Missa Ut

Here is the Kyrie of a mass I wrote about 11 months ago. The mass is for a standard SATB choir, generally in the ionian mode. Unfortunately I couldn't get a choir here in the city to perform it in order to have a decent recording, so Garritan will have to do. The Kyrie doesn't start traditionally Josquinishly with an imitation, but rather more Victorially with slow stepping in of the rest of the voices. I'm not going to go into detail of course. The third part was a toughie, because of it's 4 voice strict canonic structure.

mp3: 34. Kyrie.mp3

Kyrie.pdf

Nice composition. I love it. Could yo tell me about the soundfont you used in Kyrie? I mean, if is a special soundfont or whatever. thanks.

Thanks, I just used the Garritan Instruments for Finale, nothing fancy, I believe with very slight reverb added. When it comes to the vocal stuff I usually have trouble deciding whether to use Garritan or SmartMusic.

I think this is a beatiful kyrie. I would go into part writing rules (did notice a few parallels in here in a few spots) BUT as I am not sure what you mean by 'victorially' in style I felt I should ask what that was first.

Thanks for the comment,

What rules are you referring to?

Well Victoria, having been a composer of the late renaissance, could be polyphonically brave at moments. His music is certainly very mature harmonically and especially in his late works, one could see the T-S-D relationship begin to crystalize even further, in the following centuries to become the main grid of musical expression. At places, in this mass, I was brave in a similar matter, more so intervalically, reaching for an emotional impact rather than a symbollic one.

This certainly isn't a piece attemped to be written in Victoria's style.

In some, not a lot, of his works the introducing voices might begin more independently and not always imitativly, which is what I meant earlier.

Primarily octaves and fifths. Not a biggie in my opinion - considering that many pieces today don't adhere to those rules. As for Victorian in nature, I can see remote glimpses of it. His works however relied heavily on contrapuntal techniques of various manner - I'm quite familiar with these. Its a good foundation to start from. Have you thought about trying your hand at your own technique for contrapuntal voice writing?

You mean in a rather more modern manner? Outside the renaissance polyphonic concept?

Well, not necessarily modern in terms of tonal systems (or lack thereof). I mean your own ideas of polyphonic choral music. Finding your own ways around the various difficulties in observing the rules while being adventurous with your counterpoint. My counterpoint teacher while I was in college worked very much to get me to go towards that end... lol

Oh, absolutely.

I've always felt much closer to polyphony rather than harmony, it's definitly my true passion (at least so far). And yea, I've always felt "alone" while writing counterpoint, meaning that, there you have a very logical system of rules, which is more natural than "humanly". I certianly consider it a perfect system, and I believe the efforts of one to sink into this system will make him/her closer to perfection. It's been a hard, patient, inner and spiritual process for me, I hope I don't sound overly philosophic. I think I achieved what you mean partially in some organ and hapsichord ricercars I wrote some time ago, but not so much in the vocal stuff.

I find writing polyphonically for voice is the ultimate of composition - as voices are so hard to hold unintentional dissonances.

Yea, I pretty much agree, it's a very pure process...

It's an overly thin line, the dissonance...

Takes true mastery to make the dissonance a completely natural thing to hear, I hope to reach it some day