: 
1983-6
Composer: 
HARRISON, Lou
Born: 
1917
Died: 
2003
Comments: 

unison vv, hp and org ad lib
Introitus, Kyrie, Gloria, Graduale, Alleluia, Offertory, Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Communion Hymn, Ite Missa est

See detailed exploration in Marchand, Rebecca. "The Impact of the Second Vatican Council on the American Concert Mass." University of California Santa Barbara, 2008. Chapter 5.

Commissioned by St Cecilia Society for the Preservation of Gregorian Chant and Peking Opera, based in Santa Cruz, California, founded in 1974. Specifically by Mrs Gordon, wife of a friend of one of the Society's members.
Dedicated in memoriam to Charles Gordon. The Gordons were Jewish, but Marchand states that 'Charles' widow felt that he'd nevertheless appreciate a Roman Catholic Mass commissioned in his honor.' [p.182]

Harrison liked the idea of being part of a long tradition of composers writing masses in honour of St Cecilia. [p.184]

Used for a Ballet Khouras choreographed by Tandy Beal [p185]

Credo ommitted to avoid 'dogmatic theology' [p.193]

"Harrison embraced global musical pluralism, not in the sense that the traditions would simply melt together into some sort of homogenous style, but in the sense that all musical traditions (European, Hindu, Islamic, etc.) were simultaneously contributing to the music of the spheres" [p. 197]
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Performed during 2010 Edinburgh Festival concert.
Rowena Smith, "Ars Nova Copenhagen/Hillier: Queen's Hall, Edinburgh"
Article published on guardian.co.uk at 23.00 BST on Thursday 2 September 2010. A version appeared on p40 of the Main section section of the Guardian on Friday 3 September 2010.

"...The one exception was Lou Harrison's Mass for St Cecilia's Day, although this was something of an endurance test, as a substantial mass setting entirely in faux-medieval plainchant. With Andrew Lawrence-King accompanying on a variety of instruments, including a hurdy-gurdy, the performance was an interesting exercise in plainchant interpretative variety. Overall, though, it was strictly one for the connoisseurs."