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I
started the Vinyl LP series because I have a collection of over 20,000 vinyl record albums I am
selling; each blog entry is about an album from my collection. Inquire
for information here.
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7½ ips Reel-to-Reel Tape front cover
tape cover photo by
As usual, there are songs from the work that are my favorite. The first time I heard the aria,
A Simple Song, I was hooked! Sung by baritone
Alan Titus, The Celebrant, it is among the most beautiful melodies ever written. Links to the music on YouTube at the end and link to
Simple Song, so you can listen as you continue to read, is
here.
Then, there's the rollicking, wonderfully irreverent,
God Said. Reminiscent of
America from West Side Story but different and REALLY cool song (
I will have to do a blog on the word, cool) and it IS "God-Damned Good"! You can also listen to
God Said as you continue to read
here.
The
Offertory: De Profundis, starts gently and very quietly with a female
A-Capella chorus; then, like a thunderstorm, the melody erupts into a syncopated, jerky, bouncy and furious
hora. It's fantastic! You can also listen to the
Offertory: De Profundis, as you continue to read
here.
Agnus Dei
is very Carmina Burana-like but as usual with Bernstein, it is has a
very syncopated and jazzy feel to it. It's really a gem! Again, you can
listen to the
Agnus Dei, as you continue to read
here.
The
finale is astounding! It starts out so quietly you almost can't hear it
with a hesitant, almost bird-like flute which is joined by a solo boy
soprano. They are joined by the The Celebrant. A harp enters and the trio recaps the opening theme,
A Simple Song. They twine and weave around each other and build until the orchestra comes in to join them for an almost 10 minute GRAND Finale that actually ends quietly and peacefully! It is sheer magic! The link to it on YouTube is at the bottom, so, you're stuck reading the rest of this if you want to hear it. :-)
7½ ips Reel-to-Reel Tape back cover
MASS was commissioned by
Jacqueline Kennedy for the opening of the
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. It was
directed by Gordon Davidson with additional texts by Leonard Bernstein
and
Stephen Schwartz, sets by Oliver Smith, costumes by Frank Thompson,
and choreography by
Alvin Ailey. It was conducted by
Maurice Peress.
The work's cultural importance became intertwined with its political
significance in Richard Nixon's Washington. The President did not attend
the opening, but did send staff to rehearsals, who reported back that
there were possibly "coded messages" in the Latin text! While the work
is certainly anti-war and calls on "you people of power" to do what is
right, it is not overtly political. It is unquestionably religious.
Reel-to-Reel Tape back cover detail
In
MASS, Bernstein looks at the issue of faith dramatically and humorously; it is
subtitled "A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers." Bernstein
had always been intrigued and awed by the Roman Catholic Mass, finding
it (in Latin) moving, mysterious, and eminently theatrical.
Originally, Bernstein intended to compose a traditional
Mass, but instead decided on a more innovative form. The work is based on the
Tridentine Mass of the
Roman Catholic Church.
The piece
follows the liturgy exactly, but it is juxtaposed against frequent
interruptions and commentaries by the Celebrant and the congregation,
much like a running debate. There is stylistic juxtaposition as well,
with the Latin text heard electronically through speakers or sung by the
chorus, and the interruptions sung in various popular styles including
blues and rock-and-roll. On the narrative level, the
hour-and-a-half-long piece relates the drama of a Celebrant whose faith
is simple and pure at first, but gradually becomes unsustainable under
the weight of human misery, corruption, and the trappings of his own
power.
MASS is an enormous piece. It calls for a large pit orchestra,
two choruses plus a boy's choir, a Broadway-sized cast (with ballet
company), marching band and a rock band. It may seem ironic that such
multitudes are marshaled for a work that celebrates a man's "Simple
Song": his love and faith in God. But in the end, that simplicity is
shown to be all the more powerful because of it.
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The album was a two record set and the tape format was on 7½ ips tape so there are two reel-to-reel tapes in the boxed set.
