DESCRIPTION:
A parody mass by Palestrina compels four singers on a journey between madrigal and mass, city and cathedral, love song and prayer.

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NOTES:
A “parody” or “imitation” mass is a musical setting of the ordinary of the mass (the Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus and Agnus Dei) that uses pre-existing musical material as a unifying theme. Parody masses were a hugely popular compositional approach during the Renaissance, and often composers chose to parody a popular song (imagine going to church on Sunday and hearing the choir sing “Dona nobis pacem” to the tune of “Yesterday” by the Beatles). Palestrina alone composed around 50 parody masses, including some in which he re-used his own music.

Missa Già fu chi' m'ebbe cara (published posthumously in 1600) was based on a madrigal of the same name that Palestrina had originally published in 1555. The Council of Trent had banned the practice of re-using secular material in mass settings in 1562, so it is likely that the mass was composed before that date. While the similarities between a parody mass and its inspiration can often be quite subtle, this particular example by Palestrina is remarkably close to the original madrigal, making it an ideal choice with which to explore and illustrate the genre.

In a modern concert setting, parody masses are often programmed alongside the piece upon which they are based. Hoping to draw the listener even more deeply into the interplay between original and parody, we have taken that programming idea a step further and created our own arrangement which slips back and forth between Palestrina's Kyrie and the madrigal. With the aid of differing styles of videography, editing conceits such as fades and split screen, a few costume changes, and the contrasting settings of the bustling city streets of York and the peaceful reverence of York Minster, we hope to highlight for the modern listener the dual nature of this piece, and of the parody mass as a genre.

MADRIGAL TEXT AND TRANSLATION:
Già fu chi m'ebbe cara
e volentieri giovinetta mi prese
nelle sue braccia e dentro a' suoi pensieri,
e de' miei occhi tutto s'accese,
e 'l tempo, che leggieri sen vola,
tutto in vagheggiarmi spese;
e io, come cortese, di me il feci degno;
ma or ne son, dolente a me!, privata.

There was one who was dear to me,
and willingly my maidenhood he took
in his arms and in his thoughts,
and in my eyes everything burned,
and time, that lightly flies,
was utterly in longing spent;
and to me, as a courtier, he did his duty;
But now I am - ah, woe is me! - bereft.

Giovanni Boccaccio (1313-1375)
Decameron, Terza Giornata, Concluzione, 14

MASS TEXT AND TRANSLATION:
Kyrie eleison.
Christe eleison.
Kyrie eleison.

Lord have mercy.
Christ have mercy.
Lord have mercy.

Les Canards Chantants are:
Soprano - Peyee Chen
Alto - Robin Bier
Tenor - Ben Inman
Bass - Graham Bier

Audio recorded by Jon Hughes
Video directed and edited by George Reece

Filmed in and around York Minster, by kind permission of the Chapter of York