Bernstein's "Mass"

Synopsis

On today’s date in 1971, the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., was inaugurated with a gala performance of a new work by Leonard Bernstein. Entitled “Mass,” this was a musical and visual extravaganza which reinterpreted the text of the Latin liturgy and involved more than 200 singers, dancers, and instrumentalists.

Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis had asked Bernstein to write a piece to open the new Center but was conspicuous by her absence. President Richard Nixon also chose to stay away, rightly fearing that Bernstein’s “Mass” would be interpreted as an embarrassing protest against the war in Vietnam.

The Washington Post’s front-page review, titled “A Reaffirmation of Faith,” was glowing in its praise, but Time magazine’s assessment was condescending, quoting some New York wits who dubbed it the “Mitzvah Solemnis.” The New York Times review was brutal, calling Bernstein’s Mass “a combination of superficiality and pretentiousness . . . [and] the greatest mélange of styles since the ladies’ magazine recipe for steak fried in peanut butter and marshmallow sauce.”

But Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, when she finally did hear Bernstein’s work, sent the composer an inscribed photograph which read: “Lenny – I loved it, yes, I did, and I love you, too. Thank you for making ‘Mass’ so beautiful.”

Music Played in Today's Program

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) –Sanctus, from Mass (Empire Brass) Telarc 80159

Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) –Simple Song, from Mass (Boston Pops; John Williams, cond.) Philips 416 360

On This Day

Births

• 1841 - Czech composer Antonin Dvorák, in Nelahozeves;

• 1894 - Dutch composer Willem Pijper, in Zeist;

• 1933 - American composer Eric Salzman, in New York City;

• 1934 - British composer Sir Peter Maxwell Davies (whose last name, despite its spelling, is pronounced "Davis" by the British);

• 1934 - Canadian composer Srul Irving Glick, in Toronto;

Deaths

• 1613 - Italian nobleman, composer, lutenist, and murderer (of his first wife and her lover) Don Carlo Gesualdo, age c. 53, at his castle in Gesualdo;

• 1949 - German composer and conductor Richard Strauss, age 85, in Garmisch-Partenkirchen;

• 1991 - American composer Alex North, age 80, in Pacific Palisades, Calif.;

Premieres

• 1961 - Earle Brown: "Available Forms I" for 18 players, in Darmstadt;

• 1971 - Bernstein: gala premiere "Mass (A Theater Piece)" at the inauguration of the John F. Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., choreographed by Alvin Ainley, directed by Gordon Davidson, and conducted by Maurice Peress (Bernstein shared a box section with members of the Kennedy family, including Senator Ted Kennedy and his mother, Rose; Jacqueline Kennedy Onasis did not attend this performance); A dress rehearsal performances of this new work was also open to the public and specially-invited members of Congress the preceding day;

• 1975 - Paul Chihara: "Ceremony V (Symphony in Celebration)," in Houston;

• 1994 - Michael Torke: "Javelin," by the Atlanta Symphony, Yoel Levi conducting;

• 1995 - Lou Harrison: "New First Suite for Strings," in Majorca, by the Stuttgart Symphony, Dennis Russell Davies conductin;

• 2000 - Tan Dun: "Water Passion after St. Matthew," in Stuttgart (Germany), with vocal soloists Elizabeth Keusch and Stephen Bryant, violinist Mark O'Connor, cellist Maya Beiser, and percussionist David Cossin, and the orchestra of the Bach Academy conducted by the composer; This work was one of four passion settings commissioned by the International Bach Academy to honor the 250th anniversary of Bach's death in the year 2000 (see also: Aug. 29 Sept 1 5).