Messe Modale : Upper Voices Music For Mass

Description

This recording by the sopranos and altos of the Buckfast Abbey Choir captures the unique sound universe of the upper voices for the mass. Drawing from a repertoire from a short but intense period in the early 20th century in France, the program highlights masses by Gabriel Fauré, Jehan Alain, and Jean Langlais, three major figures in the evolution of French sacred music.

These works alternate with Gregorian chants in honor of the Virgin Mary, patroness of the abbey church of Buckfast, in the exceptional acoustics in which this album was recorded. Fauré's low mass, with its intimate lyricism, is paired with a contemporary Gloria by David Davies.
Alain's modal mass for septet reveals its rhythmic vitality and its style inspired by Gregorian chant, while Langlais's Missa in simplicitate embodies a natural spiritual purity. Rooted in the Benedictine tradition – restored at Buckfast by French monks in 1882 – and inspired by French influences, this album offers music of great beauty, simplicity imbued with fervor and contemplation.