Mass Settings

Here I will post some of the Mass Settings I am working on, as well as other sacred texts I might put to music.

15 replies

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    • Thurmond
    • 11 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    Here is the Agnus Dei from the Bilingual Mass Setting I am composing (Mass of One Faith, Misa de una fe).  I'm working on the Gloria currently, and hope to have the entire setting complete within the next week or so, and then sent off to have it approved for liturgical use. Then I can work on other options, like SATB or SSAA, etc.  Feedback is appreciated!

    MOofAgnusDei
      • Coffee-drinking soprano, trainer of voices and tonebase voice content lead
      • Heidi_Vass
      • 10 mths ago
      • Reported - view

      This is a great start! I really like the harmonic language you are using here. The range is singable for most congregations. I especially like the idea of juxtaposing BOTH the Spanish and English settings (would this be and either or OR both at the same time?). The only area that I would have you explore is the text declamation. It can be confusing at times to discern where you want which syllable to be. The rhythmic setting also looks a little challenging (it's easier to hear than read), and that could put a less experienced choir/music director off which would mean that less churches would adopt and incorporate it into their liturgies. Other than that, I think it looks great.  I truly LOVE the idea of bringing Spanish and English together for a mass setting. There are so many congregations that could use this to bridge the communities within their parish. It's beautiful.

    • Coffee-drinking soprano, trainer of voices and tonebase voice content lead
    • Heidi_Vass
    • 10 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    Super excited to see how this evolves!!

    • Thurmond
    • 5 mths ago
    • Reported - view

    I'm just now coming back to this: here is the completed Mass setting plus an audio file (computer generated), minus the alternate memorial aclamations. 

    Mass of One Faith - Complete (PDF) Mass of One Faith - CompleteAudio040425
    • Michelle
    • 1 mth ago
    • Reported - view

    I'm posting this for Thurmond. He is writing a Requiem Mass, and has just completed the Sequence (Dies Irae). This is the computer's audio rendering. He hopes to be able to find 4 singers to sing and record this soon, but for now this is what he has. It was conceived and written as SATB, but he's planning to experiment with other voice combinations (SSAA especially). 

    Requiem (1)
      • Coffee-drinking soprano, trainer of voices and tonebase voice content lead
      • Heidi_Vass
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       Does he have a PDF of the score? I would love to do some studying of it.. Wish my ensemble was SATB (I would sing through it with them).. I wonder if  would be open to reading through it ???? :) 

      • Michelle
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       Yes, he had a PDF of the score. I should be able to post it tonight. He's entering it in the MTNA Composition Competition next month. Any input he can get on it is appreciated! 

      • Thurmond
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       Here is the PDF of the score for the Dies Irae. I'm in the process of writing an entire Requiem Mass, so this is the sequence from that. I appreciate your taking the time to look at it. 

      RequiemDiesIraeCopyright
      • Coffee-drinking soprano, trainer of voices and tonebase voice content lead
      • Heidi_Vass
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

       The ranges and melodic content look good. Very sing-able for a church choir level ensemble. I would watch out for the text declamation - every now and then the rhythmic stress doesn't seem to follow the stress in the language. Also, be sure the have a piano reduction at the bottom (for rehearsal only) - you would be surprised how much editorial and score presentation matters in score submissions (for college, publishers and competitions). Overall, I think you are off to a great start! Thank you so much for sharing :)  On a related note, are you aware of the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music or the Catholic Sacred Music Project?? 

      • Mary
      • 1 mth ago
      • Reported - view

        I'd love to read through this! I have some singer friends in the area, and I might be able to get a small group together to do a read through of this!

      • Michelle
      • 13 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Mary, this would be wonderful! Thurmond just sent the score in for the competition, so the corrections have all been made. If you do find a group who might be interested in singing through, let me know and I can send the corrected score to you. Thanks!!

      • Michelle
      • 13 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thurmond is planning to apply for the Catholic Sacred Music Project fellowship next summer. He really needs to meet other sacred music composers!

      • Coffee-drinking soprano, trainer of voices and tonebase voice content lead
      • Heidi_Vass
      • 13 days ago
      • Reported - view

      yay!! also look at the Catholic Institute of Sacred Music ;) https://catholicinstituteofsacredmusic.org/summer-courses/

      • Michelle
      • 13 days ago
      • Reported - view

       Thanks! There is a requirement of a Bachelor's degree to attend the Catholic Institute's summer workshops - so he could apply in the summer of 2027 if all goes as planned! 

      • Coffee-drinking soprano, trainer of voices and tonebase voice content lead
      • Heidi_Vass
      • 13 days ago
      • Reported - view

       love the planning 😄

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