Composition Commons^™

Missa Brevis, Eunwha Kang

MSU Graduate Theses

Missa Brevis is a twenty-minute composition for mixed choir, horn, trumpet, and trombone. Because the piece is a “short mass,” it consists of only four movements, leaving out the Credo. It is composed more concisely than a general mass. The Mass is centered on the note E, and each movement is based on a different scale. The inspiration for this work came from composers of various historical periods and geographical regions. Elements of traditional South Korean music, as well as Neoclassical music elements similar to those found in the music of Paul Hindemith and Igor Stravinsky are incorporated throughout …

A Conductor's Guide To Amass By Jocelyn Hagen, Matthew J. Myers

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

Contemporary American composer Jocelyn Hagen grew up in Valley City, North Dakota, where she found an early love for singing, playing instruments, and composing. After completing degrees at St. Olaf College and the University of Minnesota, Hagen began a career as a full-time composer. Her appointment as Composer-in-Residence for The Singers led to her first major multimovement work, amass (2011).

Though Hagen planned to write a traditional setting of the Catholic Mass, she struggled to accept the text of the “Credo” as the only path to salvation. Thus, she substituted spiritual poems from a variety of faith traditions to create …