Missa Brevis

As I’m sure you’ve heard by now, we are planning to introduce a new piece of music this fall. Corky Gabbert, with the aid of the Friends of Music, has commissioned a new setting of the mass by the Latvian composer Ēriks Ešenvalds. This work is being written especially for the Saint Philip’s choirs and is expected to be performed with local musicians at the 9:00am and 11:15am masses on All Saints’ Sunday, November 7.

By Missa “Brevis,” we mean that this setting includes the parts of the mass that we normally sing on a given Sunday: the Kyrie eleison (“Lord, have mercy”)--this Greek text is often reserved for penitential seasons or occasions, although the phrase understood in its Eastern liturgical context is essentially an affirmation, the Gloria in excelsis Deo (“Glory to God in the highest”), the Sanctus (“Holy, holy, holy”), and the Agnus Dei (“Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world”). Missing from any “brevis” form is the Credo (“I believe in one God”), as this is a long text and requires a fairly extensive musical setting to be sung.

Plans are still moving apace, and our choirs are looking forward to learning new music. However, this situation brings to mind a phrase from the book of Proverbs:

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” Proverbs 16:9

We are scanning and assessing the current COVID situation regularly. We hope that our choirs will be able to negotiate in-person practicing in September, and we are putting plans in place to carry on with the premier of Eriks’ mass on November 7. However, we also cannot see the future, and we recognize that the pandemic may interfere with our best-laid plans.

So, please join me as we hope and pray for a decline in the current viral surge. If we simply can’t pull off the mass premier, it will be rescheduled. If all goes well, we hope to sing it at services on November 7.

Dr Justin Appel, Director of Music