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| MASS | |
|---|---|
| A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers | |
| Musical theatre by Leonard Bernstein | |
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| Occasion | opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts |
| Text |
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| Language |
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| Duration | about 2 hours |
| Movements | 32 |
| Scoring |
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| Premiere | |
| Date | September 8, 1971 |
| Location | Kennedy Center, Washington, D.C. |
| Conductor | Maurice Peress |
Mass (formally: MASS: A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers) is a musical theatre work composed by Leonard Bernstein with text by Bernstein and additional text and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz. Commissioned by Jacqueline Kennedy, it premiered on September 8, 1971, conducted by Maurice Peress and choreographed by Alvin Ailey.[1] The production used costume designs by Frank Thompson.[1] The performance was part of the opening of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.[2] Mass premiered in Europe in 1973, with John Mauceri conducting the Yale Symphony Orchestra in Vienna.[3]
The work is based on the Tridentine Mass of the Catholic Church. The liturgical passages are sung mostly in Latin, though the "Sanctus" includes portions in Hebrew. Mass also includes additional texts in English written by Bernstein, Stephen Schwartz,[4] and Paul Simon (who wrote the first quatrain of the trope "Half of the People"). The work is intended to be staged theatrically, but it has also been performed in a standard concert setting.
Initial critical reception, including a review in The New York Times, was largely negative,[1] but the Columbia Records recording of the work enjoyed excellent sales.[5]
- ^ a b c Schonberg, Harold C. (September 9, 1971). "Bernstein's New Work Reflects His Background on Broadway". The New York Times. p. 51. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ Schonberg, Harold C. (September 2, 1971). "Kennedy Hall Gets Acoustics Workout". The New York Times. p. 40. Retrieved 2020-05-24.
- ^ Yale Symphony Orchestra – Our History
- ^ Official Leonard Bernstein web site page on Mass. Retrieved February 12, 2009.
- ^ Peter Gutmann, Bernstein Mass Archived 2000-09-14 at the Wayback Machine, Inkpot #92, 24 January 2000