Blog 5

One of the very interesting and unifying aspects of the different Mass settings is that they provide a uniquely material way to experience time to better understand the spiritual and divine. Music is a way in which we worship through prayer. The playful nature of the music (instrument choices, tempo, dynamics) invites one to worship through song. In this way, music as worship is powerful through its glorious sound it but also in its silence. Begbie describes music as “waves of tension and resolution, never a mere advance along a straight line” (Begbie 44). To Begbie, music is ordered towards time because it invites you to participate in the space. It’s not linear in the way we hear it, music ebbs and flows, it arches and swoops. As waves, of sound, there is a timbre, tonality, and quality to the notes on a page made by instruments and people that enrich our emotions and affections. They shape our desires as they exist in time. Naturally, our greatest desire is God. In this way, tension within the music can be thought of as unsettling, or “off” such as that of a minor key, mode, or dissonant chord. Resolution then is enlightening, illuminating. It’s a feeling in music filled with major chords and hard-hitting fifths in the bassline to produce a strong, glorious sound. Music then, is not about escaping time, but entering into its playful nature and ordered through worshiping God in liturgy.

The first mass setting I listened to was the Missa Orientalis from the Dominican Liturgical Choir. Predominately, this is a glorious sounding Mass. There is an emphasis on the music moving upwards. For example, many of the leading tones resolve on the higher tonic note of the key rather than falling below to the bass. This provides an overarching theme similar to the waves previously discussed. The music would swell on certain notes, followed by a break during which it can be understood how worship involves listening. This helps establish the possibility that our attention is drawn towards God and the desire for God as manifesting through prayer. The involvement of a male and female choir utilizes these upward riffs and voices in the Holy Holy as well as the Sanctus with rich sounding harmony.

There is a sort of simpleness in the music which emphasizes the idea of the wave through dynamics. In particular, when the “hosanna” is sung, the choir crescendos to fortissimo into an immediate rest to let the beautiful chord resound through the space. In this way, we can better learn to see that which is not visible and what is happening in the Eucharistic celebration. There is a beauty and joyous occasion to be celebrated for the gift of eternal salvation. Music in this liturgy simply provides a concrete way to experience this in our time with God.

The second mass I attended to was the Caput Mass from Johannes Ockegham. One striking difference is notably in the time spent on each Mass. The Missa Orientalis is shorter than just the Kyrie from the Caput Mass. It’s filled with very complex polyphony, dissonance, and crush chords galore. The Caput mass is traditionally used to celebrate Holy Thursday in more remorseful liturgical calendar days. In this Mass, there seems to be heavy influence of many of the minor modes, but I noted heavy Dorian aspects which creates an incredibly unsettling and uneasy feeling to a Mass setting. Moreover, there is not as much emphasis on wordplay and phrasing. For example, the clarity of hearing “hosanna” in the Orientalis never finds a moment in the Caput Mass. Caput, meaning head, calls to mind Christ, as well as Mary destroying the head of the dragon and serpent. “The Christian liturgy mirrors the Gospels in its regular commemorations of Christ’s salvific act” (Robertson 573).

One of the very fascinating things about this Mass setting is within the melody, the notes form a serpentine pattern which eventually resolves in the bassline. This emulates Christ destroying the head of the dragon. Further, this distinction points towards Christ destroying sin eternally and its crushing defeat for our eternal salvation. Death is defeated and all that is left is the redemption of Christ. One key feature I noticed throughout the Caput Mass, is that the bassline is sustained throughout the pieces. I believe this can be interpreted as the idea of sin serving as an underlying evil during our lives which is only defeated at the resolution of the piece, through God. Additionally, the much longer duration of the piece is indicative that this struggle is not something we immediately conquer, it is a lifelong battle but is ultimately overcome in the Eucharist. As such, the celebration of the defeat of the dragon points towards a higher order, a eucharistic love of Christ made manifest in bread in wine. Both the Caput Mass and the Missa Orientalis are very distinct interpretations of music in liturgy, but are ultimately ordered towards God and the celebration of the Eucharist.