The Gospel for the second Sunday of Lent tells the story of the Transfiguration. The related themes are the source for many of the music choices for the two choral Masses at the Cathedral this Sunday morning.
11:30am Mass Choral Prelude, “Tabor’s Light” - Ken Macek and J. Michael Thompson
LINDEN is a hymn tune composed by Ken Macek, who leads a contemporary group of Catholic musicians at Atlanta’s Christ the King Cathedral. It was arranged chorally by fellow Georgian native, Paul Tate, with a keyboard setting by Keith Kalemba, Westminster Choir College alumnus, and WLP senior editor. J. Michael Thompson’s text is a poetic retelling of the Transfiguration narrative from today’s Gospel, and the title ‘Tabor’s Light both refers to the Mountain Tabor where the Transfiguration took place, as well the concept of ‘Uncreated Light’ which manifested both to the apostles James and Peter, as well during the conversion of Paul.
10am Mass Kyrie eleison from Mass for Five Voices - William Byrd (1540 - 1623)
Along with the Masses for three and four voices, the Mass setting written for five voices was composed in the early 1590s for the clandestine Catholic community in England, during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. Along with the Gradualia from the early 1600s, these choral works allowed the celebration of the Roman Rite Mass, as it would have been understood by the continental missionary priests that were journeying to England. The Mass is set in a polyphonic Tudor style featuring imitative entrances, often spaced in close adjacencies.
To hear a version, click the link below:
10am Mass Preparation of the Gifts, “Meditabor in Mandatis” - Giovanni Pierluigi de Palestrina (1525 - 1594)
This setting of the offertory text for the second Sunday of Lent was published in Palestrina’s collection Offertoria Totuis Anni in 1593. It set the musical standard for continental Catholic composers following the liturgical reforms of the Council of Trent. The text (Psalm 119) while not reflecting the scriptures of the day, does echo the collect for this Mass: “We have been commanded to listen to the words of Christ; may those words feed us and purify our sight, so that we may see His true glory. “
To hear a version by the Schola Cantorum in rehearsal, click below.
11:30am Mass Preparation of the Gifts, "Before Your Crucifixion" O Lord - Paul Nicholson (b. 1952)
This motet by the Chicago-based composer Paul Nicholson uses a Transfiguration text from the Byzantine Rite. The setting alternates between Mixolydian and Dorian modes, and predominantly features open fifths in its part-writing, giving an Eastern character to the choral sound.
11:30am Mass, Communion Motet, "Be Thou My Vision" - William Culverhouse
This text is a poetic translation by Eleanor Hull for the 1912 English Hymnal, based on the Irish hymn ‘Rop tú mo baile.’ The text was paired with the Irish tune SLANE in 1919 and continues to be sung to that tune. The arranger of this setting, William Culverhouse, is a graduate of Oberlin Conservatory and the University of Maryland. He also was the director of the Schola Cantorum at the Cathedral of St. Matthew from 2000 to 2008. After leaving St. Matthew's he headed the Choral Music Department of Earlham College in Richmond, IN. Since 2016 he has been the Director of Choral Activities at SUNY/Binghamton University, in Central New York.
To hear a version arranged by John Rutter, click below.
11:30am Mass, Communion Motet, "O Nata Lux" Morten Lauridsen (b. 1943)
Morten Lauridsen is a contemporary American composer, primarily of choral music. This motet is taken from his work Lux Aeterna, which was composed during the illness and death of his mother. His compositional technique is one that reduces harmonic language to chordal structures that contain unresolved 7th and 9th suspensions, which creates an effect of tranquility. The text comes from an office hymn at Lauds for the Feast of the Transfiguration.
To hear a version, click below: