Mass for double choir a cappella

Written in 1922 at the beginning of the interwar period, Frank Martin’s Mass for double choir was to sit in a drawer unperformed for more than forty years until its premiere in 1963. Of his decision to let this modern monument lie dormant, the Swiss composer remarked: ‘I considered it […] as being a matter between God and myself’. Filled with political turmoil and societal optimism in equal measure, the interbellum was also a time of artistic innovation. In addition to the Martin Mass, The Thirteen and our Vocal Fellows explore the art of this period through works by Dett, Beach, Ravel, and more.