The Recovering Choir Director

German composer Christoph Dalitz, who discovered my recent composition on CPDL and wrote to compliment me for it (thank you!), penned his Missa tribus vocibus (Kyrie, Gloria, Sanctus/Benedictus, Agnus Dei) twenty years ago for SAB a cappella choir in a Cecilian style.

Upon reading it I was immediately reminded of a passage from Sacrosanctum Concilium (emphasis mine):

121. Composers, filled with the Christian spirit, should feel that their vocation is to cultivate sacred music and increase its store of treasures.

Let them produce compositions which have the qualities proper to genuine sacred music, not confining themselves to works which can be sung only by large choirs, but providing also for the needs of small choirs and for the active participation of the entire assembly of the faithful.

The texts intended to be sung must always be in conformity with Catholic doctrine; indeed they should be drawn chiefly from holy scripture and from liturgical sources.

In my opinion, this mass setting would be a wonderful addition to the repertoire of the modern-day, treble-heavy choir. The chord progressions are predictable; the melody lines while straightforward remain interesting; and the overall setting is quite compact. See the PDF score for yourself. I think the Gloria is particularly noteworthy.

It’s interesting to note that this Mass was composed a scant four years after another individual penned Mass of Creation.

Mr. Dalitz has other compositions available on his website, including a 3-voice Missa Salve Regina (Kyrie, Sanctus/Benedictus and Agnus Dei complete; Gloria in progress).

Read why he chooses to release his music for free under the Creative Commons Attribution and Attribution-Share Alike licenses.