What Is the Memorial Concert?
Every year we gather to remember those who have passed on before us, with a beautiful concert mass put together by the Holy Trinity Music Ministry.
Program for the Evening:
Doors will open at 6:30PM
Concert Mass begins at 7PM:
Vespers
Hymn and Lighting of the Candles
Thanksgiving
Vesperae Solennes de Confessore (K. 339) W. A. Mozart
Readings
Intercession
Mass in C “Coronation” (K. 317) W. A. Mozart
Dismissal
Program Notes
Vesperae Solennes de Confessore, K. 339
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
Mozart’s religious music is actually the least important part of his output. His relations to the church were troubled, and unlike Bach he lived in a milieu where the profoundest ideas of the time were not practiced in church. At the same time there are remarkable, profound church works that will never be forgotten. While in the service of the unpleasant and autocratic Archbishop Colloredo, Bishop of Salzburg, Mozart bridled at his official duties and wrote some of his most remarkably ho-hum works. His very last Salzburg liturgical work, the Vesperae solennes de Confessore (Solemn Vespers) K. 339, is, however, a masterpiece and is a foreshadowing of the two great unfinished religious works of his Vienna period, the Mass in C Minor and the Requiem.
One of two settings Mozart made of this service, K.339 was intended for the special celebration of an undisclosed saint’s day (the “confessor” of the title). Its six movements would have been interspersed with readings and other formalities appropriate for a festive religious occasion. The text consists of five Psalms and the Magnificat canticle that concludes every Vespers service. As required by Mozart’s conservative employer, Archbishop Colloredo, each Psalm is set as a continuous movement, as opposed to being divided into separate arias, ensembles, and choruses in the operatic style invading church music at that time.
The work shows all of the stylistic tendencies of the Austrian Baroque, bright and shining brilliant Allegros, and an impressive nod to Austrian liturgical counterpoint as practiced by the early eighteenth century composer, Fux. Just before the final dazzling Magnificat is an inward and luscious Laudate Dominum for soprano and chorus, a work beautiful enough for a place in any of his operas but somehow breathing an inward spiritual air perfectly appropriate to a church service. After his discovery of Bach and Handel, both of whom were represented in the library of Baron von Swieten in Vienna, Mozart would delve more deeply into the possibilities of liturgical counterpoint, but this wonderful work is an important monument on that particular journey.
© Craig Smith with additions by Ryan Turner
CORONATION MASS IN C,
K. 317
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
(1756-1791)
After a brief stay in Paris, the 23-year-old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 – 1791) returned to Salzburg in 1779 to serve as court organist for the Archbishop Colloredo. The working conditions seemed at the time quite favorable for Mozart. His duties included playing the organ in the cathedral, at court and in the chapel, and instructing the choirboys. He seemed to enjoy his new duties and carried them out enthusiastically. From 1779 to 1780 he composed the “Coronation” Mass in C, K. 317, the Missa Solemnis, K. 337, as well as two vespers settings and the Regina Coeli, K. 276. Among these sacred works, the Coronation Mass has achieved a status and popularity that approaches that of the Requiem in D Minor (K. 626) and is among his best-loved Salzburg compositions. The nickname derives from the tradition that Mozart composed the mass to fulfill a vow to commemorate the crowning of the miraculous image of the Virgin Mary in the pilgrimage church of Maria Plain near Salzburg. It is more likely that the nickname was given 12 years later at a performance conducted by Salieri on the occasion of the coronation of Leopold II.
This mass retains its musical appeal due to its richness of contrast, the melodic strength of musical ideas from movement to movement with careful attention to detail, and a variety of musical ideas throughout. The Kyrie is in the standard “A-B-A” format; however, Mozart breaks the tradition of the typical fast-slow-fast pattern and reverses it to slow-fast-slow. The “B” section usually is reserved for the Christe eleison text; however, those words are uttered only twice and in C minor! A solo quartet is infused throughout the mass and is showcased during the Benedictus. Text painting is especially evident in the Credo, such as at the et incarnates est, in which the violins depict the descent of the holy Spirit, the three loud nail hammering-like pulses just before the Crucifixus and the return of the joyous opening Credo theme and tempo at the et resurexit. All the movements are in C major except for the Agnus Dei, which is in F, but returns to C at the Dona nobis with the same thematic material as in the fast section of the Kyrie. The soprano solo of the Agnus Dei foreshadows “Dove sono,” the countess’ aria in Le nozze di Figaro (K. 492).
