Gloria

Glory be to God on high…

In most liturgical contexts that I know of, the ‘Gloria’ comes after the ‘Kyrie’, quite early on in the service. But the 1662 Book of Common Prayer saves this hymn of praise until after Communion, and I really like the thinking behind that.
 
There’s about as much text in this movement as in the other three put together, but I didn’t want it to feel too long, especially as it comes at the end. Fortunately, most of the words invite fast and active music, full of joy and exultation.

But because it follows Communion, I didn’t want it to start with a crash (the way some Glorias do). So I found a way to build up gradually to its full excitement, using those ‘chords of fourths’ that are in all the other movements…

The opening of the ‘Gloria’ comes from the words that the angels sang to the shepherds when proclaiming the birth of Jesus Christ in Bethlehem (see Luke 2:14). I love that I’m joining so many other composers in trying to re-imagine how wonderful that must have sounded!
 
Keeping in mind that “great multitude of the heavenly host”, when the tempo picks up I get the upper half of the choir singing a bar or two behind the lower half. This makes a cool effect: cascading waves of sound. And the other simple way to build excitement is with melodies that gradually get higher and higher, like this…

But what’s really interesting about the ‘Gloria’ is how much of the text is about – once again – the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The whole middle third is all “Lamb of God” and “have mercy on us” again.

I have to admit, I was going to try and gloss over this somewhat, thinking that we’ve got the picture and we should just get on with celebrating, but all that text wouldn’t let me! It invites a reprise of the quiet, reflective  ‘Agnus Dei’ music, as well as the supplications of the ‘Kyrie’, so I duly obliged. And in doing so, found a new, deeper level of expression (it’s amazing what a key change will do)…

(this finishes on what is probably my favourite chord in the whole piece)

And, in all that, I finally realised that the reason for all this text is to draw our attention to what we are glorifying God for most of all – which is his mercy, his grace, his love to us expressed in Christ. It’s all very well to glorify him for being omnipotent, omniscient, and all the other ‘big’ things like that. But we’ve missed the point if we don’t find the greatest glory of God expressed in Christ.

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

Having reached that point, it’s time to pick up the tempo again and race to the end in celebration! Not having exhausted the musical possibilities by the time I reached the end of the text, I figured I could justify one of those elaborate ‘Amens’…

And the closing bars echo back a climactic bit of the ‘Sanctus’ – so now every other movement has made a reappearance in this one!

Praise God! This was so much fun to write. I wouldn’t mind doing it all again, if anyone wants to commission another Mass or Communion Service!