Since August of 2002, I have been the director of a choir that sings Renaissance polyphony and chant during Mass. Because I have a degree in music theory, I've always had a tendency "touch up" any pieces of music that we sing, whether I change the harmonies to accompanied Gregorian chant, or adapt sections from polyphonic masterworks that are beyond our scope. This tendency, coupled with the fact that I have transcribed thousands of pages worth of Renaissance polyphony over the last two years has given me a pretty good grasp of the 16th century "Palestrina" style.

Not long after the choir was formed, Rev. James Fryar (then a Subdeacon) joined, and we became friends. After he helped me record the DIGNUS EST AGNUS CD, he asked if I would consider writing a polyphonic Mass to be sung on the occasion of his first public Mass. I agreed.

Although I have looked at a lot of sacred Renaissance polyphony, I have hardly ascended to the level of a Lassus or a Nanini. Therefore, when I started to write the Mass for Rev. Fryar, I followed my normal process: I stole substantial portions from great masterworks of the 16th century, and adapted them to my needs. The Mass itself included sections from works by Ingegneri, Palestrina, Victoria, Uttendal, Croce, Manchicourt, and G. Gabrieli. Furthermore, I chose Offertory, Communion, and Recessional pieces by Marenzio, Costanini, and Monteverdi. Generally speaking, it is in the style of 16th century polyphony, but there are one or two places (e.g. the Kyrie and Hosanna) which diverge slightly from the style.

Writing the Mass was relatively easy. However, proofreading and marking breath marks for all five voice parts (in a forty-page booklet), recording practice CD's, rounding up and rehearsing volunteer singers from six states, and arranging for the CD and DVD recordings were rather difficult things to do for a full-time college student with a senior research project due.

Thankfully, a wonderful group of people, many of them professional singers, came to my aid.