7½ ips Reel-to-Reel Tapes
Synopsis
In the beginning all of the performers are in harmony and agreement.
During the course of the Mass, however, the street choir begins
expressing doubts and suspicions about the necessity of God in their
lives and the role of the Mass itself. At the play's emotional climax,
the growing cacophony of the chorus' complaining finally interrupts the
elevation of the Body and Blood (the consecrated bread and wine). The
celebrant, in a furious rage, hurls the sacred bread, housed in an
ornate cross-like monstrance, and the chalice of wine, smashing them on
the floor. At this
sacrilege
the other cast members collapse to the ground as if dead while the
Celebrant sings a solo. This solo blends the chorus's disbelief with his
realization that he feels worn out and wonders where the strength of
his original faith has gone. At the end of his song, he too collapses. A
bird-like (Holy Spirit) flute solo begins, darting here and there from
different speakers in the hall, finally "alighting" in a single clear
note. An altar server, who was absent during the conflict, then sings a
hymn of praise to God, "Sing God a Secret Song.
This restores the faith of the three choirs, who join the altar server,
one by one, in his hymn of praise. They tell the Celebrant "Pax tecum"
(Peace be with you), and end with a hymn asking for God's blessing.
7½ ips Reel-to-Reel Tape 1
7½ ips Reel-to-Reel Tape 1
label detail
Cast of characters
The original cast consisted of a Celebrant, three choirs, and altar
servers. A full classical orchestra performed in the pit, while onstage
musicians—including a
rock band and a
marching band—performed and interacted onstage.
- The Celebrant – The central character of the work, a Catholic priest who conducts the celebration of the Mass.
- Formal Choir – A mixed choir (SSAATTBB) in upstage choir lofts who sing the Latin portions of the Mass.
- Boys Choir – A children's choir (SSAA) that processes on and
off stage various times, performing alone, in antiphon, or in concert
with the Formal Choir and the Street Singers.
- Street Singers – Downstage
and often performing around the Celebrant and the stage
instrumentalists, a broad group of female and male singers representing
the congregation (and occasionally the musicians), who variously
participate in the prayers of the Mass, or alternately counter those
prayers in a modern context.
- Acolytes – Assistants to the Celebrant, who perform dances and altar assistance throughout the Mass.
7½ ips Reel-to-Reel Tape 2
7½ ips Reel-to-Reel Tape 2
label detail
Tracklist:
|
I. Devotions Before Mass
|
7:49 |
| A1a |
1. Antiphon: Kyrie Eleison |
|
| A1b |
2. Hymn And Psalm: "A Simple Song" |
|
| A1c |
3. Responsory: Alleluia |
|
|
II. First Introit (Rondo)
|
5:52 |
| A2a |
1. Prefatory Prayers |
|
| A2b |
2. Thrice - Triple Canon: Dominum Vobiscum |
|
|
III. Second Introit
|
4:12 |
| A3a |
1. In Nomine Patris |
|
| A3b |
2. Prayer For The Congregation (Chorale: "Almighty Father") |
|
| A3c |
3. Epiphany |
|
|
IV. Confession
|
9:30 |
| A4a |
1. Confiteor |
|
| A4b |
