Mass of the Holy Family - John Dawson

Reflections and Performance Notes

Reflection

The overall intent of this Mass is to be a Mass for the people. A down-to-earth, joyful, simple setting that captures the essence of the texts being set.

Having said that, the Gloria and Holy Holy, being rooted in songs of Angels (c.f. Luke 2:14, Isaiah 6:3), are meant to depict an explosive and dynamic expression of joyful praise. 

I used contemporary instrumentation as that is my primary musical ‘dialect’ and I believe it has a place in liturgy if used sensitively and appropriately. I hope you’ll feel that I’ve achieved that in this setting.

Notes

Overall:

The ensemble and arrangements on my recording represents my ideal arrangement. The resources and needs of various communities and music ministries may necessitate different combinations other than what I suggest. I assure you that the music will hold up. I also encourage experimentation with different possible combinations until you find what works for you.

Guitars:

There are 3 guitar parts in the recordings. Acoustics on Capo 1 (play in D) and capo 8 (play in G) as well as an electric on Capo 3 (Play in C). 

The acoustics are partly panned left and right in the recording, if you listen on headphones you should be able to hear the interlocking and complimentary rhythm parts.

The electric is meant for colour, I never play lower than the fourth string and I try to support the melody wherever possible.