Concert exposes students to musical performance of Mass

The Lamplighters Concert Choir performed Franz Schubert’s “Mass in G” this past Tuesday in front of a fairly large audience in Roberts Chapel. The concert began at 11 a.m., as it took the place of the regularly scheduled chapel service.
The songs were performed completely in Latin, and Franz Peter Schubert (1797-1828) was only one of hundreds to compose music to fit the words.
In total, the choir performed six songs during the half hour concert, with a number of the pieces accompanied by soloists. Ashley Beener and Benjamin Little possessed multiple solo parts throughout the concert, and they sang together in the last song, titled “Agnus Dei.”
The Rev. Carolyn Poteet, director of Faith and Mission, offered words of encouragement to the students who attended the service during the welcoming portion of the concert.
Students Alex Sielski and Janna Kisner shared readings from Scripture and different texts throughout the service in between the individual songs.
The Scripture reading out of Isaiah 6:1-4 served as a testament by the prophet Isaiah to the great power of God. This testament revealed one of the main points of emphasis shared at the mass, as the songs consistently noted His glory.
According to the program handed out at the concert, Schubert, an Austrian composer, is an example of someone whose work goes unappreciated during their own lifetime.
An entire generation passed before his work was finally recognized and embraced. Today, Schubert is considered one of the greatest composers in history.
The text of this mass was assembled between the eighth and 10th centuries. Schubert wrote six different musical compositions for this text alone. The mass heard on Tuesday represents his “Mass no. 2 in G Major”, and was written in 1814.
The Lamplighters will perform the same mass at a church in Pittsburgh Saturday. The group will also be performing their Christmas concert at Roberts Chapel on Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m.