William Mathias: Missa brevis & Other Choral Music

Featuring

Matthew Owens
Jonathan Vaughn
Wells Cathedral Choir
William Mathias

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Compositional Technique

A distinguishing characteristic of William Mathias's writing is an instinctive affinity with the medieval, often utilizing the interval of the fourth, which can give his music the feel of medieval organum.

Compositional Technique

William Mathias's choral style incorporates French influences from composers like Vierne, Langlais, Alain, and Messiaen.

Composer Biography

Born in Carmarthenshire in 1934, William Mathias remained fiercely proud of his Welsh and Celtic roots, similar to his friend and mentor Alun Hoddinott.

Composer's Artistic Vision

William Mathias's musical influences included American composers, a strong passion for Mozart, an early fondness for jazz, and a complex, multi-faceted faith.

Performer Biography

The Wells Cathedral Choir, which includes boy and girl choristers and Vicars Choral, celebrates its 1100th birthday in 2009, with boys first singing at Wells Cathedral in 909.

Composer Biography

William Mathias's death at age fifty-seven on July 29, 1992, was considered a great artistic loss, as he was still composing two days prior.

Composition History

The ebullient anthem "Let the people praise thee, O God" was William Mathias's main musical contribution to the wedding of Prince Charles and Lady Diana Spencer in 1981.