Sanctus

Sanctus (Latin: Holy) is the first movement of Missa by Z. Randall Stroope. Lux Aeterna (AMP 0275) is the final movement of this work. Missa is not intended to be a complete mass, per se, but rather a collection of only four movements, each of which highlights an emotional “color” in a larger tapestry. The underlying sense of the work is meditative, accented by occasional spikes of bold emotion.

In the performance of Sanctus, one would benefit by maintaining a sense of “musical simplicity”. In other words, let the lines be transparent and pristinely unified, but with a strong sense of line propelled by a smooth carpet of air. The performance of higher pitches should be aligned in this tonal framework, and soar with simple ease. Careful selection of the coloratura soprano for the cue notes is critical.