Isn’t this Mass by Gounod delightful?  It’s full of memorable tunes, distinctive harmonies and dazzling effects.

Speaking of which, I have been musing on the opening to the Gloria.  Unusually, possibly uniquely, it starts very quietly.  Carlos could not think of another Mass with a similar approach to the Gloria.  So, as an experiment, I asked Microsoft’s AI assistant, Copilot,  “In Gounod’s St Cecilia Mass, the Gloria starts quietly. Is this unusual in a Mass?”  Its (or should it be his, her, or their?) reply is:

It’s interesting that you noticed that detail in Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass! The “Gloria” movement in a Mass setting typically starts with a more triumphant and jubilant tone, as it’s a hymn of praise. However, composers have the creative freedom to interpret and present the text in various ways.

In the case of Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass, the “Gloria” starts quietly, which is somewhat unusual compared to the more traditional, bold openings. This quiet beginning can create a beautiful and dramatic effect, setting the stage for the build-up to more powerful and celebratory sections.

Composers like Gounod often make these artistic choices to convey specific emotions or to create a unique interpretation of the liturgical text. It’s one of the many ways they bring their personal touch to the music.

Do you have a favorite part in the St. Cecilia Mass?

I then asked Copilot if the feature is unique to this particular Mass.  Their reply:

The feature of starting the “Gloria” quietly is not entirely unique to Gounod’s St. Cecilia Mass, although it is less common. There are other Masses where composers have chosen to begin the “Gloria” with a more subdued or gentle introduction for artistic and interpretive reasons.

For example:

• Franz Schubert’s Mass No. 2 in G major: Schubert opens the “Gloria” with a relatively quiet and gentle beginning before building to a more exuberant section.
• Gabriel Fauré’s Messe des Pêcheurs de Villerville: Although not a traditional setting of the Mass, Fauré’s work begins with a more restrained approach to the “Gloria.”

While these examples are not the norm, they illustrate that composers have occasionally taken creative liberties with the traditional structure of the Mass to bring their unique expression to the liturgical text.

It’s always fascinating to see how different composers interpret the same text in diverse ways. Have you discovered any other Mass settings that stand out to you?

Next, I checked the score of Schubert’s Mass No 2 in G, as we have sung it, and I do not remember a quiet Gloria.  Sure enough, it starts forte and within a few bars is fortissimo.

The Fauré Messe des Pêcheurs de Villerville?  Again, it starts forte, after a few bars there is a short section piano, and then it is back to a consistent forte.

What to make of Copilot and its fellow AI environments?  At first, I was not too worried about their taking over the world.  They will need to get their facts right first.  But then, maybe because they do not always get the facts correct, and because people typically place such blind faith in computer based systems, we should be extremely concerned.

But it is good to know that a hunch that the Gounod St Cecilia Mass is different from most, if not all, masses in the classical repertoire, is most likely true.

Eckhard sent this fascinating insight into the Bach Chorus, Glory be to God, which we were singing yesterday evening.  It is well worth reading.

Here is what I was trying to say yesterday, but not everyone was able to hear.  In the opening chorus of Part V there is an insight from the original German lyrics that I think has been lost in translation.

The chorus opens
Ehre sei dir Gott, Ehre sei dir Gott,  Ehre sei dir Gott, gesungen,
Glory be to God, Glory be to God,  Glory be to God, Almighty.

On first impressions that is a reasonably good translation, with only the last word being different.  Gesungen vs Almighty.  Sung vs Almighty.

Moving on to the fugue.
Dir sei Lob und Dank bereit.
Glory, thanks and praise be giv’n

The word Bereit is about preparing, preparation, or readiness.
(for you, be praise and thanks prepared would be a better translation).
So in this passage we are singing about preparing the praise that is to be sung to God Most High.  How lovely is that.  Finally, a chorus about choir practice!

Immediately the fugue launches into a light warm-up on scales.  God is not here yet, so we can relax and play and practice these beautiful, light, follow the leader scales and intervals until we are full of confidence and with smiling eyes and tuneful voices we are ready to sing the music that we are preparing to sing to God.

Ehre sei dir Gott, Ehre sei dir Gott,  Ehre sei dir Gott, gesungen,
Glory be to God, Glory be to God,  Glory be to God, Almighty.

Now doesn’t that make a difference!

Thank you, Eckhard!!

Who was J S Bach?

Singing The Christmas Oratorio, and ABC Classic holding a poll to judge whether its composer is “overrated”  (and the answer, thankfully, is that 60% of listeners think he is not overrated), are sufficient stimuli to muse on the issue of who this world famous man was.

