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As a 30-year veteran of music directing, Timothy McDonald has a proven track record of conducting well-informed performances of a wide variety of excellent works; always showcasing a flair for programming with one foot on the podium and one foot in the classroom. On Sunday night, his Musica Sacra presented a wonderful program of 18^th century music with orchestra, bringing to life two pieces that go largely neglected in standard classical or choral concerts.

The first work on the program was Haydn's Missa Brevis in F, (H: XXII). Lasting all of 15 minutes, Haydn's first setting of 14 of the 'mass ordinary' showed the budding composer's sense of clean classical melodic and harmonic construction. Each of the piece's six movements (the 'Sanctus' was divided into both a 'Sanctus' and a 'Benedictus') showed definite pre-classical tendencies.

The work was delicately accompanied in a Baroque style, using two violins and bass. (According to the program notes, Haydn later had re-orchestrated the work, adding wind and brass parts more typical of the composer's later mass settings.) The chorus balanced well with the small orchestra. Their diction was quite good, allowing the mass text to be heard throughout the spacious sanctuary at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. The only solo writing in the mass involved two treble voices. The two soloists weaved their lines in and out of the choral texture throughout the work. They were at their best in the 'Benedictus' movement. The choral singing was a bit inconsistent, as some movements showed a lack of rhythmic integrity across the ensemble. The homophonic choral sections were the most moving of the work, as the chorus displayed a rich and mature sound, especially in the opening of the closing 'Agnus Dei' movement.

The main feature of the concert was a performance of Handel's Funeral Anthem for Queen Caroline. This was my first live hearing of this piece and perhaps a first hearing for much of the audience as well. Among Handel's choral repertoire, it is largely overlooked. However, in the composer's own time the piece was highly regarded for its expression and harmonic interest. The piece, written in 1739 for the funeral of Queen Caroline, makes use of a Lutheran hymn tune (Herr Jesu Christ, du höchstes Gott) to honor Caroline's lineage, as she was born in Ansbach, Germany, for the opening choral line "The ways of Zion do mourn."

In this second half of the concert, the chorus sang with gusto, providing a robust and powerful sound. Throughout the work's 12 sections, the choir shone brightly, singing some of Handel's best choruses. The 45-minute work came across as a hybrid, showing signs of some of Handel's oratorio conventions as well as attributes of a Bach-like chorale cantata. The weakest element of the performance was the singing of the solo quartet. The individual voices were overmatched by the orchestra and failed to live up to the rich vocal color provided by the chorus.

The reaction that kept coming to mind throughout Handel's work was simply that the music was quite powerful. As it was composed for a funeral, there were some solemn and grief-ridden moments. Masterfully, Handel managed to keep the music from becoming too dark and dirge-like. The music had an uplifting quality as well. His use of the text "How are the mighty fallen", which occurs in movements 2, 5 and 7, put forth a statement of communal sorrow, as it was set homophonically. Substantial polyphonic sections, showing perhaps a more personal reaction to the meaning of the texts, were also greatly utilized. In the 9^th movement, using text from Ecclesiasticus 44:14 (also known as the Book of Sirach), Handel uses the first line "Their bodies are buried in peace," in a sturdy and slow homophonic texture. A polyphonic contrast followed as the text concludes "but their name liveth evermore." As the work concluded, Handel ended with an open chord at the final cadence, perhaps invoking the early aesthetic in polyphonic mass settings of the middle ages and Renaissance.

Much credit should go to music director Timothy McDonald for his continuing effort to bring quality sacred choral music of the master composers to Kansas City. His Musica Sacra proved themselves to be a capable ensemble well-suited to this repertoire. Next season, their tradition continues as the group is planning performances featuring Mozart's Vesperae Solemnes de Confessore, Palestrina's Missa Brevis in F, Charpentier's Te Deum and Mendelssohn's Wer Nur Den Lieben Gott Lässt Walten.

REVIEW:
Musica Sacra Chorus and Orchestra
Sunday April 26, 2009
St. Francis Xavier Church
52nd & Troost, Kansas City, MO
www.rockhurst.edu/musicasacra

By R. Douglas Helvering

Classical and Vocal Contributor (Past writer)