Church of the Advent of Christ the King

The Third Sunday Series: Choral Mass Settings

 

Our Third Sunday Series features choral settings of the Ordinary of the Mass, ranging from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries. This wonderful repertoire of music—not heard nearly often enough today—was begun by Guillaume de Machaut, who composed his Messe de Nostre Dame in 1364, intended to be sung regularly in Reims Cathedral in France. This groundbreaking step ensured that the Mass would never be the same again. The genre has attracted a wide variety of composers—of many faiths—over the centuries, all keen to make a contribution to the repertoire. Latin Masses in England continued until 1547 and the reign of Edward VI. Then, following the Reformation, Anglican composers set the Service of Holy Communion, originally in unison—as in the Merbecke setting we sing during Lent—and later using polyphony. Latin returned under Edward’s half-sister Mary I from 1553–58 but, following her death, the Anglican Church finally came into its own under the third of Henry VIII's legitimate children, Elizabeth I, the most pragmatic of the three. However, William Byrd, it should be noted, remained a Catholic throughout his life, as composed three settings of the Latin Mass during the 1590swhich were used for recusant house masses. For some time, the composing emphasis focused on settings of the canticles heard at Morning and Evening Prayer. However, the nineteenth century saw the composition of many settings of Holy Communion with organ accompaniment, a tradition that continues to this day. It also saw the rise of the Oxford Movement—a tradition we proudly continue today at Church of the Advent of Christ the King—where Latin Mass settings were again encouraged at the Anglican Mass. The selections at our Third Sunday Series will be drawn from both Latin Masses and Anglican settings of Holy Communion, giving true musical voice to our twenty-first century calling as Anglo-Catholics.

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2025 sees the 500th anniversary of the birth of Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giovanni_Pierluigi_da_Palestrina. In honour of this auspicious occurrence, three Palestrina masses will be featured this spring and summer: Missa Aeterna Christi munera, Missa Papae Marcelli, and Missa Assumpta est Maria. 

 

Paul Ellison

 

High Mass is at 11 am each month. 

The Propers of the Mass are sung in Latin to Gregorian Chant.

A Reception follows in Lathrop Hall

 

Third Sunday Series Choral Masses: 2025

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June 15                                     Holy Communion Service in B-flat, Stanford (the Most Holy Trinity)

June 19 (Thursday)                 Missa Papae Marcelli, Palestrina (the Feast of Corpus Christi)

August 15 (Friday)                  Missa Assumpta est Maria, Palestrina (the Feast of Assumption of Our Lady)

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Our Third Sunday Series of Choral Masses will resume on Sunday, October 19, when Schola Adventus will sing Missa Secunda by Hans Leo Hassler.

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Also, please mark your calendars for our 31st Annual Advent Liturgy on Sunday, November 30 at 6 p.m. (Prelude from 5:40 p.m.). George Anton Emblom will join us as organist.

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Schola Adventus

Jennifer Ashworth, Lauren Carley, David Alban, James Monios
 

Director of Music & Organist: Dr Paul Ellison