FEEL THAT the “Alleluia” before the Gospel—whether in the Ordinary Form or the Extraordinary Form—should be “bright.” In other words, it ought to “shimmer.” That’s why I love this piece by Father Cristóbal de Morales (d. 1553). Some believe that Father Morales was the bridge between the older style (Josquin des Prez) and the newer style (Palestrina, Lassus, Victoria, and so on). He had one foot in the old, and the other foot in the new. For example, his use of a tiny ostinato in this piece harkens back to a former age. Yet the way he balances “disjunct” lines with “step-wise motion” lines is something Palestrina would also do.
This piece works well in the “OF” (Ordinary Form) or the “EF” (Extraordinary Form):
* PDF Download • ALLELUIA (Father Morales)
—From Missa Cortilla, also known as the “Hexachord Mass.”
Rehearsal videos for each individual voice await you at #62698.
Here is the only known picture of Father Morales:
Recordings Don’t Cut It
We attempted this Alleluia for the first time on Sunday. You can hear a live recording, but the microphones don’t reproduce the sound accurately. For example, I was physically present to hear this being sung. When the Bass section came in, I’m here to tell you that it was awesome and it was powerful. But the recording didn’t capture this; microphones often make the human voice sound harsh. Oh well—we will continue to sing this and each week it will get better and better. Each week, it will become more beautiful.
