Matthew Martin

Missa Speravimus

Co-commissioned by the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy and by Edward and Sarah Armitage to commemorate their 20th wedding anniversary. This Missa Brevis ('short mass') was written at the request of Mr and Mrs Edward Armitage and the Edington Festival of Music within the Liturgy. The four movements are based on a single six-note phrase taken from the plainsong Te Deum laudamus (tonus simplex) bearing the text 'Speravimus in te'. This motif repeats many times in the chant but these words are used for its final appearance, ending the phrase 'O Lord, let thy mercy be upon us, as we have hoped in thee'. This miniature cell is used to create musical material in a variety of ways: inversion, retrograde inversion, augmentation, all these in combination, etc. It is also employed as a device to form the principal harmonic flavour. The Mass is designed for both liturgical and concert use. The Kyrie alludes to the Speravimus motif, with the Gloria more strictly developing its possibilities. The Sanctus and Agnus reuse and develop material from the Gloria and it is hoped, therefore, that the piece will be easily learned, practical and useful for regular performance.