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“What earlier generations held as sacred, remains sacred and great for us too…” Pope Benedict XVI (7 July 2007)

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Views from the Choir Loft

| Part 2 of 3 | • “Kyrie Eleison” (SATB) within the reach of any choir!

Jeff Ostrowski · January 5, 2016

VER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS, I will be posting rehearsal videos for various movements from a powerful Mass setting by the mighty Francisco Guerrero, who died in 1599AD. I begin with the “Christe”—that is, the second part—from the MISSA BEATA MATER. This middle movement actually sounds gorgeous all by itself, and if you go down that path, I recommend the Gregorian Kyrie from Mass IV (start on B) for invocations 1-3 and 7-9.

Scroll to the page bottom and you’ll find the rehearsal videos.

    * *  PDF Download • KYRIE (“Part B”)

The entire Mass is based on an ancient chant:

Beata Mater et innupta Virgo,
gloriosa regina mundi,
intercede pro nobis ad Dominum.

Blessed Mother and unwed Virgin,
Glorious queen of the world,
Intercede for us with the Lord.

The word “innupta” does indeed mean “unmarried,” but in other versions you find “intacta.” In both cases, the sense is “unconsummated.” Saint Joseph was married to our Lady, but the marriage was not consummated, so her virginity remained “intact.” Here’s how the chant looks in an ancient manuscript:

884 innupta


REHEARSAL VIDEOS :

EQUAL VOICES : YouTube   •   Mp3 Audio

SOPRANO : YouTube   •   Audio

ALTO : YouTube   •   Audio

TENOR : YouTube   •   Audio

BASS : YouTube   •   Audio

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Francisco Guerrero Composer, Missa Beata Mater, Piecemeal Polyphony Last Updated: February 26, 2022

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About Jeff Ostrowski

Jeff Ostrowski holds his B.M. in Music Theory from the University of Kansas (2004). He resides with his wife and children in Los Angeles.—(Read full biography).

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Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony. — One of our volunteer choirs also sang that SANCTUS on 24 September 2023, and you can listen to how that came out.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

Using the shoddiest, sleaziest material we have for the purpose of glorifying God is not very sound theology or even very good common sense. […] (In general, when you see a diminished seventh chord in a hymn, run.) And these chords are usually used in bad hymns in precisely the same order in which they occur in “Sweet Adeline.”

— Paul Hume (1956)

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