Arvo Pärt's Berliner Messe - Credo

Hello from London, readers! Many, many apologies for the very (very) long absence - getting married and moving to a new country can certainly reduce your time for music blogging! But never fear, posting will resume as normal, complete with the usual flair!

All silliness aside, today's post focuses on one movement of a larger work by Arvo Pärt, an Estonian composer who created his own genre of 'Holy Minimalism."

Arvo Pärt, photo courtesy of TheAfterword.co.uk

Pärt was born in 1935 in Paide, Järva County, Estonia. He, along with fellow composers John Tavener and  Henryk Górecki pioneered the classical sub-genre of Holy Minimalism. (As previous posts will tell you, minimalism became popular in the mid 20th century and focused on simplicity.) Pärt also created his own technique called Tintinnabuli (from the Latin tintinnabulum, which means bell), and he has had much success with it. His most popular works are Tabula Rasa and Spiegel im Spiegel, both of which have made numerous appearances in popular documentaries and BBC specials due to their unobtrusive but highly emotive nature.

The Berliner Messe was written in 1990 for chorus and organ, but was later adapted for chorus and orchestra. Early mass settings were written for the Catholic church, and included the following movements: Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Benedictus, and Agnus Dei. These movements follow the prayers that occur during the Liturgy of the Eucharist, which takes place during the second part of the mass. These musical compositions were written in Latin, as no other languages were spoken during mass until the second Vatican council (which lasted from 1962-1965). Most later mass compositions were never intended to actually be part of a mass, which is why many feature large choruses and full orchestras.

Though the entirety of the Berliner Messe is absolutely breathtaking, this post will focus on the Credo movement of this work. If you want to purchase this work, I would recommend any recording with  Tõnu Kaljuste at the helm. He is an Estonian conductor, and arguably the authority on Arvo Pärt's music. Furthermore, he is conducting this work with the London Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra on November 6th, if you happen to be in the area and want to see a truly amazing concert.

Now, have a listen to the Credo movement. Put on some headphones, close your eyes, and let the music take a firm hold on you.

The text is known as the Nicene Creed in English, and it is the longest sung text in a traditional mass setting. The Nicene Creed is typically recited in mass today, except in the event of a special occasion when a musical setting may be used. The text is as below: 

Credo in unum Deum, Patrem omnipotentem,                          (I believe in one God, the Father Almighty

factorem cœli et terrae,                                                          Maker of heaven and Earth,

visibilium omnium et invisibilium.                                            of all things visible and invisible:)

Et in unum Dominum, Jesum Christum,                                   (And in one Lord, Jesus Christ,)

Filium Dei unigenitum,                                                             (The only-begotten son of God

et ex Patre natum ante omnia saecula.                                      begotten of the Father before all time;)

Deum de Deo, Lumen de Lumine,                                            (God from God, Light from Light,

Deum verum de Deo vero,                                                         true God from true God;)

genitum non factum, consubstantialem Patri;   (begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father,)

per quem omnia facta sunt.                                                    (by Whom all things were made;)

Qui propter nos homines                                                                  (Who for us men

et propter nostram salutem descendit                                              and for our salvation came down

de cœlis.                                                                                             from Heaven.)

Et incarnatus est de Spiritu Sancto                                        (And was made flesh by the Holy Ghost

ex Maria Virgine, et homo factus est.                                        out of the Virgin Mary and was made man)

Crucifixus etiam pro nobis sub Pontio Pilato                          (He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate;

passus, et sepultus est,                                                                  (He suffered and was buried:)

et resurrexit tertia die, secundum Scripturas,   (And on the third day rose again according to the Scriptures:)

et ascendit in cælum,                                                             (And ascended into Heaven,

sedet ad dexteram Patris.                                               (and sits on the right hand of the Father:)

Et iterum venturus est cum gloria,                                         (And He shall come again, with glory,

iudicare vivos et mortuos,                                                        (to judge the living and the dead:

cuius regni non erit finis;                                                    (Of His Kingdom there shall be no end;)

Et in Spiritum Sanctum, Dominum et vivificantem,(And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life,)

qui ex Patre Filioque procedit.                                             (Who proceeds from the Father and the Son)

Qui cum Patre et Filio                                                                   (Who, with the Father and the Son,

simul adoratur et conglorificatur:                                                   ( is similarly adored and glorified,)

qui locutus est per prophetas.                                            (Who has spoken through the Prophets.)

Et unam, sanctam, catholicam                                                 (And I believe in one Holy, Catholic,

et apostolicam Ecclesiam.                                                             (and Apostolic Church,)

Confiteor unum baptisma in remissionem peccatorum.      (I confess one Baptism for the remission of sins.)

Et expecto resurrectionem mortuorum,                           (And I expect the Resurrection of the Dead:)

et vitam venturi saeculi. Amen.                                     (And the Life of the world to come. Amen.)

See what I mean? Longest text. Phew!  Luckily for us, it means that Pärt was able to construct a piece that truly showcases Holy Minimalism at its very best. His particular brand of minimalism rarely strays from the key, and in fact the application of Tintinnabuli demands it. The focus here is not on lush melodies or syncopated rhythms, but rather on texture. While the sparse nature of some of Pärt's pieces resembles the tinkling of a singular bell, the Credo is more like the triumphant clanging of luscious church bells on a high holy day. In fact, the Berliner Messe was written for Pentacost (which occurs after Easter and represents the Holy Spirit blessing the 12 apostles with the gist of tongues), but has alternate Alleluias to be relevant at Christmas as well.

Interestingly, Pärt utilises a technique that is fairly uncommon in contemporary choral works - he changes the texture mid-word. The first example of this occurs with the word visibilium towards the beginning of the movement. All four voices (soprano, alto, tenor, bass) sing the first syllable "vi," but only the top two voices (soprano and alto) continue on to sing "sibilium." This creates a definitive and dramatic change in texture, and thus, dynamic. This occurs 11 more times in this movement. He also used the same technique in splitting text phrases instead of words, and thus is the highlight and "theme" of this movement.

You will also notice that there are no tempo changes in this piece as a whole. Once a movement starts, it chugs along until the end. This is very typical of minimalist music, and harkens back to the days  of Baroque music, when there were no conductors to lead the ensemble in a tempo change. Furthermore, though there are some minor gradual dynamic changes, (though those are more a technique than a true decrescendo or crescendo), most dynamics are terrace dynamics. This technique also originated with Baroque music and calls for sudden and intense dynamic changes, as opposed to gradual ones.

That's it for now, lovely readers, but do tune in next time for another instalment of notable music!

(And again, if you find yourself in London tomorrow, do buy a ticket for what promises to be a fantastic concert!)