Mass of Saint Peter
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    Would anyone have some suggestions for finding a Mass setting dedicated to St. Peter that is NOT Palestrina's Missa Tu es Petrus? I'm having difficulty "qualifying" my searches on CPDL and other engines.
    I've gone through my Higginson's, nada. This setting might have its origins in Philadelphia in the mid-19th century, or could have been composed in Europe earlier and used extensively there and the East Coast.
    Any help greatly appreciated.
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    Given the year in which you told me it was locally (to you) performed (May 1892),
    find publications in that year and earlier
    --music store catalogs
    --periodical/magazine advertisements
    --music score backcovers/endsheets
  • Maureen
    Posts: 675
    Is it a Mass for St. Peter, a Mass for a bishop, a Mass for the feast of Ss. Peter and Paul, a Mass for the feast of St. Peter in Chains? Or what?
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    William C. Peters (1805-1866)
    http://memory.loc.gov/diglib/ihas/loc.natlib.ihas.200152700/default.html

    American Music, Vol. 1, No. 4, Music Publishing in America (Winter, 1983), pp. 27-41
    The Search for William Cumming Peters
    Richard D. Wetzel
    (article consists of 15 pages)
    Published by: University of Illinois Press
    Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/3051778

    (page 33)

    Peters was active as a church musician, and his compositions and editions for the Roman Catholic Church include masses (the best known is probably his own Mass in D); magnificats and hymns (among the earliest of the latter is the "Vesper Hymn to the Virgin; the title of which is listed on the back cover catalog of Ashland Quadrilles and was issued with both piano and guitar accompaniments); and compilations of sacred music, notably Peters' Catholic Harmonist (1848) and Peters' Catholic Harp (1863). The latter is especially interesting: It is printed in oblong format, similar to the tune books of the day, and contains instructions for singing chants in "Gregorian Church Song notation." These and other examples of his sacred music remained in use to the close of the nineteenth century.
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    http://louisville.edu/library/music/coll/imprintscat.html

    Peters, W.C.
    Mass in D, for 3 or 4 voices. -- Baltimore : George Willig & Co. ; St. Louis, J.L. Peters, 1875.
    32 p. of music ; 28 cm.
    Medium: Mixed voices, with piano.
    Subject: Sacred music.
    First line: Kyrie.
    Notes: New edition. "This Mass was originally written for three voices,
    Soprano, tenor and bass ; to which an alto has been added".
    Shelf no.: Peters' works.

    ... and ...

    Peters, W.C.
    Peters' Catholic harmonist: a collection of sacred music appropriate for
    morning and evening service. -- Boston, New York & Philadelphia, : Ditson & Co., 1871.
    148 & 1 p. of music ; 18x25 cm.
    Medium: Solo, chorus, with organ acc.
    Subject: Sacred music.
    Notes: c1871 by J.L. Peters. "Consisting of motetts, masses, hymns, chants,
    etc. suitable to the principal festivals throughout the year".
    Shelf no.: Peters' works.
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    I would like to publicly thank eft for his tireless and thorough help to me over these summer months. His research skills are only matched by his charity. I'd sure love to be a fly on the wall in the room occupied in conversation with people like eft, Doug, Mike, Jeff O, AdamB, Mahrt, Kathy, Liam et al of y'all. Who would need a super-collider in Switzerland to smash subatomic particles with those brains? You all are amazing.
  • DougS
    Posts: 793
    Amazing--at my home institution! Want some copies, Charles? BTW, I have your Fairlamb ready to scan. Finally got all my "didn't quite make it into the dissertation" materials unpacked.
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    The following reasonably-priced book has a table of contents
    that suggests some program notes will be easy to create ...

    http://www.harmonieparkpress.com/Products/132-oh-sing-no-more-that-gentle-song-the-musical-life-and-times-of-william-cumming-peters-1805-66.aspx

    Oh! Sing No More That Gentle Song: The Musical Life and Times of William Cumming Peters, 1805-66
    by Richard D. Wetzel

    Biography of one of the most significant contributors to the development of music in America in the 19th century examines William Cumming Peters's role as composer, arranger, publisher, pedagogue and entrepreneur. Skeletal listing is included of surviving song sheets in libraries, archives, and private collections in Appendix 1; extent of Peters's activity as songwriter and composer of piano pieces is shown in Appendix 2.

    DMM/SM 30 / 633p / 0-89990-094-1 / Hardcover / 2000 / $32.50
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    CCCA,
    You are very kind, but I am reminded of something from the 1990s internet/usenet/web ...
    PHOAKS: People Helping One Another Know Stuff
    "Together, we know it all"

    DougS,
    If the scores are public domain, perhaps you can post-with-attachments
    scans of this "celebrated Mass in D"?
  • DougS
    Posts: 793
    If the actual item is the 1875 publication, and not a modern edition, I'll be glad to send it out electronically.
  • eft94530eft94530
    Posts: 1,577
    A few weeks ago I forgot to post these biographical/background datapoints ...

    The Catholic World: A Monthly Magazine of General Literature and Science
    Vol 21 No 126, Sep 1875
    by Paulist Fathers
    http://books.google.com/books?id=BLwRAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA860&lpg=PA860&dq="George+Willig+&+Co."+"mass+in+d"&source=bl&ots=klyfVdKJVW&sig=MIZ7k_g8JUk2J8W1gNKB8pxMvv8&hl=en&ei=B4dkTMfaD8KB8gaey8HaCg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&ved=0CBoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q="George Willig & Co." "mass in d"&f=false

    [pages 720 and 721 are missing; it is unclear where September begins; some ads indicate 144 pages/month]
    page 860 [...]
    Books and Pamphlets Received.
    [...]
    From George Willig & Co., Baltimore: Peters Celebrated Mass in D. Composed by W. C. Peters. Pp. 32.


    The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians
    "Peters, W(illiam) C(umming)"
    article by Richard D. Wetzel

    American Musical Life in Context and Practice to 1865
    (New York, NY: Garland, 1994) edited by James R. Heintze
    "Catholic Church Music in the Midwest Before the Civil War: The Firm of W. C. Peters and Son"
    article by Richard D Wetzel
  • Charles in CenCA
    Posts: 2,416
    I would like to commend my bay area friend Eft, and Drs. Doug Shadle and Mike O'Connor for their help in locating and helping me obtain the Peter's Mass, a Te Deum and other Latin hymns and motets from the mid-19th century American church.
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