After recently singing his appreciation for the front-line nurses, doctors, and other health professionals fighting to stem the tide of the coronavirus pandemic, on Easter Sunday, April 12, Mark Emerson Donnelly premiered a video of the “Gloria” from his Missa Sicut Cervus as an uplifting gift to thank and encourage his supporters during these difficult times.
The Mass setting, first considered by Mark when he was in college in the 1980s, was not completed until 2012. Mark talks about the journey “from motet to Mass” in this video.
With financial support from generous donors, Mark’s Missa Sicut Cervus and several of his other works were filmed and recorded in February this year at St. Augustine’s Church in Vancouver (built in 1932) with the gracious permission of its pastor, Fr. Andrew Stendzina, OMI. With Nathan Douglas and his team from Motet Films behind the camera, and Malcolm Paterson handling the recording, Mark’s work was brought to life by OFFERTORIUM, a chamber ensemble drawn from Chorus Faustinae, the main choir at Holy Family Parish, which Mark has directed for many years.
A Word on OFFERTORIUM
by Mark Emerson Donnelly
When I first approached Nathan Douglas of Motet Films about producing promotional videos of some of my music, we discussed several options regarding the singing ensemble. Due to the short time between securing the singers and the recording date, I decided to turn to the people who knew my music best and how I envisioned it to be performed: my family, and four excellent church musicians (and dear friends) with whom I have sung for many years: Veronica Roenitz, Ed De Vita, Christopher Suen, and Gabriel Uy.
The performance for the recording was so breathtaking, it seemed a shame not to continue as an ensemble. Since we had all cut our polyphonic teeth singing the exquisite Offertoria totius anni (Offertories for the whole year) by Palestrina, the name “OFFERTORIUM” (singular of offertoria) was chosen, in homage to the great composer, but also to name, simply, that which we are trying to produce – an offering.
We didn’t know quite how much God would take us up on our offer. OFFERTORIUM has been pressed into hyper-service during this time of Missae cantatae sine populo. We have continued to sing throughout Passiontide and, now, into the Easter season (in a socially distanced formation of course!), both streaming and pre-recorded. Please visit YouTube: VocalArt.ca to listen to the videos we have produced for our parish, Holy Family! Also, sung Masses are streamed here.
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Nathan Douglas and Motet Films
A writer and director based in Vancouver, Nathan received his BFA in Film from Simon Fraser University in 2012. Since 2015, his short films have screened worldwide at festivals including Locarno, Clermont-Ferrand, FNC Montreal, and the Vancouver International Film Festival. His first feature is in development. He says: “I’m fascinated by the contemplative and liturgical properties of cinema. The act of seeing – of beholding – is the common ground between religious worship and film-watching and my work is focused on exploring this rich territory.” Nathan’s work can be viewed here.
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Una Voce Canada is pleased to support Mark Emerson Donnelly’s work as a composer who, drawing inspiration from the Church’s patrimony of Gregorian Chant and classical Roman Polyphony, gives “musical expression [to our] Faith in our current times of turmoil and apostasy.”
To donate, please click here and select “MED Composer” from the Fund menu. Charitable donation receipts will be issued to donors in Canada. Eligible donors will also receive a complimentary first-year membership in Una Voce Canada for gifts of $40 or more.
To subscribe to Mark’s email list and receive updates directly from him, click here.
To learn more about Mark, visit his website.
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