Premiered Saturday, April 13, 2019
First Congregational Church of Oakland
Read the text while you listen
It was an honor to compose this 25-minute work in five movements for the Oakland Symphony Chorus, directed by Lynne Morrow. The work is scored for full chorus with a chamber orchestra of 24 musicians (strings, winds, brass, and percussion).
This video sneek-peak was created by the Symphony in advance of the premiere:
This video sneek-peak was created by the Symphony in advance of the premiere:
Origins of Mass for Freedom
Lynne, who also conducts Pacific Edge Voices (my perennial collaborators), approached me in the spring of 2017 with a powerful concept for a piece: start with a set of African-American spirituals that evolved into anthems of protest movements, most notably the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. Develop a new piece of music from the melodies, utilizing the framework of the traditional, five-movement Latin mass—Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, and Agnus Dei—to explore the sacred roots of these iconic spirituals.
Five-movement settings of the traditional Latin mass developed into a standard form for sacred choral music in the Renaissance. Composers such as Palestrina, Josquin, and William Byrd wrote many settings of the mass, and composers through the centuries have followed in their footsteps, all the way to the 21st century.
I spent several months researching spirituals, the Civil Rights movement, African music (and African-American music—but really, I've been living that my entire life), and the rich history of the Latin mass.
Here are the spirituals that form the source material of each movement, along with themes that I felt tie together the spirituals with the text of the Latin Mass:
I. Kyrie: "Come by Here" (also known as "Kumbaya") — INVOCATION, SUPPLICATION
II. Gloria: "Woke Up This Mornin' with my Mind Stayed on Freedom" — INSPIRATION, HOPE AND PRAISE
III. Credo: "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" and "Walk Together, Children" — DETERMINATION, CONVICTION
IV. Sanctus: "Ain't Got Time to Die" — ALL OF THE ABOVE
V. Agnus Dei: "We Shall Overcome" — FAITH
In addition to presenting each melody in its more-or-less original form, I also took them apart and re-set them, extending lines with new words (often drawn from the text of the mass), and creating new choruses and underlying grooves that recur as unifying features throughout the work. I drew a lot of inspiration from African music, especially in terms of how I think about the orchestra. Also, James Brown. "What instrument is that?" said Mr. Brown, pointing to a guitar. "It's a drum. And what about that?" he continued, pointing to a saxophone. "It's a drum." Spoiler alert: they're all drums. Every instrument. It's all about groove. I played guitar in a jam band for many years. It's still in me. This piece grooves.
Five-movement settings of the traditional Latin mass developed into a standard form for sacred choral music in the Renaissance. Composers such as Palestrina, Josquin, and William Byrd wrote many settings of the mass, and composers through the centuries have followed in their footsteps, all the way to the 21st century.
I spent several months researching spirituals, the Civil Rights movement, African music (and African-American music—but really, I've been living that my entire life), and the rich history of the Latin mass.
Here are the spirituals that form the source material of each movement, along with themes that I felt tie together the spirituals with the text of the Latin Mass:
I. Kyrie: "Come by Here" (also known as "Kumbaya") — INVOCATION, SUPPLICATION
II. Gloria: "Woke Up This Mornin' with my Mind Stayed on Freedom" — INSPIRATION, HOPE AND PRAISE
III. Credo: "Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me 'Round" and "Walk Together, Children" — DETERMINATION, CONVICTION
IV. Sanctus: "Ain't Got Time to Die" — ALL OF THE ABOVE
V. Agnus Dei: "We Shall Overcome" — FAITH
In addition to presenting each melody in its more-or-less original form, I also took them apart and re-set them, extending lines with new words (often drawn from the text of the mass), and creating new choruses and underlying grooves that recur as unifying features throughout the work. I drew a lot of inspiration from African music, especially in terms of how I think about the orchestra. Also, James Brown. "What instrument is that?" said Mr. Brown, pointing to a guitar. "It's a drum. And what about that?" he continued, pointing to a saxophone. "It's a drum." Spoiler alert: they're all drums. Every instrument. It's all about groove. I played guitar in a jam band for many years. It's still in me. This piece grooves.