Music for All Saints’ Sunday

 

Since we are going to indulge in the rich romanticism of Gabriel Faure’s Requiem for the All Souls Day service next Thursday, I chose a dramatic style alternative for our Mass setting this morning. Tomas Luis da Victoria (1548-1611) is acclaimed as one of the giants of Renaissance church music (the other two being Lassus and Palestrina).

Victoria was influenced by the work of his older contemporaries. He was a choirboy in Avila cathedral, and after graduating, travelled to Italy where he held various positions in Rome and was ordained priest. He returned to Spain in 1587, spending the rest of his life as organist and composer under the sponsorship of the Spanish royal family.

His motet O Quam Gloriosum was published in 1572. It is a brief expression of the composer’s talent for drama – albeit pure and appropriately restrained – in the setting of a text for use on All Saints Sunday. The material for this motet was recast as a parody mass of the same title.

The opening chord progression depicts the joyful mystery of transfiguration into the afterlife.  A rather literal and vivid use of text painting is employed on the word sequuntur (“they follow”), as the vocal entries imitate each other in succession, like lambs. The comforting imitation continues as the Saints are led to their eternal home.

Paul wrote the Toccata on SINE NOMINE for Susan in 1983 when she was director of music at St. Philip’s Anglican Church in Dunbar. Paul is retired now and was an architect, artist and amateur composer, singer, pianist and organist.

Brigid Coult