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.