2. Trope: "I Don't Know" |
|
| A4c |
3. Trope: "Easy" |
|
|
|
|
| B1 |
V. Meditation #1 |
5:10
|
|
VI. Gloria
|
6:45 |
| B2a |
1. Gloria Tibi |
|
| B2b |
2. Gloria In Excelsis |
|
| B2c |
3. Trope: "Half Of The People" |
|
| B2d |
4. Trope: "Thank You" |
|
| B3 |
VII. Meditation #2 |
3:56
|
| B4 |
VIII. Epistle: "The Word Of The Lord" |
5:56
|
| B5 |
IX. Gospel-Sermon: "God Said" |
5:00
|
|
X Credo
|
8:35 |
| C1a |
1. Credo In Unum Deum |
|
| C1b |
2. Trope: "Non Credo" |
|
| C1c |
3. Trope: "Hurry" |
|
| C1d |
4. Trope: "World Without End" |
|
| C1e |
5. Trope: "I Believe In God" |
|
| C2 |
XI. Meditation #3 (De Profundis, Part 1) |
2:50
|
| C3 |
XII. Offertory (De Profundis, Part 2) |
3:00
|
|
XIII. The Lord's Prayer
|
4:22 |
| C4a |
1. "Our Father..." |
|
| C4b |
2. Trope: "I Go On" |
|
| C5 |
XIV. Sanctus |
5:15
|
| C6 |
XV. Agnus Dei (Beginning) |
1:45
|
| D1 |
XV. Agnus Dei (Conclusion) |
5:30
|
| D2 |
XVI. Fraction: "Things Get Broken" |
14:20
|
| D3 |
XVII. Pax: Communion ("Secret Songs") |
9:53
|
Credits
-
Bass Guitar
–
John Beal,
Juan Ramirez (5)
-
Bassoon
–
Donald MacCourt,
Vince Ellin
-
Choir
–
The Berkshire Boys Choir,
The Norman Scribner Choir
-
Clarinet
–
Al Regnie,
Merlin Petroff,
Phil Bashor
- Double Bass
–
Joseph Willens,
Mike Willens
-
Drums
–
Henry Jaramillo,
Herb Harris (2),
Rick Cutler
-
Flute
–
Claudia Anderson,
Thomas Kay
-
French Horn
–
Carl Bianchi,
Carolyn Tate,
Samuel Ramsey,
Sharon Moe
-
Guitar
–
James Mitchell (6),
Scott Kuney
-
Harp
–
Faith Carmin
-
Keyboards
–
Linda Breeden,
Thomas Pierson*
-
Oboe
–
David Busch (2),
Peter Bowman (2)
-
Oboe [Solo]
–
Leonard Arner (tracks: A3c)
-
Trombone
–
William Reichenbach*,
John Swallow,
Robert Biddicome,
Stuart Taylor (3),
Thomas Mitchell
-
Trumpet
–
Charles Lewis (2),
Emerson Head,
Peter Chapman,
Rolf Smedvig
-
Tuba
–
Sam Pilafian*
-
Vocals [Solo]
–
Adrienne Albert (tracks: A1c), Alan Titus (tracks: A1b, B2a, B4, C4a, C4b, D2),
Barbara Williams (2) (tracks: D3),
Benjamin Rayson (tracks: B5),
Betty Allen (tracks: A1a),
Carl Hall (tracks: A4b),
Carole Prandis (tracks: B5),
Charles Magruder (tracks: A1c),
David Cryer (tracks: C1b, D3),
Dominic Cassa (tracks: A1a),
Ed Dixon (2) (tracks: A4c, D3),
Eugene Edwards (2) (tracks: B1),
Gina Penn (tracks: C1c),
John D. Anthony (tracks: B5, D3),
John Manno (tracks: A1c),
Jonathan Gram (tracks: D3),
Joy Franz (tracks: A4c, D3),
Judy Gibson (tracks: B5),
June Magruder (tracks: A1c),
Karen Altman (tracks: A1a),
Lee Hooper (tracks: B2d),
Louis St. Louis (tracks: A4c),
Maeretha Stewart (tracks: A1c),
Margaret Cowie (tracks: D3),
Marion Ramsey (tracks: A4c),
Mary Bracken Phillips (tracks: C1d),
Raymond DeVoll (tracks: A1a),
Ronald Young (3) (tracks: A4b, B5, D3),
Tom Ellis (4) (tracks: C1e),
William Elliot (tracks: A1c)
-
Voice [Preacher]
–
Larry Marshall* (tracks: B5)
-
Composed By, Conductor
–
Leonard Bernstein
Net Links:
Leonard Bernstein ~ Mass on YouTube
The Leonard Bernstein, Mass, reel-to-reel tape is for sale on eBay
"The Mass is ended; go in peace."
~ Mass
Styrous® ~ Tuesday, September 8, 2015
September 12, 1953 
