Grace Williams: Missa Cambrensis

Featuring

Adrian Frederick Partington
Angharad Lyddon
April Fredrick
Rowan Willliams
Paul Carey Jones
Robert Murray

BBC National Chorus of Wales
BBC National Orchestra of Wales
Côr Heol y March
Grace Williams

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Composer Biography

Grace Williams, the composer, was born in Barry, Wales, in 1906 and spent the latter part of her life there as a freelance composer.

Critical Reception

At its 1971 premiere, critics praised the Missa Cambrensis for its distinctive character, with one noting its "convincing individuality and an enviable command of material."

Composition History

The Missa Cambrensis is dedicated to the memory of Grace Williams's friend Nancy Elizabeth Jenkins, who died of cancer before the work was completed.

Compositional Technique

The Missa Cambrensis incorporates two extra-liturgical passages, including a Welsh Christmas Carol and the Beatitudes, to make the piece pertinent to Wales and to separate the Nativity from the Crucifixion.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Grace Williams believed music should "flow" due to her upbringing in the singing tradition, and she held herself to high compositional standards, destroying works that didn't meet her ideals.