Recording Review: The World Beloved

by Joan Devee Dixon, Chair of Music Department, Frostburg State University, Maryland 05/09

In the realm of twentieth and twenty-first century classical music, rarely is a new work declared a "masterwork" soon after its premiere. Such is the case, however, with Carol Barnett's The World Beloved: A Bluegrass Mass. Commissioned by Mike and Kay McCarthy for Philip Brunelle and VocalEssence in 2007, the vibrant work successfully blends the bluegrass band Monroe Crossing with one of America's best choral ensembles. Performances of Barnett's Bluegrass Mass have spread like wildfire across the USA.

The libretto by Marisha Chamberlain is, in and of itself, a treasure. Imagine standard mass movements (Kyrie, Gloria, Credo, Sanctus, Agnus Dei) interspersed with verses of a folk ballad, a Gloria praising God "for feather, fur, for scale and fin," and a Credo affirming "Oh, I do believe a place awaits us far across the Jordan." This is not the text of the Roman Missal! The ballad recounts the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in a manner similar to an Appalachian storyteller. The work begins, "They say God loved the world so dear, He set aside His crown," and ends, "They say God loved the world so dear, She set aside Her crown," leaving some listeners perplexed and others in shock!

The pairing of Chamberlain's texts with Barnett's music makes an inseparable team (imagine Rodgers without Hammerstein). The music uplifts the poetry and interweaves the chorus and band into a masterful patchwork. One might expect simple harmonies and chords from a bluegrass piece for choir, but this is not the case. The harmonies are intricate and the rhythms are complex and, at times, rapid-fire. The Kyrie begins with a fortissimo "Mercy! Mercy!" - far from a quiet, repentant tone. Shifting meters and accented banjo chords propel the music forward. The Sanctus, set entirely in Latin, is anchored by a syncopated soprano/alto ostinato - again, not what one might expect. The musical setting of the opening ballad is expanded between subsequent movements, first adding a female voice and, eventually , the entire chorus. The lyrical and poignant Agnus Dei, sung a cappella, could easily stand on its own (as could several of the movements). Balancing the Agnus is a melancholy instrumental interlude, "Art Thou Weary?"

Hearing the work on the CD, one might not realize the female soloist (narrator) is from the band, not the choir. In true bluegrass style, Lisa Fuglie (lead vocals, fiddle, and mandolin), brings her distinctive voice to the forefront, while sharing the microphone with Mark Anderson (string bass and mandolin), Art Blackburn (vocals and guitar), Benji Fleming (banjo), and Matt Thompson (vocals, fiddle, and mandolin). One can only imagine how much Bill Monroe (the group's namesake) would have enjoyed this ensemble.

The liner notes describe how strange it was for the Monroe Crossing musicians to receive a printed score. They largely learned the piece by rote from MIDI files provided by Barnett. One player's score arrived from Kinko's bound backwards (and he still uses it that way!). Regardless of their discomfort with notated scores, these folk musicians are as finely-tuned as any classically trained ensemble.

Carol Barnett, of Minneapolis, Minnesota, is not new to the "choral music scene," working for eight years as the staff composer for Dale Warland. Still, this work has brought her to the forefront of American composers. Her prolific list of compositions is gaining new attention as a result, and rightly so (www.carolbarnett.net). The recording, produced at Studio M, Minnesota Public Radio in Saint Paul, is exceptional. Other recordings by VocalEssence (www.vocalessence.com) and Monroe Crossing (www.monroecrossing.com) can be found online, as can their exhaustive tour itineraries.

As one might expect, this "crossover" piece has attracted an unusual audience, bringing bluegrass musicians to choir concerts and causing choral directors to call upon banjo players. If you have any interest in the American choral or bluegrass scenes, this recording is not to be missed.