Scroll to the end for the entire program
A Bit About Our Amazing Music Ministry
The Sanctuary Choir
The Sanctuary Choir of Holy Trinity Catholic Church has been under the direction of J. C. Terpstra for the past 20 years. The thirty-five-member choir sings choral music from a variety of periods and styles and has worked continuously to spread God’s Word through their gift of music. They are the principal choir for the parish and are responsible for leading the congregation in song and providing special choral music for weekly masses and holy days. In addition to the regular music liturgy for the mass, the Sanctuary Choir presents a Christmas Concert during Advent, performs an annual Memorial Concert near the feast of All Soul’s Day, and most recently performed Dubois’ Seven Last Words of Christ during Lent. The choir, soloists, and orchestra have most recently performed Handel’s Dettingen Te Deumand Messiah, Mozart’s Requiem,Missa Solemnis in C minor, and several of his smaller choral works, Rutter’s Requiem, Faure’s Requiem, Cherubini’s Requem Mass in C minor, and Lauridsen’s Lux Aeterna.
Heather Hawk
Soprano Heather Hawk from Killeen, Texas, has musical honors that include winning First Prize at the AIMS Meistersinger Vocal Competition in Graz, Austria and fourth place as National Finalist in the NATS Artist Award Competition in Chicago. She also won First Prize in the Dallas Opera Guild Vocal Competition. She has won First Place in the Texoma National Association of Teachers in Singing “Singer of the Year” Young Artist vocal competition. She performed the song cycle, “Try Me, Good King,” by noted American composer, Libby Larsen, for the Leschetizky Association Annual Living Composers Concert in New York City with pianist Leslie Spotz. Of her performance, Larsen said, “Gorgeous voice! ~And a great collaboration with your pianist!”
Recent operatic roles include Fiordiligi in Così fan tutte, the title role in Handel’s Alcina, Katisha in The Mikado, and Mother in Amahl and the Night Visitors. She made her Carnegie Hall solo debut with the New York International Music Festival and returned for a second solo performance two years later. Other notable solo appearances include Rutter’s Magnificat and Handel’s Messiah with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, and Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra. She earned a DMA in Vocal Performance from University of North Texas, a Masters in Vocal performance from Baylor University, and a BA in Music from Tarleton State University, where she is a recipient of the Distinguished Tarleton Alumni award.
Heather currently serves as Associate Professor of Music (Voice) at Tarleton State University, and lives in the Dallas/Fort Worth area with her husband, Ben, and seven-year-old son, Ben, Jr.
Kelsey Korman
Kelsey Korman, mezzo-soprano, is a versatile artist who has performed in operas, musicals, and jazz ensembles throughout her career. Praised by Dallas Theatre Journal for her comedic timing, Kelsey brings her unique and humorous perspective to each and every character she portrays. Her operatic roles include Armelinde (Cendrillon) and Turnspit (Rusalka) with Opera Arlington, Prince Orlofsky (Die Fledermaus) and the title role of Amahl and the Night Visitors with Music On Site, Cherubino (Le nozze di Figaro) and the title role of The Little Prince with Red River Lyric Opera, Papagena (Die Zaberflöte) with Music Ministry Conservatory, and Zita (Gianni Schicchi) and Kate Pinkerton (Madama Butterfly) with UNT Opera. On the musical theatre stage, her performances include Milly Pontipee (Seven Brides for Seven Brothers), Agatha (Guys and Dolls), Diana and Maggie Saunders (Lend Me a Tenor), Chris Gorman (Rumors), Daphne Rain (Gods of Comedy), Gabrielle (Cinderella), Harriet Smith (Jane Austen’s Emma), and Fredrika Armfeldt (A Little Night Music). Kelsey had the pleasure of making her directing debut with Music Ministry Conservatory, staging both an opera scenes program and Mozart’s Le nozze di Figaro. She is also the music director for Love Your City Theater, a local community theater located in Cedar Hill, Texas. Kelsey holds a Master of Music and a Bachelor of Music in Vocal Performance from the University of North Texas.
