A Guide to Leonard Bernstein's MASS

You are invited to join Dr. Michael A. Ciavaglia and Fr. Keith Maczkiewicz, S.J., for a co-moderated, multimedia introduction to Leonard Bernstein’s MASS for the university community. MASS, subtitled “A Theatre Piece for Singers, Players, and Dancers,” celebrates its 50th anniversary this fall. The work includes the text of the Catholic Mass in Latin, supplemented with English-language contemporary (1971) commentary that provokes insight and challenges for the listener. From our own perspectives as a Jesuit and a musician, we will look at the piece’s key messages and moments, drawing on the text and on recordings of the original and recent major productions. We will examine the world of the piece at its premiere, and how it reaches our ears today after five decades of social, artistic, political, musical, and liturgical change.