I’ll have a brief interlude away from the New Living Parish Hymn Book to look at this fine mass by Paul Taylor.
Chris suggested I have another look at this mass, which I originally blogged in 2011 here. It is easily one of the most popular in Australia, but I don’t know if it is used elsewhere. I posted some more recent versions by others here.
I was never very happy with my backings and as it is now the only mass I play locally, I had another go at them.
The mass is available in many forms at Willow, where they have sheet music and their own backing tracks. There is also the simpler version for guitar, which I have never used.
I play the Kyrie and the Gloria down from D to C but capoed to the third fret. (ie chord shapes in A). The rest I play down from F to Eb but capo 1 to get easy chords shapes in D.
I made all the backings in the original key and did an organ version and a nonorgan version. It is written at 100bpm, which I think is too fast but it is described as con moto I suppose. I left the organ backing at that speed but slowed the other one a little.
The Kyrie works well as intended with call and response between a cantor and the assembly.
Lord have mercy
Christ have mercy
Lord have mercy
It works fine in Greek as well.