Ben Caston
Tenor Ben Caston has been praised as “a pleasantly sinewy tenor” in Highland Park Chorale’s March 2023 performance of Bach’s St. Matthew Passion at Moody Performance Hall in the Dallas Morning News. Recent performances include Mozart’s Solemn Vespers and Missa brevis in F major, the Evangelist role in Chilcott’s St. John Passion, Haydn’s Schöpfungsmesse, Bach’s Magnificat, Gabriel Jackson’s Requiem, and several Bach cantatas. In 2015 and 2017, Caston performed Handel’s Messiah in Fort Worth’s Bass Hall with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and was lauded for the lyric quality of his voice. Other performances include Mozart’s Mass in C Minor, Mozart’s Requiem, Mendelssohn’s Elijah, Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony, Orff’s Carmina Burana, Schubert’s Mass in G, Handel’s Messiah, Honegger’s King David, Saint-Saëns’s Oratorio de Noël, Teichler’s The Good Samaritan, and Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music with various choral societies, symphony orchestras, and colleges in Texas, Georgia, and South Carolina.
A native of Liberty, Mississippi, Caston is a graduate of William Carey University (1996) in Hattiesburg, MS, and New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, where he earned a Master of Music (1998) and Doctor of Musical Arts (2005), each with an emphasis in church music and voice. He has completed additional graduate coursework in choral conducting through Westminster Choir College and is a Distinguished Voice Professional through the New York Singing Teachers’ Association. He has completed Levels 1-3 of Somatic Voicework™, The LoVetri Method. Caston serves as Professor of Voice and Chair of the Performance and Pedagogy Division in the School of Church Music and Worship at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, where he teaches applied voice, voice pedagogy, and directs the Southwestern Singers.
Since 1994 Caston has served Baptist churches in Mississippi, Louisiana, Georgia, and Texas in music ministry. He currently serves as the minister of music at Gambrell Street Baptist Church. Caston is an active member of the National Association of Teachers of Singing, American Choral Directors Association, and The Southern Baptist Church Music Conference. He and his wife, Rebecca, have two children, Clay and Sydney, and they live in Fort Worth.
Blake Davidson
Dallas, Texas native Blake Davidson, Bass Baritone is an award-winning singer who has performed all over the world, and whose range of experience includes opera, symphony, and musical theatre. He received his vocal training at The University of North Texas and has been presented in solo concerts at NYU, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, and the Tokyo Opera House. Mr. Davidson has sung with the Anchorage Opera, the Dallas Opera, the Dallas Symphony (on whose Christmas CD he is the featured soloist), the Fort Worth Symphony, and The Florida Orchestra. Performances outside the US include New Zealand’s Auckland Philharmonia and the Filharmonico de Jalisco (Guadalajara, Mexico). He is in demand as soloist and recording artist with many symphonies, most recently the Dallas Symphony “Christmas at the Superpops” concert, and a Beethoven 9th Symphony with the Corpus Christi Symphony.
J. C. Terpstra
J. C. Terpstra earned his bachelor’s degree in organ performance from Midwestern State University in 1997 under Professor Ronald Hough and a Master of Music degree in choral conducting from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, TX under Professor Alfred Calabrese. He has performed in a variety of organ recitals throughout the city of Wichita Falls, sung with the University Oratorio Chorus, Pro-Musica, and as a featured singer with the Wichita Falls Symphony Orchestra. In addition to directing the Sanctuary Choir, Mr. Terpstra’s duties include directing the Schola Cantorum, the St. Vincent Schola, the Cantor Team, and is the principal organist. Jay has been singing with the Dallas Symphony Chorus since 2013 and plays cello in the New Philharmonic Orchestra in Irving.
Any Contribution Towards the
Memorial Concert is greatly appreciated!
If you are having trouble viewing the program on your mobile device clicking on the link above will open it in a new tab which should resolve the issue.