The Secret Mass: Choral Works by Frank Martin & Bohuslav Martinů
4/6/2018, 15 Tracks, 1:04:17
Featuring
Marcus Creed
Lauritz Jakob Thomsen
Hanna-Maria Strand
Klaudia Kidon
Emil Lykke
Daniel Åberg
Danish National Vocal Ensemble
Frank Martin
Bohuslav Martinů
Did you know?
1/7
Composition History
Frank Martin's Mass for two four-part choirs was composed in 1922 but withheld for 40 years, only being performed in 1963.
Performer Biography
The Danish National Vocal Ensemble, the elite choir of the Danish Broadcasting Corporation, is internationally known for its pure, transparent Nordic sound.
Composer Biography
Frank Martin, born in Geneva, Switzerland, was the tenth and youngest child of a clergyman's family and composed charming children's songs by age nine.
Compositional Technique
Frank Martin's Mass for two four-part choirs uses a double choir technique, inspired by Renaissance music and Bach's choral works, with two groups of four voices.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Frank Martin, a Calvinist, considered his Mass for two four-part choirs a private expression of religious feelings between God and him, not for public sharing.
Composer's Artistic Vision
A performance of Bach's St. Matthew Passion, heard at age twelve, left a lasting impression on Frank Martin, for whom J.S. Bach remained the true master.
Composer Biography
Bohuslav Martinů was born in a room at the top of a church tower in Policka, a small town in the Bohemian-Moravian highlands, where his father was a bell-ringer and firewatcher.
