« Previous: At the invitation of the director…
Next: Music selection, continued »

My first contemporary Mass setting!

Missa “Na Na Hæ Hæ” (a parody Mass)
Dedicated to the conscientious liturgists of MLB, the NBA, NHL, NFL, and Gary DeCarlo, Dale Frashuer and Paul Lek.

Again, to the tune of the chorus of “Na Na Hey Hey”:

Kyrie:
Kee-ree-EH-hey / kee-ree-EH-hey / Eh-LEH-HEY / ee-son (ij)
Cree-ee-STEH-hey / Cree-ee-STEH-hey / Ey-LEY-HEY / Ee-son (ij)
Kee-ree-EH-hey / kee-ree-EH-hey / Eh-LEH-HEY / ee-son (ij)

Gloria (Responsorial Gloria, ostinato refrain):
Glo-ry TO God / in the HIGH-est / and PEE-HEACE / on earth
vel
Glo-ri-A in / ex-cel-SIS de / OH ET IN / ter-ra pax!*

Gospel Acclamations:
see below

Sanctus:
Ho-ly HO-ly / ho-ly LORD God / OF POW-ER / and might
Heav’n and EARTH are / full ‘yo GLO-ry / HO-SAN-NA / on high
Bless-ed IS he / who-oo COMES in / THE NAME OF / the Lord
Ho-o-SAN-na / ho-o-SAN-na / HO-SAN-NA / on high
vel
Sanc-tus SANC-tus / sanc-tus DOM’-nus / DAY-HEY-OOS / Sa-ba-oth
Ple-ni SUNT cæ / li et TER-rah / GLO-REE-AH / too-ah
Ho-oh-SAN-na / ho-oh-SAN-na / IN EH-HEX / cel-sis
Be-ne-DIC-tus / qui-hee VE-nit / IN NOM’-NEH / Do-mi-ni
Ho-oh-SAN-na / ho-oh-SAN-na / IN EH-HEX / cel-sis

Anamnesis:
Christ has DAH-hied / Christ is RIS-en / CHRIST WILL COME / a-gain

Amen:
A-ha-MEH-hen / a-ha-MEH-hen / AH-HA-HAH / Ha-men
vel
A-ha-MEH-hen / a-ha-MEH-hen / Ah-LEH-HEY / loo-yah! (Tempus paschalis)

Agnus Dei:
Lamb of GOD, you / take a-WAY the / SINS UH-HUV / the world
Have MER-cy / Have MER-cy / HAVE MER-CY / on us
Lamb of GOD, you / take a-WAY the / SINS UH-HUV / the world
Have MER-cy / Have MER-cy / HAVE MER-CY / on us
Lamb of GOD, you / take a-WAY the / SINS UH-HUV / the world
O-oh GRANT us / o-oh GRANT us / OH GRANT US / your peace
vel
A-gnus DEH-hee / qui-hee TOL-lees / PEC-CAH-TAH / moon-dee
Mi-se-RE-re / mi-se-RE-re / MIS’-RE-RE / no-bees
A-gnus DEH-hee / qui-hee TOL-lees / PEC-CAH-TAH / moon-dee
Mi-se-RE-re / mi-se-RE-re / MIS’-RE-RE / no-bees
A-gnus DEi / qui-hee TOL-lees / PEC-CA-TA / moon-dee
Do-nah NO-bees / do-na NO-bees / DON’ NO-BEES / pa-chem

Uniquely suited for stadium/arena liturgies. Catchy, huh?

*I know, the acCENT is on the wrong sylLAble, but Laurence Rosania takes the same liberties with his “Ubi Caritas”, published by—all together now—right!

Posted 01.15.2003
by Aristotle A. Esguerra
5 comments.
Filed under: Humor.

Leave a Reply




*Required. E-Mail will not be published.


*
To prove you're a person (not a spam script), type the security word shown in the picture. Click on the picture to hear an audio file of the word.
Click to hear an audio file of the anti-spam word

5 Comments

A sure sign that a conservative Catholic has been in the Diocese of Rochester for too long… ;)


Jeanetta
01.15.2003 @ 9:52 pm #

Just wait till you hear my “St. George (Lucas) Imperial Requiem Mass”.


Aristotle A. Esguerra
01.15.2003 @ 10:30 pm #

Now, you just said you listen to early music. So I _know_ you know that a lot of those chant masses were based on popular songs. There were tons of Masses based “L’homme arme”, which is pretty much Nonny-nonny hey-hey.

(For the interested, those lyrics translate loosely as:
The man, the man, the armed man,
The armed man, the armed man is scary.
Everybody everywhere says
That everybody should wear mail.)

So actually, I see absolutely nothing parodic about your Mass. It’s absolutely part of the tradition.

(Well, except for not using the verse melody in the middle of the Holy, Holy or the Our Father. That would sound very nice, so why stick just to the chorus of the song?)

Maureen, who would bet she could sing this Mass in a lovely prayerful manner. Especially if you let me throw in grace notes when I felt like it. Of course, people suddenly starting to laugh when they recognized the tune would be a drawback….


Maureen O'Brien
01.20.2003 @ 4:22 pm #

Maureen- A lot of the polyphonic Masses were based on popular songs, this is true. The technical term for this type of compositional practice is actually “parody“.

So, while I will agree with you that it’s part of the tradition, I will say that I used the term “parody” in a tongue-in-cheek fashion.

It’s funny, though, I’ve thought the same thing about the basic theme as you have. It’s in the Aeolian (modern minor) mode, perfectly diatonic. Perhaps someone with greater skills than I could actually compose a polyphonic setting of the Mass on this tune. Sung slowly it does have a certain ethereal quality to it…


Aristotle A. Esguerra
01.20.2003 @ 8:34 pm #

for goodness’ sake, don’t give them such ideas! We’ll be hearing it at some Catholic educators’ conference being sung by the choir of a Jesuit boys’ school.


garry
07.08.2008 @ 11:03 am #

« Previous: At the invitation of the director…
Next: Music selection, continued »
A Musical Journey through GIRM