Northern Spire

About A Mass Without Words

A Mass Without Words (2000) was composed as a musical and spiritual reflection on certain parts of the Roman Catholic Mass.  As it is stated in the score: "This piece is not intended for actual liturgical use, but rather each movement is a musical reflection upon the prayers offered during the corresponding parts of the Roman Catholic Mass.  These reflections are meant, not simply as instrumental 'versions' of the parts of the Mass, but also as evocative of the human joys, needs and anxieties that intentionally or unintentially imbue our participation in such prayers.  Every effort should be made on the part of the performers to enter into this spirit, namely, that of the drawing together of the human and the Divine."  It is, essentially, a spiritually inspired concert piece, not a liturgical one.

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I am working on putting up a recording, but in the meantime, you can check out samples of the various movements by clicking on the title page image above.