Or perhaps, on who he might have been.  It is typical that, over the years, legends and stories arise, some of which form the popular view, and some of which re-inforce the traditions with ornamentation and embellishment.

We can be certain that J S Bach came from a musical family, and that he admired the work of many composers of his day, including the renowned organist, Buxtehude.  We know that in the course of two marriages, he produced twenty two children, some of whom also became musicians.

We also know that Bach was the third choice for the position of Cantor at Leipzig Cathedral, the position he occupied, along with several others demanding roles, while his musical creativity was at its peak.

The seemingly endless stream of music, including cantatas, settings of the Passions, Masses, orchestral suites and concertos, organ voluntaries and inventions, solo violin and cello works, is hugely impressive for its scale alone, never mind the beauty of form and style in each piece.

Simon Tedschi, in a recent article for the ACO, writes about the chain of events involving some of Bach’s sons and some of Felix Mendelssohn’s immediate ancestors, which led to Bach’s music re-emerging in the 19^th century, after a hundred years of the scores sitting in musty trunks in cheerless attics and cellars.  It is amazing to think that, should any of the co-incidences in that chain have been broken, we might never have heard Bach’s music again.

Of course, it is unlikely that we will ever know any more about Bach than is already documented.   Maybe we should settle for enjoying listening to, and for us in the Choir, performing, his music – revelling in its astonishing structures, soaring melodies, rich harmony, luscious textures, and life affirming meaning.

Yesterday saw another of those curious coincidences which brighten up our lives from time to time.

Maybe the compiler of the yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald Cryptic Crossword had been in collusion with Carlos.  I doubt it, and suspect that what happened was simply a happy coincidence.

The clue for 13 Down had me stumped for a while.  “Place oboe part aurally, and play for the first time,” it read.  Only the appearance of a few letters from answers to other clues enabled me to figure out the answer.  A place is a site, and an oboe part is a reed.  Site followed by reed, which sounds like………

………sight read.

And that is exactly what we did last night to this beautiful piece by Gustav Holst, Christmas Day.  Overall, we sight read it pretty well, thanks to Carlos’ patient coaxing, and Jim’s skillful reading of the accompaniment.

It’s a lovely piece.  The carols blend together so well that you do not realise what is happening.  They merge seamlessly and effortlessly from peaceful moments to strong climaxes and back.  The final few bars were described so aptly by Pam when she said that it was like the carollers disappearing into the distance, still singing.

It is strange to think that Holst is really only known for The Planets.  If this piece is anything to go by, there must be many other delightful pieces by him which are worthy of being in the regular repertoire.

They say that good things come in threes, and last week was no exception.  After several weeks of no concert-going, I went to three events in the space of five days.  the first included a musical representation of the lives of convicts under British rule in England and in Australia; the second, very different, was Carlos and the RHHSO’s exciting and exuberant program of music from South America.  The third was very different again.

This was an extraordinary concert.  The Yorta Yorta singer and composer Deborah Cheetham-Fraillon has written a War Requiem for Peace as her response to the frontier wars around Eumeralla in what is now Victoria.

It’s the sort of piece which really should not work.  The Roman Catholic Requiem Mass was first re-written in English to transpose it into the spiritual framework of the Dreamtime, based on a Creator Spirit and Ancestral Spirits.  It was then translated into the Gunditjmara language, and Deborah CF (I trust she does not mind being thus abbreviated) set these words to music on a grand scale – a huge orchestra, a large chorus and a children’s choir.  Indigenous artist Tom Day has produced artwork for each of the nineteen movements, which was displayed on a huge screen behind the orchestra.

But it does work.  It works very well.  Clearly its main perspective is that of seeking eternal rest for the spirits of the Gunditjmara people, but the spirits of the settlers involved are not forgotten.  There are heart-rending moments of intense agony, spell-binding moments of quiet reflection, and settling times when the music floats effortlessly throughout the auditorium.

The music is well suited to the large space which is the Concert Hall.  All the players and singers, conducted by Benjamin Northey, performed with conviction, and the soloists’ voices, especially that of Deborah CF herself, managed to soar above the combined forces with ease.  The only downside was an over-enthusiastic audience applauding at the most poignant moments, thereby spoiling some of the piece’s magic.

A festoon of microphones implies that the performance was recorded, possibly to be broadcast by the ABC.  Keep an ear out for the inevitable promo!

Deborah CF is a member of the stolen generation.  Her adoptive parents nurtured and encouraged her prodigious musical talents and her boundless energy to make her the musical tour de force that she is today.  It must feel very strange to be a success in a culture which is not your birth culture.

I like to think that every performance of this work is another step, however incrementally small, in bringing a spirit of respect and reconciliation between people who have their historic differences, but who are facing the future hand in hand.