Gil Harel: The Musical Setting of the Mass - from the Middle Ages to Dave Brubeck

Please join us as Dr. Gil Harel presents a 5-part series covering the musical settings for the Mass from Palestrina in the Renaissance to Dave Brubeck and beyond. Every composer worth his or her salt has met the challenge of setting the Mass to music. And some of our most important composers have left us some of the greatest masterpieces in music history. We'll start in the Middle Ages and Renaissance with the likes of Palestrina and des Prez, move on to Bach and his B Minor Mass, thence to Beethoven and Mozart. Two modern masters - Leonard Bernstein and Arvo Part - will bring us into the 20th Century. And we'll conclude with a deep examination of Dave Brubeck's To Hope.

March 19th: "Early Music and the Rise of the Mass: Settings of the Mass Ordinary in the Medieval and Renaissance Periods" 

April 16th: "Bach's B Minor Mass" 

May 14th: "Mozart, Beethoven, and Liturgical Music" 

June 4th: "Leonard Bernstein and Arvo Pärt - Modern Approaches to the Mass" 

Leonard Bernstein was one of the most prolific and versatile musicians of the 20th century. Known for works spanning genres from symphony to musical theater, he was also a devotee of jazz as well as a composer of notable liturgical works. Alongside memorable works such as the Chichester Psalms (1965), one liturgical piece stands out for its scope (approximately 2 hours in standard performance) and expressivity: his Mass of 1971. Unique in many ways, Bernstein's Mass features texts in Latin, but also in Hebrew. While it has been performed in a concert format, the composer initially conceived the work for a more theatrical presentation. 

Estonian composer Arvo Pärt is perhaps one of the most significant composers of contemporary choral music. Among his many liturgical works, the Berliner Messe (Berlin Mass) constitutes his lone Mass setting. Featuring expressive dissonances and creative vocal writing techniques, this work is remarkably accessible in a way that is perhaps rare for "modern" music. 

Join Professor Gil Harel as we go inside the score of these two important additions to the prodigious Mass repertoire. 

June 25th: "Dave Brubeck's To Hope! - How a Jazz Legend Came to Set the Mass to Music" 

Gil Harel (PhD, Brandeis University) is a musicologist and music theorist whose interests include styles ranging from the western classical repertoire to jazz. Previously, he served on the faculty at CUNY Baruch College (where he was awarded the prestigious “Presidential Excellence Award for Distinguished Teaching”). Currently, he is Full Professor of Music at CT State Naugatuck Valley, where he has been presented with the AFT "Merit Award for Exemplary Service to the College" for 6 consecutive years. In 2020, he was honored with the coveted Connecticut Board of Regents (BOR) Teaching Award. At NVCC, Dr. Harel conducts the college chorale, a cappella ensemble, teaches music history and theory, and serves as musical director of theater productions.

Registration strongly recommended. Register online or call 203-762-6334. You will automatically be registered for all five sessions.