The California Bach Society's presentation of Monteverdi's Messa a Quattro Voci at St. Gregory Nyssen Episcopal Church last Saturday demonstrated just how dramatic a pre-Bach musical setting of the Mass could be when the performers go the extra distance and fill in some blanks.

Warren Stewart's chorus sang not just the ordinary Mass cycle of Kyrie-Gloria- Credo-Sanctus-Agnus dei, which the composer bundled together under one title. This performance inserted the chant, instrumental interludes and motets that complete the liturgy and differ each day according to the feast being celebrated. Normally these elements are not included in concert and recorded performances because they don't belong to the composer's "official" piece.

Unlike the 18th century masses, the typical sixteenth or seventeenth-century Mass composition involves only about a half-hour of relatively undifferentiated choral polyphony, which often comes across in concert as little more than high-brow mood music.

The California Bach Society fleshed out the bare bones of Monteverdi's Messa in a historically informed presentation of the work as part of the liturgy for Christmas Midnight Mass as it might have been celebrated at St. Mark's Basilica in Venice, where the composer served as maestro di capella. In doing so, the concert recaptured some of the forgotten spirit of dramatic narrative and mystery that characterized the sung Mass of Monteverdi's time.

The concert began with the chorus at the back of the hall, intoning the entrance chant as they joined in a formal procession to the front of the church. The chanted sections of the concert were stark and intense, setting up a fundamental rhetorical solemnity against which the choral movements and accompanied motets sounded even more luxuriant. Soloist Hugh Davies was responsible for most of the intoned prayers and readings, delivering the lengthy Latin texts in a resounding bass and with a a deliberate, untiring style that brought to mind the majestic gravity of Russian Orthodox recitation.

The interpolated solo motets by some of Monteverdi's contemporaries added a wonderful element of intimacy and emotional freedom. Alto Ken Fitch gave a jocund rendition of Francesco Turini's Hodie Christus natus est ("Today Christ is born"), his bright tone scaling the high melodic arches with ease. In Audite populi ("Hear, O peoples") by Alessandro Grandi, tenor Neal Rogers demonstrated occasional register problems, but deftly handled the intricate ornamentation and brought a vigorous energy to the proclamation of Christ's birth.

The most exquisite singing of the evening, however, came from Ruth Escher, whose heavenly soprano tone and flawless phrasing evoked the perfect vocal representation of mystical adoration in Gasparo Casati's Bone Jesu ("O good Jesus"), which replaced the Communion antiphon. Having to remain seated, due to an injury, Escher let her voice alone communicate the devotional ardor and subtle eroticism of the text: "O Jesus, sweet remission of all sins, I pine for Thee. Pierce me with Thy arrows; may I die for Thee."

Intermingled with the recitations and the motets, the choral sections of the Mass acquired a freshness that would not have been possible had they been presented alone. Apart from a few awkward transitions, the chorus diligently followed Stewart's carefully nuanced direction, which brought out the subtle shifts in rhythmic gesture and affective tone. A superb sonority and expressiveness distinguished the Crucifixus section of the Credo as well as the Agnus dei. But the true choral treasure was the delightful closing motet by Giovanni Paolo Cima, Mirabile mysterium declaratur ("A marvelous mystery is proclaimed").

Organist Jonathan Dimmock and violone master, John Dornenburg provided sensitive and engaging continuo accompaniment for the motets and choral movements. Dimmock also enchanted listeners with the tricky passage work and colorful chromaticism of Girolamo Frescobaldi's delightfully quirky Toccata IV.

(Kristi Brown received her Ph.D. in musicology from the University of California, Berkeley. She is currently a Contributing Editor for the Music section of the Encyclopedia Britannica Internet Guide. She spends the rest of her time lecturing about music, singing, and playing with her two children, Caterina and Stefano.)

©1999 Kristi Brown, all rights reserved