From the Podium: Missae VII - with the Male Voices of Pro Coro Canada

Dear friends and supporters of Pro Coro Canada

It is with great pleasure that we welcome you to today’s concert, the 7th edition of our series Missae .This annual event focuses on musical settings of the Latin Mass text, and we’ve covered over 5 centuries of musical works over the last seasons. Some of the compositions that have stood out are the Mass for Four Voices by Byrd, or the Mass for double choir by Swiss Martin, Cantus Missae by Rheinberger, or just recently, the Mass in E Minor for choir and brass and woodwind ensemble by Anton Bruckner. These are all settings for mixed choir, and today, we’re departing from that tradition, and are presenting four masses for male voices.

While the earliest musical settings of the mass - the Gregorian chant - were sung by both men and women respectively, historically the mass settings from the Renaissance to the classical period by were sung by men only. With the changes in society and acceptance of women into the music-making of the worship, masses for male voices became fewer and more localised. Composers wrote for specific choirs or churches they were familiar with, and tailored the music to those circumstances. Generally, we’re looking at France, Germany and England to find examples of this development, and today’s concert will feature some of those discoveries.

Charles Gounod was born in Paris and spent most of his life in the city. Only as recipient of the Prix de Rome, he ventured to Italy for some time. It was there that he studied the music of Palestrina, which has influenced his later compositions. Gonoud has written about 20 masses, and many of them in versions for different instrumentation. His best-known might be the Mass for St Cecilia from 1855, and his late Requiem. Most of his masses have a dedication that links the music to local performers, i.e. ‘For the choral association of Paris and the department of the Seine’ or masses named after local churches, for example Sacré-Cœur de Jésus or Messe de Saint-Jean. The Mass no. 2  in G Major is titled in its original ‘2eme Messe pour les sociétés chorales à 4 voix d'hommes’  and was published in 1846, when Gounod was not yet 30. 

Looking at our selection today in comparison, Gounod’s work is an exhibit of the early romantic period. His setting is static, purposeful and seldom reaches the chromatic expressions of the height of the romantic period. Stylistically it is looking back to the Classical period, rather than exploring new ways. The text is set in short phrases mostly which makes for a practical approach in a worship setting. Generally the range for the voices, the dynamic requirements and the overall pacing are similar and static throughout. Only in the central Credo, Gounod becomes more expressive, though he accomplishes this with orchestration instead of harmonic or melodic progressions. For example, he condenses all voices to one for the moment of ‘et incarnatus est’, followed by an intense crucifiction moment. An interesting addition to this setting is the Salutaris Hostias, - a section of one of the Eucharistic hymns written by St Thomas Aquinas for the Feast of Corpus Christi, - which leads into the final Agnus Dei. 

Josef Gabriel Rheinberger composed twenty-two masses, including four Requiems, 5 oratorios and cantatas, two Stabat Maters and 81 motets and hymns.The masses range from a cappella works in a neo-Renaissance style - similar to Gounod - to larger choral-orchestral works in the style of Mozart or Haydn. The composer himself listed the six masses he felt were significant in his output, one of them being the well-known Cantus Missae in E Flat. The Mass in B Flat Major, opus 172, ranks also on this list. The work dates from 1892 and was published in two authentic versions. The instrumental accompaniment can be played either by an ensemble of wind instruments or by organ. Between Gloria and Credo Rheinberger placed a powerfully expressive a cappella Ave Maria (not performed today), probably due to the fact that the Mass was first performed on a major feast day of the Virgin Mary. Not setting the first line of both the Gloria and the Credo, provides cause to consider this mass to be used in a liturgical context as both those lines would usually be intoned by the priest.

The work opens with a melodic line that with its chromatic movement exemplifies the ‘have mercy’ of the text on one hand, and on the other, leads us through a harmonic progression that is typical for the romantic period. Much more than in Gounod, we find chromatic turns as means of expression in setting the words, and Rheinberger creates long and interesting melodic phrases that lead us forward. The only proper fugue of all the four masses appears at the end of the Credo to the words ‘et vitam venturi’. It provides an appropriate closing to the first section of the work. Also standing-out in today’s concert is his Benedictus, as it is the only number in a 6/8 metre. We have found the Agnus Dei a rewarding finale to Rheinberger’s Mass, with its strong opening motive wrapped in a lush harmony, and with the return to the Kyrie melody, now set with the text Dona Nobis Pacem.

Canadian composer Stephanie Martin has written a Missa Brevis for the male voices of Pro Coro Canada, and we’re thrilled to be performing it for the first time today. The mass contains the Kyrie, Sanctus and Benedictus, and Agnus Dei and is a cappella. The opening Kyrie borrows gestures from the Gregorian Chant, which are recalled at the end. The Sanctus moves to dissonant and ‘dark’ places - but is bookended with a spirited Hosanna. The Agnus Dei reflects the Gregorian Chant again, with previous gestures, and ends in a quiet and calm manner. Overall, the lyrical melodies propel the harmonies forward organically, and each section within the choir is treated equally. The Mass for Troubled Times will find a place in the liturgical repertoire as it has a deep spiritual reverence on one hand, and a pleasing singability on the other.

Maurice Duruflé’s Messe Cum Jubilo is a unique and striking work for baritone chorus and orchestra or organ, that encompasses the spirituality of Gregorian chant and the aural beauty of impressionism. The Mass Cum Jubilo sits among Cherubini’s Requiem in D Minor and Liszt’s Mass for men’s voices as one of the few liturgical works scored for men’s chorus, and was completed in 1966. Duruflé’s compositional style reflects ideas passed on to him by his organ instructors Vierne and Tournemire, as well as their teacher, César Franck. He incorporated modal harmonies to create an impressionist style within his pieces. The work had its first performance in Paris in 1967,  and gets its name from the Gregorian chant upon which it is based. 

As a performer it is fascinating to experience the side-by-side of the lush organ part with the unison, archaic vocal line. We find the Neo-Renaissance ideas found in Gounod and Rheinberger exemplified and we wonder how far we can bring the experiences of a performer singing Gregorian Chant of the 1500s into the current day. 

Thank you for joining us today for Missae VII, performed by the male voices of Pro Coro Canada.