Missa Luba

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The Missa Luba is a Latin mass in popular Congolese rhythms and melodies of the Luba , a Bantu ethnic group in the Democratic Republic of the Congo . The fair was by the Belgian 1957 Franciscan - Missionaries recorded Father Guido Haazen (1921-2004).

background

The structure of the mass corresponds to the traditional ordinarium of Holy Mass of the Roman Catholic Church . In contrast, the music of the mass comes from a purely Congolese tradition and is free from the influences of European or modern understanding of music. The performance practice is characterized by the fact that large parts of the mass are accessible ad libitum and thus spontaneous improvisations , especially the solo parts.

The line-up for the mass consists of a cantor, choir and three percussionists with traditional African instruments such as djembé , congas and ngoma drum .

Kyrie and Credo are based on music from Ngandanjika ( Kasai-Oriental ), Gloria, Sanctus and Benedictus on the typical Kiluba style from Katanga , the Hosianna uses a quote from a Kasai dance and the Agnus Dei is based on a song from Bena Lulua ( Kananga ).

In 1954, Father Haazen formed Les troubadours du Roi Baudouin (named after King Baudouin I of Belgium ), a choir of 45 boys and 15 men. In 1957, Haazen arranged the mass, which he described as “collective improvisation”, based on the performances of his singers. In 1958, the choir brought the mass to a certain prominence in Europe on a six-month tour through Belgium, Holland and Germany. During one of these concert appearances, a long-playing record was made by Philips in 1958 , which - as well as new recordings by the Muungano National Choir, Kenya (1990) and the Choral Arts Society of Washington (2004) - was also released on audio CD .

The mass achieved fame through the use of some of its parts in the soundtrack of Pier Paolo Pasolini's film The First Gospel - Matthew (1964), as well as through the use of the Sanctus in Lindsay Anderson's film If… (1968). In Léa Pool's film Lost and Delirious (2001) , the Sanctus is performed by the students at the boarding school (sung by the Muungano National Choir).

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The first Gospel - Matthew: Soundtrack in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  2. ↑ If…: Soundtrack in the Internet Movie Database (English)
  3. ↑ Lost and Delirious: Soundtrack in the Internet Movie Database (English)