Summer Festival of Sacred Music at St. Bart's Continues 8/31

The Summer Festival of Sacred Music at St. Bart's continues on Sunday, August 31 at 11 am with a service offering music for men's voices including Messe Cum Jubilo, Op. 11 for men's voices, string orchestra and organ.

Maurice Duruflé (1902-1986) studied at the Conservatoire de Paris where his teachers included Charles Tournemire for organ and Paul Dukas for composition. As a composer, Duruflé was fastidious and often self critical, resulting in very few opus numbers. However, those that do exist are considered masterpieces, highly influenced by the impressionism of Ravel and the modality of Gregorian Chant, the study of which experienced a revival during Duruflé's time. His Messe Cum Jubilo, composed in 1967, is based on the ancient Gregorian chant Mass by the same name. In it, Duruflé infuses the choral and accompanying textures with the suppleness of the time-honored melodies from this mass and adorns these melodies with brilliant modal harmonies and surrounds them with skillful polyphony.

The Men of St. Bartholomew's Choir and an orchestra of strings will be conducted by William K. Trafka. Jason Roberts will be the organist. The choir will also offer Joseph Jongen's motet O Quam Amabilis.

The Summer Festival of Sacred Music, now in its 20th consecutive season, takes place each Sunday morning at 11 am at St. Bartholomew's Church during the summer months. At a time when most churches reduce their musical offerings, St. Bartholomew's Church provides outstanding sacred music sung by St. Bartholomew's Choir and Boy and Girl Choristers, two of New York City's most renowned choirs. Works include an array of mass settings from the 15th century to the present embracing a diversity of cultures from around the world. The music is sung as part of the 11 am service, the liturgical context for which it was composed. All Summer Festival events are free and open to the public.

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