Dear Forum members, I am Marco Brunelli, and I am 24 years old. I am the organist of St. James Church and St. Michael Church in Pieve San Giacomo (Cremona, Italy). I want to offer you my "Missa Brevis XI Orbis Factor" and know if you like it. Would anyone like to propose it in parishes? Thank you, have a nice Sunday! Marco Brunelli
1) There is much to commend it, and I like your attempts to be faithful to the chant in several movements by varying the time signature, instead of forcing the melodies to work in (say) 3/4 or 4/4.
2) On the more jarring side (which I don't count as a good thing, but others around here will) is the use of many prolonged but seemingly unprepared dissonances.
3) Clearly you intend this to be sung by a choir, rather than by a congregation assisted by a choir, even though you have chosen a well known chant melody as your foundation. I don't think (for this reason) that it will find any home in an Ordinary Form environment, and you may have trouble breaking into an Extraordinary Form environment.
4) I know several choirs which are clearly up to the task of singing what you have written, whether or not their directors are willing to use this setting.
I think this is wonderful. You demonstrate an ability to bridge several worlds of musical composition and demonstrate some key elements of music in Italy vs the US. Clearly, you have the ear of a contemporary composer. Although I am not in a position to program this immediately, I am going to keep it on file for the future. Please continue to write and share your work. Keep pushing boundaries. It is your generation that will shape an exciting future. Blessing to you and on your work
I particularly like your polyphonic treatment of the chant melody in the Agnus Dei. Palestrina would be proud. Did you take inspiration from Duruflé's Four Motets at all? Sometimes I feel like I see his influence (maybe it's just me).
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