Seeking the Good Life

 
Thank you for the opportunity to share some
thoughts and experiences with you as you embark on
your explorations about "What is the Good Life".
I'm Professor Ronald Burrichter and I currently
work in the School of Music where I teach
private voice to music majors and voice skills to
the instrumental music education students. I came
to the University of Florida in 1984 to teach
voice as well as to conduct the Men's Glee
Club and the Women's Chorale, two choral
ensembles that are open to all UF students without
audition. It was a huge step for me to come to UF
from the small college in Pennsylvania where I
taught for 14 years, and an even bigger move away
from my Iowa farm heritage where splashing in the
little creek was as close to a beach as we came.
Shortly after I began my work at UF, staff
requirements and changes took place and I was asked
to assume the duties of Interim Director of Choral
Activities, which meant conducting the University
Choir in addition to my other responsibilities.
Two marvelous graduate assistants helped me as we
happily enjoyed sharing the marvels of choral
singing with students at the University of Florida.
A few years later, the gentleman who had taught
French horn for many years, Dr. Reid Poole,
retired and we did a national search for his
replacement. One name immediately rose to the
top of the short list of candidates, and Dr. Paul
Basler was asked to join our faculty. Dr. Basler,
however, had been informed after he applied for the
position that he had been granted a Fulbright
Fellowship to spend a year in Kenya as a visiting
professor teaching French horn and music theory, a
truly marvelous opportunity for him. After
much discussion and in light of his outstanding
credentials, it was decided to hold the
position open for one year until Dr. Basler could
join us. He agreed to this arrangement and we all
eagerly awaited his arrival. I was
particularly excited to have Dr. Basler with us
because he was reared in Wisconsin, a short
distance across the Mississippi River from my
ancestral home. We shared jokes and stories about
Midwestern accents, about Wisconsin, about foods and
traditions during his interview, and I felt that
I would be re-connecting just a bit with my "home"
when Dr. Basler arrived from his Fulbright, and it
was true. Dr. Basler is a most engaging man, warm as
fresh toast and with a spirit as big as all
Wisconsin. It came as no surprise to me that he
felt very sad to leave the many friends he had made
during his time in Kenya, but I was without ideas
about how to ease his sense of loss. Following a
concert by our University Choir, Paul approached me
and indicated that the singing had inspired him
to write a piece of music for our choir to sing that
would honor his friends in Kenya, an idea I gladly
embraced. &nbspMissa Kenya&nbsp was born. For those of you who
are unfamiliar with classical choral music,
let me take a moment to explain the significance
of the Mass. The Roman Catholic Church celebrates
mass weekly as well as on special occasions. The
same can be said for some other religions,
especially the Greek and Roman Orthodox
communities, but we will confine our discussion to
the tradition of the Roman Catholic Church since Dr.
Basler was reared as a Roman Catholic. Mass is
the structured framework upon which the Roman
Catholic worship service is based. Certain portions
of the Mass change with the seasons or occasions,
certain portions remain constant. The portions
that are used regularly and do not change are
called the "Ordinary", and it is the texts from these
portions that are usually set to music by composers.
The special text used on the occasion of funerals
is called a Requiem Mass and the music for the
Requiem Mass is generally more somber, sometimes
more fearsome and more dynamic. The normal Mass
text settings, however, generally speak of the
personal musical tastes and ideas of the composer
and have changed greatly over the history of the
musical form. The Mass was traditionally sung in
Latin, but other language settings of the Mass are
now readily found in the repertoire. Originally
sung without accompaniment, or
&nbspa cappella, &nbspthe Mass settings
are now accompanied by orchestras,
jazz ensembles, organ, piano, guitar,
all manner of percussion instruments,
and other special instruments as needed to
fulfill the musical ideas of the composer. The
various settings and accompaniment venues also
speak to the changing audiences that now hear
those works. Our key point, however, is that
the Mass holds a special significance and emotional
trigger for many people, especially those who grew
up in the tradition of the Catholic church, and this
partially explains why Dr. Basler chose to set a
Mass, or &nbspMissa&nbsp in Latin. Dr. Basler is a superb
performer on the French horn, as well as being a
fine pianist and singer. It is understandable,
then, that he would set &nbspMissa Kenya&nbsp for choir,
piano, French horn, African percussion
instruments, and tenor soloist, since Dr. Basler
is a tenor, as am I. The first movement of &nbspMissa
&nbspKenya&nbsp, following the tradition of the Mass, is
the &nbspKyrie&nbsp. The words "Kyrie eleison, Christe
eleison, Kyrie eleison" literally translate to
"Lord, have mercy. Christ, have mercy. Lord, have
mercy". Notice, as we listen to the opening, how
the sound begins in unison, then opens into a
somewhat discordant progression, symbolizing
the anguished cry of the singers for mercy and
forgiveness. The horn enters and changes the
tempo and the choir enters into a dialogue with one
another as the tribal celebration feeling of the
worship experience grows. Hand clapping and vocal
exclamations add to the sense of rhythm and energy
until the music returns to the original theme. The
music has brought the worshipers "home" again
to their original plea for mercy.
