Multilingual singing
Six different languages come together in this double-choir mass.
The Light fair by Thomas Gabriel was commissioned for the major choir festival Pueri Cantores 2004 in Cologne, which brought together young singers from all over the world. This also explains the multilingual nature of this mass. It originally consisted of three movements: the introit, the alleluia and the final hymn. It is scored for two four-part mixed choirs and a large wind orchestra. Six languages are used in the introit: German, Italian, English, Spanish, French and Latin. The Hallelujah and the final chant also follow the principle of multilingualism.
In the years since the premiere, the three movements have been expanded to include the responsorial chant and the offertory and published together with the instrumental piece for the Communio. The large-scale wind composition presented here contrasts with an organ version, which will probably be easier and more frequently realized in practice.
Thomas Gabriel, Lichtmesse; wind version, for solo soprano, choir SATB/SATB, 2 ob, Eh, 2 Fg, Cor, 2 Tr, Trb, Tb, Org, score, CV 19.052, € 62.00; organ version, score, CV 19.052/50, € 24.50; Carus, Stuttgart 2013
