Mass (Poulenc)
Messe en sol majeur | |
---|---|
Missa brevis by Francis Poulenc | |
Catalogue | FP 89 |
Text | Mass |
Language | Latin |
Composed | 1937 |
Published | 1937 |
Scoring | soprano, SATB choir a cappella |
Messe en sol majeur (Mass in G major), FP 89, is a missa brevis by Francis Poulenc. He set most parts of the Latin mass to music in 1937, scored for a mixed choir a cappella.
History
Poulenc turned to sacred music first in 1937 when he composed the mass Messe en sol majeur. He dedicated it to the memory of his father who had died some years before. He set the all parts of the Latin mass, with the exception of the Credo, in 1937, scored for a soprano soloist and a mixed choir a cappella.[1] As he omitted the Credo, it is technically a missa brevis, in five movements:[2]
- I Kyrie
- II Gloria
- III Sanctus
- IV Benedictus
- V Agnus Dei
The choral writing for unaccompanied choir has been described as of "cool purity".[2] The first performance was sung in Paris on 3 April 1938 by Les Chœurs de Lyon.[1]
The Norwegian chamber choir Grex Vocalis, conducted by Carl Høgset, recorded the mass along with the Quatre motets pour un temps de pénitence.[2]
References
Bibliography
- Lace, Ian (2000). "Francis Poulenc (1899–1963) / Libertè – Francis Poulenc a cappella". musicweb-international.com. Retrieved 4 January 2016.
- Schmidt, Carl B. (1995). The Music of Francis Poulenc (1899–1963): A Catalogue. Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 978-0-19-816336-7.
External links
- Mass in G major, FP 89: Scores at the International Music Score Library Project (IMSLP)