| Missa brevis in B-flat | |
|---|---|
| Mass byChristopher Tambling | |
 The composer in 2011 | |
| Key | B-flat major |
| Text | Mass ordinary |
| Language | Latin |
| Composed | 2013 (2013) |
| Performed | 28 September 2014 (2014-09-28) |
| Published | 2014 (2014) |
| Movements | six |
| Vocal | SATB choir (tenor optional) |
| Instrumental |
|
TheMissa brevis in B-flat (German:Missa brevis in B) is amass inB-flat major by the English composerChristopher Tambling on a commission from theDiocese of Speyer for its annual meeting of church musicians. He composed it in 2013 for mixed choir and organ, with optional parts for tenor voices, brass instruments andtubular bells. It was named amissa brevis on publication, for its brevity, but is also referred to asMissa in B.[1] The piece was first performed and published in 2014.
Tambling, a church musician and music pedagogue, was described as "a great believer in making church music accessible".[2] He was commissioned to compose amass for the 28th Diözesankirchenmusiktag of theDiocese of Speyer by its department of church music and the regionalCäcilienverband (DCV).[3] The work, the Missa brevis in B, was first performed at the meeting of church musicians from all over the diocese on 28 September 2014 atSt. Maria inLandau by around 1,400 singers.[1][4][5] It was first published that year byDr. J. Butz, with a dedication on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the DCV to the church choirs of the diocese and bishopsKarl-Heinz Wiesemann andAnton Schlembach.[6]
The mass is structured in sixmovements:[6]
The work sets the complete text of the Latin mass, but is called amissa brevis (short mass) because of its brevity, of around 16 minutes.[3] Tambling wrote the music with the possibility to adapt it to different ensembles. The most modest group that can perform it is a three-part choirSAB with organ accompaniment, and the largest is a four-part choir SATB with parts for two trumpets and two trombones, tubular bells and organ.[6][7] The congregation is requested to singGregorian chant in the Credo which alternates with choral passages. For much of the mass, the tenor part is the same as the bass. In four-part writing, altos or basses can sing short passages when no tenors are available.[7]
The premiere performance was held at the 28th Diözesankirchenmusiktag of theDiocese of Speyer at St. Maria St. Maria in Landau on 28 September 2014 by singers from 60 choirs of the diocese.[4]Markus Eichenlaub [de],Kirchenmusikdirektor of the diocese, conducted the singers with a brass ensemble, tubular bells and organ. A local review reported more than 1.300 singers,[4] while a preview mentioned 1,400 singers who had signed up for the day,[1] a figure reported also in Tambling's obituaries.[2][5]
The mass, like Tambling's other sacred music, is popular in Germany.[2] It was performed in the service for Christmas Eve at the Münster Cathedral in 2015.[8] TheCäcilienverein ofTriengen, Switzerland, performed and recorded it forPentecost in 2017.[9] The mass was performed at the Trier Cathedral for the opening mass of the pilgrimageHeilig-Rock-Tage [de] in 2018, together with the world premiere of a composition commissioned for the event.[10] The birthday of the city of Munich is regularly celebrated with the Bennofest, a feast around theFrauenkirche, on 9 June 2022 with a performance of the mass in a service with CardinalReinhard Marx.[11] At theSpeyer Cathedral, the Gloria was scheduled for Pentecost Sunday of 2023, and the complete mass for the last Sunday before summer vacation.[12]