&nbsp(Music Plays)
When &nbspMissa Kenya&nbsp was premiered at the
University of Florida in 1995,
it was my privilege to conduct the
singers and instrumentalists as Dr.
Basler played the French horn in accompaniment. At
the conclusion of the &nbspKyrie&nbsp movement, Dr. Basler
put down his horn and stepped before the choir
to conduct as I slipped into the position
of tenor soloist.
&nbsp(Music Plays)
The internal energy of the rhythmic
pulse of the choir added to the
vitality of the percussion and the lyric quality of
the solo tenor voice are the factors that have made
this movement one of the most performed pieces in
the entire choral repertory. It has since
been arranged for women's choir in response to my
request to perform it with the South Carolina
All-State Women's Choir, and has been arranged for
men's choir at the request of my colleague, Dr.
Russell Robinson. The &nbspGloria&nbspis a staple for
honor choirs, All-State Choruses, and any choral
ensemble wishing to share in the exhilaration of
this movement. Let's hear the &nbspGloria&nbsp performed by
the very large Iowa All-State Chorus.
 
The &nbspCredo&nbsp in the Mass is a setting of the Nicene
Creed, a statement of faith used within the
Christian tradition. It is somewhat lengthy and the
need for clarity of the text is extremely
important, so Dr. Basler suddenly brings the choral
forces together to allow them to express the words
without undue harmonic complexity. The singing
becomes more complex and volatile as the words
become more emotional and the piece closes with the
strong affirmation of "Amen", which is often
translated "so be it".
&nbsp(Music Plays)
&nbspSanctus&nbsp translates as "Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God
Almighty..." Dr. Basler uses thick, dense
harmonies and unified choral forces to clearly
state these words of reverent assurance. Notice
how the soaring horn obligato carries the mood
of the music to the heights while the richness
of the harmony and the power of the
choral forces engulf the listener.
&nbsp(Music Plays)
Dr. Basler elegantly concludes &nbspMissa Kenya
with the beautiful and shimmering sounds
of quiet singing and the rich lower tones
of the French horn over the rippling sound of the
piano. The percussion keeps us connected to
Kenya as we vicariously share in Dr. Basler's
tender conclusion to his salute to his friends and
loved ones left behind in Africa and his
re-affirmation of his personal journey from
Wisconsin through his educational years, through
his time in Kenya, and then to his newly found
"home" in Gainesville and the community of the
University of Florida. Listen to the warm and
gracious sounds of &nbspAgnus Dei&nbsp, which translates as
"Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the
world, have mercy upon us."
&nbsp(Music Plays)
Do we know where we will find the
"Good Life" or what serendipitous events
will contribute to that experience?
Dr. Basler had not focused on writing
choral music until he found his inspiration
through writing &nbspMissa Kenya.&nbsp It has become one
of the best selling and most performed selections
in the choral repertory and has served as the
springboard for many commissions for many other
choral compositions, all of which, I believe, would
contribute to what Dr. Basler would consider a
"Good Life" and a direction he had not
planned or foreseen. For me, my life has been
greatly enriched by having sung the piece, conducted
the piece, and upon hearing the piece
performed. The man, Paul Basler, enriches my life
each time we have a chance to chat, no matter
how serious or frivolous our conversation
may be. &nbspMissa Kenya&nbsp is with us all to offer us a
moment of revelation into the "Good Life" Dr. Basler
experienced in Wisconsin, in his academic journey,
in Kenya, and in now making his home here in
Gainesville. It is, indeed, a "Good Life".