For one, there just aren't that many of them. The ones I hold in highest regard are from Vaughan Williams, Francis Poulenc, and Frank Martin. But much like the Romantic Era before it, the 20th Century usually turns to the orchestra or pipe organ for its Masses.
With the three composers listed above, each interestingly chose to base their musical settings off of chant and sacred musical styles of the distant musical past, instead of making their mark on as a purely modern, contemporary setting. So too does Villa-Lobos honor a Palestrina-styled Mass setting, instead of bringing his thick, Brazilian musical style to the fore.
As his St. Sebastian Mass proceeds, Villa-Lobos injects more complex chromaticism and rhythms, but never does he abandon the simplicity of the sacred a cappella Renaissance. It is written for three-part treble choir only, which adds to its simplistic style.
The following Bendita Sabedoria plays oppositely. Here, Villa-Lobos sets thick, multi-divisi chords, amidst lush, almost jazzy harmonies. My mind wanders to Poulenc again, at least with this description, although Villa-Lobos is very much his own composer.
The seven a cappella motets from the Musica Sacra vacillate between the chaste and the modern, although nothing is ever hard to listen to, and dissonances are always light and within context.
The program finishes off with the celebratory Magnificat-Alleluia, which is the only work on the recording which includes orchestra. Here, I am reminded of Benjamin Britten, where the uplifting fanfare figures in the chorus end the program with great contrast.
If you don't know the Corydon Singers, they are a professional British choir led by Matthew Best. As with many of that region's vocal ensembles, the adult sopranos and altos are shorn of vibrato, while the tenors and basses are allowed to use vibrato. As a US citizen, I personally prefer either all vibrato (preferably light) or completely senza-vibrato in choral music, but I have become used to these choral traditions through many recordings.
There are other performances of Villa-Lobos' choral music, and I will cover them on this blog shortly. Just going by timings alone, Matthew Best, performing in a large cathedral, takes the music slower than others in the studio. Of course the main feast, the Missa São Sebastião hasn't been recorded elsewhere, so if that work sounds interesting, this is the place to find it.
As far as this choral program from Villa-Lobos, this is the most 'different' sounding I have heard the composer. Generally speaking, his music tends towards rhythmically complex, sometimes modern sounds, usually amongst Brazilian-influences, most of which are not present in this music. There are so many musical dimensions to this composer, I feel like I keep running into many different facets from his bountiful oeuvre.
Listen on YouTube
Works
Missa São Sebastião (33.43)
Bendita Sabedoria (11.21)
Magnificat-Alleluia (7.20)
Musica Sacra
Præsepe (4.48)
Cor dulce, cor amabile (3.55)
Panis Angelicus (3.55)
Sub Tuum Præsidium
Ave Maria (2.09)
Ave Maria (3.25)
Pater Noster (2.52)
Soloists
Ansy Boothroyd, mezzo-soprano
Elizabeth McCormack, mezzo-soprano
Performers
Corydon Singers
Corydon Orchestra
Matthew Best, conductor
Label: Hyperion
Year: 1993
Total Timing: 77.13
The Mass is filled with archaic, austere beauty, while the rest of the program features Villa-Lobos' thick harmonies.
It is a neat aspect from the composer, even if it is not representative of his more popular output.
The performances are decidedly British, but a few other ensembles have covered some of this music if their style bothers.
Find more Villa-Lobos recordings HERE!
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