Hi MusicaSacra,

Just a little about me as this is my first post. My name is Jes and I am from Melbourne Australia. I originally began church music aged 5 in St Patrick's Mentone with my mother and the school church choir. I then began to study Organ with the idea of becoming a pipe-organ builder and during this time I dabbled in a number of instruments including the piano, violin and bassoon among a number of other wind, brass and rhythm instruments. I currently study bassoon and choral conducting as part of a masters degree at Melbourne University.

After deciding that pipe organ building was not my calling I aimed to play organ regularly at mass. For a couple of years I was organ scholar in Mentone followed by some time spent as Director of Music for the new Ordinariate Parish in Mentone. During this time I kept being drawn to the Latin mass in Caulfield, first through organ symposiums, then through friends and then I found out about the Tenebrae service. For a number of years I attended Tenebrae (and bawled my eyes out every year) at Caulfield wondering how I could possibly be good enough to join the choir and become organist for the parish. Four years later a very kind friend recommended me for the job opening of organist and since then I have joined the choir and become close friends with many in the parish. I am currently completely inspired by my friends at the Caulfield Latin Mass which is I think why my compositions have suddenly written themselves! In my 23 years of life I started writing music at age 10 and I have written four symphonic orchestral works, several string orchestra works, a few piano sonatas and in the last 3 years I have mainly focused on sacred choral music for Ordinary, Ordinariate and Extraordinary rite.

I have written 5 mass settings now and something close to 47 motets (45 complete motets 2 more coming up) in the last year and am starting to look into properly sending out my music as gradually I am finding people from around the world would like music that fits the specifications of their choir. It seems I'm finally getting the hang of this and this sudden inspiration has taken over me.

I do still write some teaching material also and have published three piano tutor books with current projects working on a bassoon tutor and Gregorian Chant tutor for young children (age 3-6).

This is my fourth mass setting which we performed on October 10 for my scratch choir The Goretti Chorale. I have heard some people out there require something for three voices and my friend encouraged me to post my stuff. I am happy to transpose, alter and adjust this piece to specifications and though a Credo wasn't required for this date I am happy to compose one to go with (but not until my exams are over). I am really honoured that people from around the world have asked me for copies including people from Belgium, Washington DC and Malaysia. I never really thought it would be something people would gravitate towards.

The mass incorporates chant from Mass IV and can be partially congregational (particularly in the Gloria). I have not notated the congregational parts very well in this yet because the choir just read from the chant neumes and I am aware I have not lined up the syllables correctly yet, I am only putting my draft out as I want the corrected copies to go to publishers. (This setting was written over the course of 3 hours so it's still a work in progress.) I would love to know how I can better accommodate the chant in modern notation for my future editing. I am still learning and I look forward to studying this music further.

I'd like to thank someone who has become a very dear friend to me. Someone who I follow so closely my friends think I'm his shadow/sidekick. My friend encouraged me to post my music on here and is one of the reasons I have been so inspired to write music for the church in this past year. Thanks Hugh, you're a wonderful person, you've helped me to become more graceful, grateful and motivated, you're my best mate and I hope I get to become half as good a person as you are.

For those who are not EF. I also have a NO mass setting I wrote for a larger choir which I will make available soon.

I hope you like this! Please give me your feedback, positive or negative. I'm really quite a hack at this but I'm an enthusiastic hack who is willing to learn.
GB,
Jes