That's a rocking progression.

But... Writing a Mass is setting text to music, unless you're going to write your own words, too. grin

And I have no idea how an Indroit is going to sound against that.

Especially since the particular Indroit depending on what day it is. (That's one reason why it's easier to do a Requiem instead.)

I had a friend write Mass settings (only a handful of parts are generally sung) and I arranged the backing using BiaB. It worked because it was contemporary music, not classical. You're not going to get an orchestra into the church every Sunday. wink

But... why write a Mass? If you're thinking of it as an hour plus of work to compose, IMNSHO that's just the wrong way of thinking of it. It just sounds like a dreary chore.

And who are you writing it for?

I attended a seminar on Gregorian Chant, and the lecturer told us there was no need for new music, as there were enough existing settings already written by the best chant composers to last a lifetime. So the form wasn't just dead, it was hermetically sealed. Beautiful music, but no point in trying to be a composer in that field.

You haven't set any words yet, but since you're throwing around Latin, I assume that's the target language. And... why? I've occasionally sung Schubert's Ave Maria at funerals. Yes, I know... they were desperate.

Anyway, often, there's not enough time to sing the second half of the song. And since the second half includes "Pray for us sinners now, and at the hour of our death" - the reason it's in the funeral in the first place - it's pretty egregious to leave it out.

But nobody notices, because no one speaks Latin. Which is probably why no one notices the first half of the song literally says everything twice, often by just repeating the last couple of words. And I do mean literally:

   Hail Mary, full of grace
   Mail Mary, full of grace
   Hail, hail, the Lord
   The Lord is with you
   You
   And blessed
   And blessed is the fruit of your womb
   Your womb, Jesus.
   Hail, Mary

That's not to say it's not a beautiful song. For me, that's the hardest part of singing it - other people have done such a wonderful job of it.

But once you know what the words are... So. Much. Repetition.

Clearly, even in Ye Olden Times Schubert understood that repetition was the key to popular music. laugh

You find that same sort of repetition in Gregorian Chant as well:

   Alle-
   Alle-
   Alle-lu-
   Alle-lu-
   Alle-lu-ia
   lu-ia
   lu-ia
   lu-ia
   iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiia

With that level of repetition, you can easily fill 15 minutes without getting past the Indroit.

Anyway, do whatever floats your boat. smile

-- David Cuny
My virtual singer development blog

Vocal control, you say. Never heard of it. Is that some kind of ProTools thing?